Thread: Everything The Media Told You About Occupy Wall St. Is Wrong

Everything The Media Told You About Occupy Wall Street Is Wrong

Posted: 10/19/11 09:22 PM ET

After 10 days out of town, I finally made it to Occupy Wall Street on Tuesday and had a chance to see for myself what's going on. My conclusion: almost everything the media told me about the protest is wrong.

Based on my observations, here's what I consider the Top Ten Myths About Occupy Wall Street.

Myth #1. The Movement Is Violent.

One of the most striking images I witnessed at the demonstration was a young black man holding a sign that read "End NYPD Violence!" in front of a group of police officers.

The officers quickly challenged his accusation. But the young man didn't leave. Next, the police turned away and ignored him. But he still didn't leave. Then the officers chuckled and let out an unexpected laugh when they realized the man wasn't going away. The scene was confrontational, but definitely not violent.

In fact, one of the first things I noticed was a sign posted on a wall that embraced "Kingian Nonviolence," the peaceful principles that guided Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Myth #2. It's Just A Bunch Of Pampered Kids.

Although I supported the concept of the Occupy Wall Street movement when I first heard of it, I admit I didn't think the group had much to offer me. From what I could see in the media, they were well-educated, well-intentioned young white people, but they didn't really represent me.

I was wrong.

What I found was a wide-ranging group of people from various backgrounds, young and old, male and female, black, white, Latin, Asian and mixed. It was the essence of New York, the reason why I moved to this city 10 years ago.

Myth #3. There Are No Black People Involved.

I was taken aback by how many black and Latino participants I noticed at the demonstration. I hadn't seen them on the television coverage of the movement, but they were clearly there.

Myth #4. They're Anti-American.

In my experience, I saw a lot of American flags being waved proudly at the demonstration. The protesters may not all think the same things, but many of them were clearly hoping America would live up to its promise as a land of opportunity where the rules are fair and all are welcome.

Myth #5. They're Just Modern-Day Hippies.

To watch some of the media coverage of the movement, you would think the protest was filled with long-haired hippies left over from the 1960s. In fact, from my experience, I saw a few people who might fit this description, but I also saw just about every type of person you could imagine at the demonstration.

There were high school-aged kids with their parents, college students in their school sweatshirts, men in business suits, mothers with baby carriages, people with jobs, people who were unemployed, white-haired retirees, African drummers, rhythmic dancers, and one person who appeared to be wearing pajamas.

Myth #6. They Don't Know What They Want.

I found many different people gathered in Zuccotti Park with many different interests and agendas, but they seem to be unified by one common purpose. They're tired of a system that seems only to cater to the rich and powerful while ignoring the concerns of the vast majority of Americans.

Myth #7. The Labor Unions Are Behind This.

I saw only one labor union table at the demonstration, but most of the people seemed to have no connection to organized labor. Even if they had, there's nothing wrong with that. Labor unions are an important part of our country, and while not perfect, they've helped throughout history to improve working conditions for millions of Americans.

Myth #8. They're Pro-Obama. They're Anti-Obama.

"I don't have facts to back this up," Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said in an interview recently, "but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration." That seems unlikely.

Not long after I arrived I found a Hispanic man in a camouflage jacket complaining about Obama to a small crowd of onlookers. "Obama is not the savior," he cried out. Moments after he finished, a young black man in a sweat jacket stood up to defend Obama to the crowd, acknowledging that the president wasn't perfect but he was doing the best job he could to clean up the mess he had inherited.

Both sides had their points to make and both were respectfully acknowledged.

Myth #9. They're In The Wrong Place.

I love to hear conservatives complaining that the protesters should be in Washington instead of Wall Street, as if the conservatives were really concerned about the most effective way for the demonstrators to make their case.

This location-based argument suggests a limiting "either/or" mentality that you can't be in both places, and also assumes that there's no reason to be on Wall Street at all.

As Herman Cain said recently, "Don't blame Wall Street. Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself.

But there's a good reason why Wall Street serves as an ideal venue for the demonstration. Unlike politicians in Washington, who have to answer to voters every few years, corporate executives on Wall Street don't have to answer to the public, even though their actions have a huge impact on all of us. It seems to me, the protesters picked a reasonable venue to launch their movement. In fact, judging by the row of satellite trucks parked outside the protest, I'd say Wall Street was exactly the right place to draw attention to their cause.

