My fiancé and I went downtown to Zuccotti Park to see the Occupy Wall Street protestors. We had wanted to go sooner, but with both of us working seven days a week, it’s hard to carve out a block of time where we’re able to get out. What we saw felt different that what you may have seen on TV or in online videos.
Personally, I walked away with a few challenging feelings. I have tremendous respect and admiration for what the protestors — which I’m not really sure is the right word for what them — are doing. They have certainly established a mini-society, complete with a town hall in which they make decisions and create documents via computer with images of their documents projected on a huge screen in real-time.
On another note, the people living in Zuccotti Park have been there now for weeks — almost a month. It is the most diverse group of people you may every see in one spot. Far from the mostly-older, white, and male, Tea Party. (And no, don’t bother commenting that you are a member of the Tea Party and you are not. You may be younger, non-white, etc., but we have plenty of polls that show who the majority of Tea Party supporters are.)
What they’re asking for in essence is a complete reorganization of 21st century society. There is no doubt about that. And that’s a scary thing — but a worthwhile one.
The fact that this has become a global phenomenon in such a short time is amazing. Any right-wing detractors need to be ignored, for they have no clue what they’re talking about. These people are not “hippies,” not in a derogatory sense. They are, I believe, true patriots.
The Tea Party claims it wants to “take our country back.” These people may actually accomplish that. If you’re a CEO and laughing and ignoring this, the joke’s on you.
Here are some photos. Tell me, what do you think about this?
