As Occupy Wall Street Gains Momentum, a Harsh Critic Recants in the Mainstream

[marmar]

As Occupy Wall Street Gains Momentum, a Harsh Critic Recants in the Mainstream


The Occupy Wall Street movement is gaining momentum. After disturbing, video-documented police brutality and 80 arrests at their march last Saturday, non-supporters and skeptics are being forced to notice a group for the people - the 99% - suffering without the wealth hoarded by the ultra-rich. Once facing a mainstream media blackout, the Occupy Wall Street movement is now up against a different obstacle - one that it seems to be overcoming.

Media as popular as Keith Olbermann and Michael Moore have spoken out against against insufficient Occupy Wall Street coverage, which has appeared to give way to a cesspool for criticism. But today, in a powerful display of Occupy Wall Street's growing popularity, the bold demonstrations and their supporters earned a harsh critic's corrected analysis.

Sally Kohn's September 27th piece for the American Prospect totally slammed Occupy Wall Street. Categorizing demonstrators as unorganized, purposeless punks and "reincarnate hippies," Kohn suggested that the demonstrators were camping out, marching daily, and facing police brutality just for sake of a protest - for the fun of it, so to speak. But today, in a piece for CNN, Kohn expressed a drastic change in heart. Instead of calling the protestors inefficient anarchists, she actually likened them to Ghandi and Frederick Douglass. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/672975/as_occupy_wall_street_gains_momentum%2C_a_harsh_critic_recants_in_the_mainstream/

[gratuitous]

1. A very odd thing is happening . . .

Isaiah 43:19

[Cal Carpenter]

2. God willing

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

(I had to google that, I am not religious, LOL)

We are in the belly of the beast, as Che said, perhaps this Occupy stuff is a pop and a fizzle but there is no doubt that it is a spark of something, that will hopefully find solidarity in working class movements around the world and challenge the rampant destruction that capitalism has brought to every corner of the globe.

[lunatica]

3. With our support it stands a much better chance of growing

Even if it's only to buy them food or if people live in the area they could go down for a day and talk them up.

[Cal Carpenter]

5. What I find very encouraging

is the support and participation they are starting to get from unions. For this to get anywhere it has to be truly a movement of the 99%, and the outward impression of it being disgruntled college kids worried about their loans is worrisome. The wider variety of age and occupation represented the better.

I honestly thought this might fizzle out after a few days (like most things), or stay stagnant - which may be meaningful for those involved, but having no outward effect. Instead, this is growing and spreading to more and more cities.

[lunatica]

11. We've been despairing of the American people ever doing this and now here it is

I give credit to Wisconsin who I think has been our flagship of what it takes to get a message across. It takes a dedication to staying as long as it takes. I have great hope. This is what's been happening in the Middle East and now it's happening here.

It actually took a direct attack on unions in Wisconsin and Ohio, but something sparked this.

I'm also happy to see the Occupy Wall Street crowd are young people. That truly delights me. We were that age when we demonstrated so effectively in the 60s. They'll make a difference too. It's because they're hurting now. They have no future and the country is full of homeless and jobless and underpaid and a slide into poverty for the middle class.

I think Americans are finally ready to say enough. But as always it's the bravest who go first.

[dana_b]

4. I agree and I wonder how this will play out

with the October 2011 movement getting ready to take shape. They have similar goals and, to me at least, it seems like they should support one another. I hope that occupy wall street does not get lost in the shadow of October 2011 or vice versa.

[Bandit]

12. I always thought Isaiah 32 5-8 was quite appropriate for our time

Churl being the GOP of course.

[hifiguy]

6. This is a worldwide phenomenon - starting small

but in a lot of places. The people are fed up with the financiers and moneymen. If this becomes a serious mass movement, and it just might, it is gonna suck to be them. Too bad, so sad. :evilgrin:

See link for more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/world/as-scorn-for-vote-grows-protests-surge-around-globe.html?ref=todayspaper

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. The 99 percenters nametag is as powerful as the tea party name was

I think this can't help but catch on throughout the country. Further Republican intransigence in the Congress over revenue issues and financial regulation will only make it grow.

[Luminous Animal]

8. I am happy to hear that.

[texshelters]

9. Yes, I saw something on CNN last night

about the occupations of Wall Street and the park, and it said something like, "People are angry about the perceived economic inequity..." It was fairly positive.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[gratuitous]

10. "The perceived economic inequity"

As if there's some objective measure somewhere that shows that the rich aren't getting obscenely richer and the rest of us aren't getting poorer. Good old even-handed "objective" reporting that brings us equivalency even where none exists.

Interesting to me that these demonstrations continue going strong, and long enough to have garnered a little attention from the popular media. Long enough to get some people (like the writer in the original post) to change their minds from their initial impressions. Maybe for once we'll get past the sartorial review to an actual discussion of the issue that has brought so many people to Manhattan.

[markpkessinger]

13. Rather strrange . . .

What is strange here is that Ms. Kohn, in her CNN piece, makes no mention of her American Prospect piece expressing rather different sentiments, published just a day earlier.

One gets the impression Ms. Kohn registered a change in wind direction, rather than a change of heart.