Myth #10. They're Taking Over Wall Street.

I've lived in New York City for 10 years, but I'd never been to Zuccotti Park until the Occupy Wall Street protests took place. I assumed the protesters were camped out at a park somewhere at the end of Wall Street, throwing around garbage and creating a mess.

Once again, I was wrong.

First, the group was clean, neat and orderly when I saw them. The park was actually cleaner than any park I've ever seen in New York City. Some demonstrators even walked around with brooms to clean up any mess that might have been left, and signs were posted advising the occupiers to observe a "good neighbor policy."

Finally, as it turns out, Zuccotti Park isn't even on Wall Street. It's a couple blocks away. As you can see from the image below, the only mess on Wall Street came from the police horses standing guard in front of the New York Stock Exchange.

Follow Keith Boykin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keithboykin

http://news.businessweek.com/article.as ... D3HJFDJIDO

Column: 'Occupy' is anger and noise, but no solutions

By Cal Thomas and Bob BeckelUpdated 4d 18h ago

Cal Thomas is a conservative columnist. Bob Beckel is a liberal Democratic strategist. But as longtime friends, they can often find common ground on issues that lawmakers in Washington cannot.

Today: Anger in America.

Bob: Everywhere you look these days, people are fuming. The "Occupy Wall Street" movement denouncing big businesses is just the latest flare-up. Tea Party groups enraged over health care reform and big government back in 2009 haven't removed their funny hats in two years.

Cal: Thank President Obama for that!

Bob: And then there are the irate labor unions that have led protests over government cutbacks on pensions and health benefits. Wisconsin was the epicenter last winter, but the discontent has spread to other states.

Cal: Their racket is over. What a shame.

Bob: Members of Congress are constantly at each other's throats, though that almost seems like the norm now. There's road rage on the highways. YouTube videos of kids pummeling each other. What gives?

Cal: We're in an Angry Birds kind of world, unfortunately.

Bob: Some people have suggested all of this rage is solely the result of a bad economy, but it goes deeper than that. It began with the 9/11 attacks, when Americans felt vulnerable for the first time. Then came wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have lasted nearly a decade and worn out America's patience. Policy battles from the deficit to health care have caused deep fissures across the country. Gallup reports the highest level of dissatisfaction with government ever recorded.

Cal: For good reason, too.

Bob: But it isn't only a lack of faith in government. Even our leisure escape routes are littered with hypocrisy and greed. Millions of Americans love the NFL and the NBA. They spend their hard-earned cash on these games, investing not just dollars but time and energy.

Cal: As a Redskins fan, I can attest to that.

Bob: And what do fans get? A lockout nearly cost the NFL its season, and in the NBA, weeks of the regular season are already canceled because millionaire owners and millionaire players can't figure out how to divide the fans' money. Sure, a bad economy is adding fuel to the growing anger, but we've gone through tough economic times before without this level of rancor.

Cal: One of the reasons for this is that too many people are focusing on what isn't working and less on what is. Instead of promoting solutions, there seems to be a "tear it down" atmosphere at every level of society. I remember something the late Republican congressman Jack Kemp used to say: "You don't beat a thesis with an antithesis; you beat it with a better thesis."

Bob: I have to say, I'm puzzled by the angry reaction of Tea Party types toward the Wall Street protesters, and vice versa. They come across as enemies, but they're essentially angry over the same things. Government fraud and abuse?

Cal: Check.

Bob: Big bankers on Wall Street who contributed mightily to the housing collapse before being bailed out with taxpayer money?

Cal: Check.

Bob: Crony-capitalism, in which government feeds business, which feeds government?

Cal: Check.

Bob: Lobbyists feeding that Washington machine?

Cal: Check.

Bob: Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve?

Cal: Check. One big difference is the Wall Street protesters — to the extent anyone can understand their core message — are demanding more government handouts, including forgiving their student loans. And though they apparently despise business and capitalism, they are spreading their views in part on iPhones and BlackBerrys. This is akin to going on a much-publicized hunger strike and then feasting at Golden Corral.

Bob: The two sides really aren't all that different. Case in point: Recently, I was on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News, which was broadcast from Atlanta. Several thousand people attended, many of them Tea Party supporters. They booed as soon as I walked out.

