Occupy Confusion: I Paid A Visit to the Camp
Seth Wooley, a Portlander who is a leader in the Pacific Party in Oregon challenged me on Face Book to basically quit being so critical and go visit an “Occupy” camp and ask a few questions, so I did.
I was in Portland for a meeting on the Hatfield Project so I took on the challenged and marched down to the Occupy Portland Camp, just a few blocks from my meeting.
I listened as campers explained to visiting students why they are out there. I walk around the camp, read the signs, took some pictures and found someone to talk with me. I told the guy who I was and why I was there. He was very forthright and downright nice to talk with. He made more sense than some I’ve talked with in political circles. He made more sense than a lot of the junk I’m hearing on the Presidential Debates.
He wouldn’t let me take a picture of his face but he let me take a shot of him sweeping. He admitted the cause had become ensnarled in many causes but explained how frustration creates comrades and issues start to overlap.
He looked at me in the eyes and said, “Rick, we are so frustrated with the system and many of us here simply can’t find work.” He went on to say: “We don’t know what else to do to get people to listen.”
I was taken back a bit by the conversation. Okay all you right-wingers sit back for a minute before you start spewing at me.
I found I had more in common with him than I thought I would. I too am frustrated with party politics, public relations, manipulation and political correctness. All these things keep us from having honest conversations. All these techniques prevent real solutions.
Another someone wrote me to say I need to stop listening to the media’s version of what’s going on with Occupy Wall Street and find out for myself. I did. I get it. I sort of understand, at least better than I did yesterday.
Another wrote, when I asked where Jesus would stand on this occupation movement, to reminded me that Jesus would probably be doing a lot more listening and very little talking and no judging.
I still think the movement is flawed, mixed up and has lost it’s target? People at the top always seem to take advantage and lose touch with the real message but how is that any different from the rest of us?
What I saw in this guy’s eye, and the eyes of a few others in the camp, was desperation. When you don’t know what to do, you do what you can and perhaps camping out is the only way to get someone’s attention.
What we need now is for someone to start talking about real solutions. Perhaps this is what happens when politics fails to respond to the people rather than their parties?
I walked away from the camp seeing it, not as a solution but part of the process. As I got into my car I thought to myself “We’ll at least they are doing something besides complaining.”
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The powers are too big… Only Jesus can save us now. :/
Agreed. At least they’re not sitting around complaining. It’s better to do something to get the ball rolling- even if you miss your target- rather than wait for something to happen. It’s too easy to sit back and make fun of them. But the reality is, or may be, that these folks represent the majority of us who’ve had enough and want some real change.
Not being critical, I just want to understand. Is it that they can’t find work, or that they don’t want to start of at the bottom? Also, they are mad at Wall Street and the greed, but I hear very little angst directed towards the politicians BOTH SIDES who take millions from the 1% and then direct policies to protect them. As a large corporation, if you don’t pay off these politicians, you’ll get demolished by your competitors. Why aren’t they occupying D.C and asking for something better? Maybe they are and I just don’t see it.
Great post Rick, I appreciate the new insights!
Interesting post Rick and I am of two minds! My first thought is why would they even want a job? The occupiers complain about “the system” because they are not a part of it and want to be? That is prettry wierd, certainly not the “drop out” of the sixties! It is a little too much “ME” for me and leads to the kind of thinking that if we could just destroy the rivers or get rid of environmental regulations then we could all have jobs! I hope we don’t really want this, it would just be a change Back to the Future!
Are there no longer alternatives to the nine to five jobs? What happened to volunteering? To the Peace Corps or Americorps? Teachers are needed all across American and I think there are programs where recent college grads can get a Master’s Degree while learning to teach. Maybe even Private Industry or Churches could promote volunteering by providing housing and necessary things?
I am an old 60′s guy and I think it is strange to see a protest where people want IN or want MORE of anything!
Perhaps they understand that griping about politicians has been done and seems to fall of deaf ears in terms of the public interest. It’s a new angle I guess.