Occupy Wall Street

It’s generally acknowledged that no one likes being a statistic. Take this one for example: “More than 10 people a year are killed by vending machines.” It’s funny, but not if you’re the victim of a vicious vending machine attack. However, something worse than being a statistic is being part of the large majority in a negative statistic.It’s this exact issue that caused an uproar when America suddenly woke up and realized that 99 percent of its citizens aren’t the rich guys. That’s right, we’re talking about Occupy Wall Street…or Occupy Atlanta, Anchorage, Richmond, Philadelphia or any of the other imitators with just as much passion but not enough money to attend the main New York City event.

In preparation for this article I did what all good writers do: I researched. However, the more I researched the blurrier the concept of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) became. Eventually I had enough and decided I would find out what OWS’s demands were straight from the website (occupywallst.org).

The website was foggy at best. It included no clear goals, ambiguous claims and one creepy fist graphic vaguely reminiscent of racial supremacy. I was just about to click to another site when I noticed one day-changing word: “chat.” I decided to try a bit of undercover reporting by way of the best disguise ever, the Internet. Signing in under an anti-Wall Street alias I entered the arena of OWS debate, and I was completely overwhelmed.

There were political comments, religious disputes and rants about bankers needing to wear purple ties. As amusing as this barrage of opinion was, it took me a long time to create a serious discussion about OWS. Eventually, I found the OWS supporter  “Headzone.” Headzone and I had a fantastically objective conversation about American economics that greatly enlightened me but still left me with a cynical view of OWS.

I mean, I get it. As a college student, I understand being poor is not fun. As a Christian college student with liberal tendencies, I even understand the urge to paint signs and march around yelling. But come on, America, what are you doing?

Occupy Wall Street is an act of whining. There’s no game plan, no concrete demands, no detailed way to fix the problem. Think about it. When MLK Jr. fought his cause he didn’t stand in front of a podium and whine about how whites were messing up the world and how terrible life was for blacks. Instead he preached about cooperation, how to work together for a better future and specific ways how to make that future happen.

I am not against Occupy Wall Street; I think the passion and energy is fantastic. But that’s like saying, “good hustle” to a bunch of guys running in a circle. The energy needs to be channeled and directed in order to go somewhere.

I don’t condone the shady and shameful deals that Wall Street deals in either. In no way should a few men in Armani suits be able to make mistakes that can ruin life for the entire American public and then award themselves bonuses. We really need a better system. We need to look at Congress and why Congress is facilitating Wall Street in its decisions.

But what we really need is a plan. So, America, stop writing your protest signs and use that marker to draft a plan. We need thinkers, not screamers. Bombard Congress and Wall Street and President Obama’s personal mailbox with your plans, your hopes and your witty ideas on how to fix this problem. Otherwise you’re just another hater with a sign.