Cal: You do have that effect on people.

Bob: Hannity mentions the Wall Street protests, and the crowd boos. I said the Wall Street protesters were against the big banks (cheers), taxpayer bailouts (cheers), the Federal Reserve (cheers), and that no rich bankers got jail time for contributing to the housing crash (cheers on their feet). In other words, they protested the same thing. Go figure!

Cal: Isn't that a disconcerting microcosm of our world today? We pick sides, and we stand our ground. Democrats won't work with Republicans. Republicans won't work with Democrats. We're caught in this "us vs. them" rut. Occupy Wall Street hates the Tea Party. Tea Partiers are disgusted with Occupy Wall Street. It matters not that they agree on some of the biggest issues of the day.

Bob: But harmony isn't interesting, Cal.

Cal: Exactly, and the news media play a critical role in fanning the flames of anger. Look at some of the TV shows where the most extreme elements of both sides are presented. Nothing is resolved, and each side gets to pour more fuel on the fire. Reasonable solutions are not the goal. Ratings are the goal. And the country suffers for lack of solutions, not to mention a loss of civility.

Bob: Inflame rather than enlighten. That seems to be the mantra.

Cal: And there is plenty of hypocrisy to go around. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson last week wrote what amounted to a love letter about the Occupy movement. But, of course, he took the opportunity to rail against House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who has called the movement "growing mobs" pitting "Americans against Americans." Robinson then notes how supportive Cantor was of the Tea Party movement and writes, "The man's hypocrisy belongs in the Smithsonian."

Bob: He's right, isn't he?

Cal: If so, that Wing of Hypocrisy will hold a place for Robinson, who gushes over the anti-Wall Street bunch but has never missed an opportunity to beat up on the Tea Party, which he has essentially dismissed as a racist movement targeting our first black president. He indicts himself without even realizing it!

Bob: There's plenty of press silliness, Cal. I mean, a handful of Wall Street protesters marched on the homes of wealthy businessmen, and the media coverage was wall-to-wall. You'd have thought it was the French Revolution. A couple of common ground lessons in all of this: Shouting and refusing to listen to the other side only heightens anger, and the news media's obsession with focusing on the angriest or most extreme protesters is a disservice.

Cal: I'd add that if you have a problem with something — i.e., capitalism! — offer a realistic and productive solution. "Down with (fill in the blank)!" is not helpful.

Bob: Fair enough. So bring ideas to the table, folks.

Cal: Exactly. I suppose the profile of the crowds — Obama supporters, religious lefties, anarchists, Marxists, neo-Nazis and 9/11 Truthers — makes me worry about you Democrats embracing them as if they are the other side of the Tea Party coin.

Bob: How thoughtful of you to worry about my Democratic Party!

Cal: All in the spirit of common ground! But seriously, remember 1968 when the anti-war "students" rioted in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention? The TVs were wallpapered with riot coverage, and the country turned against the party and presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey. Richard Nixon cruised to victory.

Bob: Who says the party will embrace this movement?

Cal: Look around. Not only are we getting the expected excitement from the likes of TheNew York Times' Paul Krugman, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is sending out petitions in support of the Wall Street occupiers. That could be a death warrant for your party's 2012 prospects. Anger is a combustible material and can have unintended consequences.

Bob: Anger over Vietnam, Watergate and much more almost ripped this country apart in the 1960s and '70s. Let's hope the anger today does not take us back to those dark days, but instead causes the business class and the political class to wake up. Because in the end, that's really what the Occupy and Tea Party angst is all about.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/fo ... 50830374/1

Just look on the Indymedia sites to see who is really leading this. Yeah, we are all shocked by Wall Street bonuses, especially when people are layed off and companies are failing. There is probably already a body of law that would deal with most of these issues. Likewise with the banks. Doesn't one think that fraud and misdoing in the banks has surfaced as a problem and concern before, and that there may already be regulations on the books to deal with it? If not, the avenue is open through Congress. Besides that what price is reasonable to pay to institutions that provides safekeeping for the savings of hundreds of million of people and are ready to loan money out at what are now incredible interest rates. To portray all banking professionals as "banksters" is defamatory.

Personally I am more concerned with a current administration and liberal led state governments that selectively enforce legislation and policies, letting many of their favored miscreants completely off the hook. In their civil rights departments, it is "justice for some."

