My Problem with the Occupy Movement

I read the forums on http://occupywallst.org. A lot of what I see there is anger towards a faceless 1% simply characterized by "corporate greed". I do see people saying things that are intelligent, well-thought out, and constructive, but I do see quite a bit of people latching onto a catch phrase and repeating it ad nauseum. I'm not saying they don't understand what they're doing, but I think that it's not helping the movement very much. This is the biggest argument against the Occupy movement that I've seen: people aren't being concrete in their arguments, in stating their goals, and generally have no plan. So I thought about what I would do if my voice were to be heard.

I think the first thing is that I would list the major issues being addressed in real and concrete terms without resorting to fallacious tactics. No buzz words (like "corporate greed"), no creating an unjustified conflict (The 99% vs the 1%), no inflammatory language. Yes, those things excite people and get them to join, but it removes from the credibility of the movement (note: the Tea Party resorts to the same tactics). Why not look at the actual issues?

• Tax breaks for corporations
• Outsourcing jobs with no consequences
• Campaign donations from major corporations
• Funding war on credit
• Abuse of public welfare systems
• Too-low tariffs on imported goods
• People supporting companies that outsource
• People supporting large banks
• People using cheaper-made imported goods

These are just a few of the issues, but in my mind, they are the most concrete. And readers, do you notice that I turned some of this back around on people? We have a responsibility. We are part of what allows this, you know. We vote for our leaders, we buy the cheapest material without thinking of the consequences, we bank with Chase and Citibank and their kind. The government may be part of the problem, the corporations looking at their bottom line may be part of the problem, but WE are part of the problem, too. We cannot deny our own responsibilities.

None of us are entitled to having our demands met without sacrifice. Yes, most of us work hard for our incomes and still struggle. Many of us are victims of circumstance (for example, my husband and I were both laid off, his from his company closing, and mine from outsourced jobs). This doesn't mean that we stop working and ask for our debts to be canceled, because our decisions are part of why we have these debts, and the other part is the events out of our control and how we react to them.

What can the Occupy movement do to encourage individual responsibilities? Leaving the big banks was a good idea (even if Citigroup did call for arrests of these people). This needs to keep happening. Lists of companies that outsource the majority of their labor should be made so that people know who to boycott (by their own choice). If financially possible, people should refinance their homes with smaller local banks to keep money in their local economies. Sitting in a park shouting catch phrases may bring the initial attention, but that attention should be further directed and channeled into means of promoting real action.

I still support the Occupy movement. There's so much potential if only they would live up to it! It's getting people together, getting them talking, and getting attention, but none of this will do any good without directing it towards concrete goals.