Occupy Wall Street is a movement that has taken the world by storm since the original protest in New York City Sept. 17. Similar protests have resulted in mass arrests in several cities across North America. Ottawa might be next.
Occupy Ottawa had their first meeting Oct. 6, and will be holding a general assembly Oct. 15, when they’ll determine a location to “occupy.”
While it’s admirable that protesters are passionate and loud enough to evoke so much attention and participation, the movement’s mission lacks focus, which will likely stand in the way of its success. Sure, the movement stemmed from a protest targeting Wall Street, the centre of American capitalism. But what do these protesters want instead?
Dysfunction and corruption in governments, in general, is far too big an issue to cover with only one protest.
Occupy Wall Street protesters’ left-wing ideologies remain just that — ideals. The organizers have introduced no official list of demands offering solutions to the problems they’re bringing up. The only list that exists is on the unofficial website for the protest, where supporters can suggest things that could appear on the official list.
The protesters should pick one area of government, and focus on one specific issue at a time. That way, their message will come across more clearly to the public and to each other. Are all supporters of this movement, including major labour unions, protesting for and against the same causes?
With so many messages involved, the core message of the movement is being fractured — whatever that message is.
If the Occupy Wall Street supporters want to be successful in affecting social change, they need to pick a strong, clear message and a specific purpose. If they don’t, someone else — perhaps the media — will likely pick one for them.