The people have a right to "peacefully assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances." By setting up a 2011 version of a rock festival how is this being done? Plus there are simultaneous events sponsored by radical groups that are riding the coattails of these events.

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Occupy Wall Street: 5 conspiracy theories

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-253540.html

But while it shows a ‘super-entity’ of 147 companies holds huge control over much of the money it does say that the ability for them to exert any real political control is very limited. It seems that the connections are all based on business rather than politics.

But therein lies the politics. If all the world’s economic and financial decisions are made purely on making money for the few and retaining it within their grasp, as well as it being a very vulnerable set-up, how can that possibly be good for the rest of us who have no say over its use?

This sounds like what The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Stree both oppose.

New World Order – so it really does exist

http://www.economicvoice.com/new-world- ... z1bppiZHHk

Five Protesters, Five Questions

By Ian Duncan | The New Yorker – 27 mins ago...

Who is in Zuccoti Park, and why?

Here are excerpts from the second in our series of interviews with the protesters.


Stacey Hessler, 38, DeLand, Florida
When did you get here?

This is day ten for me.

How’s work?

I am a beekeeper, a midwife’s assistant, and I play roller derby—and I’m a mom. I home school my kids. I have enough support.

There’s been a lot of talk of demands. What’s yours?

I want the government to listen to the people instead of the corporations.

How is President Obama doing?

I worked really hard to elect him and I think he’s just like every other politician—no change, no hope. I don’t trust anyone anymore. I might elect him again depending on who the other candidate is.

How long are you planning to stay?

I’m going to stay until this ends.


James Glover, 21, the Bronx

When did you get here?

It’s hard for me because I’m a college student. I just got here today.

How’s work?

[As a pre-med student], I don’t think the government will hurt the health aspect of America, but business is going down.

There’s been a lot of talk of demands. What’s yours?

No more taxes on the lower class. That’s all.

How is President Obama doing?

I actually think he’s doing a decent job. He’s building for the future. If they don’t give him a second term, I think America’s going to Hell.

How long are you planning to stay?

As long as I have to—as long as I don’t have classes.


Gary Phaneuf, 55, Staten Island

When did you get here?

I got here on day six. I own a house on Staten Island and I’m trying to figure out whether I should invite everybody over [for the winter].

How’s work?

Right now I’m working in the shadow economy as a souvenir vendor. It’s rough. I have to risk getting arrested but my last unemployment ran out two years ago.

There’s been a lot of talk of demands. What’s yours?

I’m trying to cut through the China bashing. Wall Street needs to be put in check. We shouldn’t get diluted on other things—a sharp focus on banks.

How is President Obama doing?

I think Obama went through a radical phase but by the time he met Michelle he decided to settle down. I’m scared what I’m hearing from the Tea Party and Rush Limbaugh, they’re creating an environment where he could be shot.

How long are you planning to stay?

Oh gee whiz, until Hell freezes over. This is the most exciting thing in my lifetime politically.


Toby Stewart, 34, from Colorado

When did you get here?

This will be day fifteen.

How’s work?

I’m not working at the moment. I decided I was going to disconnect from the broken system. I was miserable: underpaid, underinsured, the whole shebang.

There’s been a lot of talk of demands. What’s yours?

The protest isn’t just to have a demand, it’s to raise awareness that there’s so much wrong. It’s somewhat of a skill to stay cordial with each other in a disagreement. If you want a demand, that would be one of them.

How is President Obama doing?

Obama’s locked into a system of corruption. If he wanted to step in and do the good things he wanted to do, he wouldn’t be reëlected.

How long are you planning to stay?

I’m going to stay as long as I feel it’s making a difference.


Rosita Libre de Maralanda, 66, Brooklyn

When did you get here?

This is my third visit and I’m already involved with a Spanish working group.

How’s work?

My school, Norman Thomas, is closing. It means the staff have to apply for our jobs again in the system or get out. I want to stay.

There’s been a lot of talk of demands. What’s yours?

Health coverage should not be tied to a relationship because it could be a toxic relationship. It will lock you in.

How is President Obama doing?

I’m totally disappointed.

How long are you planning to stay?

As long as it’s here, I’m going to be here two to three times a week. If my health permitted, I would do more often.

http://news.yahoo.com/five-protesters-- ... tions.html

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