Recently the hot-button political topic of discussion has been Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together. The occupy rallies that started in New York on Sept. 17 have now spread not only across the country, but across the world.
The rallies are showing that people, the “99 Percenters” are tired of not having jobs, being in debt, getting kicked out of homes, having to pay too much for medical care, and paying too much money for an education that might not necessarily return what they give. The one percent of America is made up of the extremely wealthy, mainly those with banks and big businesses who are making too much money for not really doing anything.
These are the very same banks who got bailed out for their poorly done work, as well as the typical big businesses that, despite having the continued Bush-era tax cuts and comparatively few regulations, are not creating jobs but cutting jobs while largely enjoying some of their largest profits on record.
It has been expressed by a lot of people, both people that I’ve spoken to, and many news reports, that people are not sure what exactly the point of the Occupy rallies is. What are these people, holding up signs on the streets hoping to accomplish? Do they actually have a goal?
I have to admit, it stumped me as well. I think that the idea is great, but that’s mostly because I’m a self-proclaimed hippie so I have to love the idea. When trying to find out what the group’s main ideals and goals were, I couldn’t come up with anything.
The idea that I’ve started to form is that those involved in Occupy Together are not necessarily working for a goal, but simply trying to make themselves heard.
Two Occupy Wall Street protestors sport Guy Fawkes masks from the film "V for Vendetta" in Times Square, Oct. 18, 2011. — Photo by csxmoose
If you look up the 99 Percent Project, you can see pictures of people holding up signs that say they are in debt because of school loans, a woman who can’t give her kidney to save her friends life because she can’t pay medical bills, and families who work on minimum wage just to survive.
It’s hard not to want to shed a tear when you see some of the 99 Percent Projects signs. But the question a lot of people are asking is will it actually accomplish anything?
I have to say yes. The first thing that demonstrators have accomplished is making their voices heard. Those who sit on Wall Street and even other cities across this country are exercising their freedom of speech.
They are letting the world know that there is something wrong. Those who made signs expressing that they are the 99 percent are trying to show that they are not content.
This is the first step. Those who are demonstrating have gotten up off their couches and used the freedom of speech that America grants them.
Just by making their voices heard, they’re making a difference. Hopefully they will succeed in their efforts, and all Americans should support them.
I’m proud to be part of the 99 percent; I support Occupy Wall Street and making our voices heard.
