I have to speak briefly in the defense of some of the uncertain press that has come out with relation to Occupy Wall Street. This isn't a defense saying they are accurate in their portrayals. It's more of a defense to say that I can understand why they are reporting the way they are, even if you take out the bias of a corporate backing.
Most of them probably do not spend a large amount of time at the protests. They go down there, try to get a story in a few hours, and then leave. That is how most events are reported on. That is simply not how you can report on Occupy though. Occupy really is something that you have to immerse yourself in to fully understand what is happening.
What Occupy Wall Street really is, is the development of a community, and people working together. It's NOT a protest in the general definition of the word. It might have started off as a protest but it has evolved so far from that point. It is also something that is very foreign to the press because, quite honestly, America has not seen this kind of interest in politics, ethics, or economics in quite a while. We kind of fell asleep. The years since the 2008 crash woke us up to realize "wait, what's going on here?"
If I were to describe the movement in one phrase it would be this:
People are being inspired, and challenged, to realize that whether or not they talk about what's going on in their country, and other countries around the world, it will effect them no matter what. It's really quite remarkable.
Occupy Wall Street is not simply a protest of demands. It is a protest of complacency. It is a community which has finally realized, "we're all in this together, and if we don't act fast and start getting active in our country, we're are REALLY going to be in trouble."
The reason I'm putting this forward is because, for quite a while, (after the first) week I didn't even know what the fuck it was. I came because I saw a chance to protest and other people interested in a protest. After a week I had no clue what was going on, but I knew that I liked being there. I was refreshed by the idea that some people were finally taking interest in the issues again, and in a very open, public atmosphere as well. I was often asked the question, "what now, what are you guys doing?" Pretty much every time my answer was: "I'm not sure, but what I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt is that it's getting people talking again." I didn't really understand the significance of this until recently.
What you are dealing with at Zuccotti Park is NOT a protest at all. There is protesting involved of course, and that element will never leave it. The idea behind Occupy Wall Street though has developed into something else far more impressive. It has developed into an idea to try and fix what has gone wrong, to figure out what the fuck happened to let it get so wrong, and to get active again.
What has made me so proud of it though is something else: It is populated by some of the most intelligent, resourceful, resilient, and well-intentioned people I have EVER met in my life and I consider it an honor to be part of such a beautiful thing. By the way, I don't see it ending any time soon either and I'm glad. I can't imagine how they'll make it through the winter, but I've already seen some incredibly amazing things happen in just one month, and I have a feeling we've all only seen a very small glimmer of what this group is truly capable of. Keep an eye open, we're watching history... smelling it too lol
