Common criticisms cannot contain OWS

Contrary to what many people think, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) did not begin solely as a movement concerned with wealth inequality, or at least I didn't perceive it that way. Soon after I arrived at Zucotti Park on Sept. 17, the first day of occupation, we formed break-out groups on the ground to discuss the issues we thought needed to be addressed. There were common themes such as taxing the rich and job creation. But there were also dozens of other, more peripheral issues that never gained traction such as environmental regulation. There were so many things people wanted this movement to stand for that I actually found it hard to feel a connection.

What happened subsequently is clear: a few participants elected to sleep in Zucotti Park that night and continued the sleep-in for the next two months. It was only a matter of time until the movement grew and emerged in other cities. In retrospect, I am amused by the excitement I experienced when the first reports of OWS hit the local news networks the following morning. I never could have imagined the extent of the media coverage this protest attracted.

On Nov. 17, its two-month anniversary, OWS rebounded from its brutal eviction from Zucotti Park two days prior and put together the biggest protest yet. Thousands of people showed up near Zucotti Park. By the day's end, the amalgam that represents OWS, including an estimated 30,000 people at Foley Square, consisting of union members, students, activists and, most importantly, "average" citizens. Walking to Foley Square I witnessed the popular mass, which reminded me of that which someone said on Sept. 17: "disgust is no excuse for apathy. People need to start caring again about society. If people really want change, they can't expect others to do it for them or to happen without common goals." And now, if 30,000 people coming together don't show a renewed spirit then the emergence of the OWS moments around the world does.

The protestors have been called a variety of things, from lazy to "hippies" to college hipsters; however, if you do not go to a protest, then you have no grounds to pass judgment on the OWS protestors. Each protestor has a reason they are involved, as the protestors are so diverse in race, gender, geographic and socio-economic background; there is no single reason to participate.

On the morning of the two-month anniversary, I stood with my fellow protestors hoping to delay the opening bell on Wall Street, I felt strangely disconnected, as I had two months prior. However, it was a different kind of disconnect: I could stand with these people and sympathize 100 percent, but could I really empathize? The answer was painfully no. I am neither in the job market nor have I experienced the pain of unemployment or poverty. Still, I believed in the movement and remained in the mass trying to block Wall Street. At 3 p.m. in Union Square, a couple blocks from where I went to high school, thousands of students gathered for the protest. In every direction, men and women held up signs such as "CUNY supports OWS" and "NYU refuses to give in" as well as countless other placards by other New York schools. I soon realized that I empathized with the students. I do understand the fear of $100,000 student debt incurred before entering the labor force and its unfairness. I suppose from this newfound empathy, I reached for a sharpie in my pocket and wrote on the back of a sign, "Vassar in Solidarity." I carried that sign on behalf of my fellow sympathetic students for the remainder of the evening.

It's hard to wrap one's mind around OWS as a historical social movement. People can say what they want about where the movement will go, but no one can deny how successful the movement has already been considering its origin. 2010 was the year of the Tea Party, but 2011 is the year of OWS and its principles. It is symbolic and supportive of OWS that over 140 of the richest Americans have come out to accept their fair share of the responsibility.

Seeing the movement develop, from the very first day to the two-month anniversary, gives me hope. On the first day, I was disconnected and saw no reason why this movement should last. How was a protest without a leader or even a central message going to accomplish anything? However, the reason why this protest is succeeding is now clear: everyone has something to empathize with in this movement, and consequently, the apathy that has plagued our nation is finally dissipating. Americans are slowly remembering that this is their country and they have the power to change it.

—Adam Eichen '15 is a student at Vassar College.