While the Guardian has a OWS and Occupy America stories on their front page, today’s New York Times doesn’t find anything fit to front page. What’s missing from both sets of coverage is a sense of what motivates the individual protesters, so I’m looking for more independent sources.
Here’s a report from a self-described libertarian who hung out at Occupy Wall Street and filed a report. Overall, he’s impressed by the attitude of the protesters, and he thinks that the movement will leave a lasting impact. He also wonders why the Times doesn’t have an embed in Zuccoti Park. (via Jay Rosen)
Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones spent the weekend in Manhattan with the protesters and filed a set of dispatches and tweets. MoJo also has a map of Occupy America protests.
And, in case you missed it, DougJ and I went to the Rochester, NY Occupy protest on Friday and I posted some photos and video.
If you’ve seen some good reporting, especially about your local Occupy protest, please leave it in the comments.
Samara Morgan
So what do you propose as an alternative to “freed” market capitalism, mixie?
got anythin’ ?
arguingwithsignposts
The top of the Washington Pwn web site is all Occupy all the time at the moment. I suspect it’s grabbing attention in the village.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
Early comment: An xkcd reference in the libertarian article. Further down though, I like his attempt at flashing his “libertarian” cred: I’m gonna push people by not doing what they want because I want to verify that this is actually a totalitarian movement because they should accept my rudeness.
@Samara Morgan: Actually, I prefer capitalism. I don’t like the serfdom proposed by the Republicans. Capitalism is great for what it can do: Enough companies competing for my business that I can get the shoe I want in the size I need (thank Gawd for New Balance). But I also know that capitalism cannot do everything.
Samara Morgan
@Belafon (formerly anonevent): unregulated capitalism is what brought us the Econopalypse that Ate America’s Jobs.
watch me.
scav
Brief OT hint of what banal and simple howls of outrage can sometimes accomplish: NetFlix to abandon the whole split DVD-Streaming and Quickster approach.
ETA: Oh, and in aid of symmetry (as the above is the NYT), The Guard has a harder OT case that probably won’t come off: possible shareholder grumpiness about BOTH Murdoch sons and, sometimes, existing NC board members in general.
SiubhanDuinne
Meanwhile, Liz Trotta of Faux Noise has opined that the OWS message is “what sounds like the ravings of the Unabomber.”
(You remember Liz Trotta. She’s the one was forced to apologize on-air after she conflated the names of Osama and Obama and then suggested that there was no difference and both could be “knocked off.”)
À la lanterne!
Scott
From San Antonio:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Cries-of-Occupy-San-Antonio-ring-throughout-2205816.php
Tyro
I’m gonna push people by not doing what they want because I want to verify that this is actually a totalitarian movement because they should accept my rudeness.</i.
But isn't this a libertarian's entire lifestyle?
Maude
@scav:
Good for the simple howls.
That was a stupid idea and I’m glad they got rid of it.
Larry
Not news, but commentary, at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/131395918.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#continue
scav
@scav: Second link may not have worked. Murdoch one. And yup, Maude, yea! for simple howls and really stupid ideas dying the death they deserve. This one has more details about Hastings getting yelled at.
Nicole
I went down to the protest yesterday for awhile. Noisy, crowded, and very peaceful. And news vans everywhere. Took some crappy photos on my phone, but I’ll still email them to you once I get caught up on work.
handsmile
Tangentially o/t, as rather than reports from independent media on the “Occupy Wall Street” protests, here are two current stories on the phenomenon (one that may surprise you) from the proudly far-right end of the corporate media spectrum:
At the Fox News website, a poll: “Do Occupy Wall Street Protests Represent Your View of the Economy?” Results (as of 9:00am): 62% “YES. These folks are right about corporate greed and what’s happening to the little guy”; 35% “NO. They have no idea how jobs are created or how a free-enterprise system works.”
(h/t Thers at Eschaton)
New York Post print edition and website: “Sex, drugs, and hiding from the law at Wall Street protests” [headline]
The article begins: “The criminals are crashing the party.” The first several paragraphs focus upon and quote a man who claims to have outstanding warrants from Connecticut and seeks to elude the police by mingling among the protesters.
The Post reporters next address a different issue of public order and safety, e.g., “Zuccotti Park smells like on open sewer, with people urinating and defecating in public”; and “Some couples have taken advantage of the free condoms distributed by the organizers to do the nasty in full view of other protesters.”
I believe that attempts by New York City municipal and police officials to disrupt and disband the OWS protest will be predicated on these reports of petty crime and public sanitation. I fully expect to see increasing emphasis on these topics in corporate media reports in the next few days. The real estate development firm Brookfield Properties, which manages the Zuccotti Park site in a public/private partnership, will then come under increasing pressure to close the park as a means to maintain public order.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Samara Morgan: I totally agree, which is why I said “But I also know that capitalism cannot do everything.”
mass
I think all the Times reporters ran down to the “Eeee!! Ground Zero Mosque” where all of the really serious and sane people hold their rallies…
soonergrunt
I’m going to see if I can’t get down to the Occupy OKC event tonight. There was a big meeting on Friday of about 300-350 people (which is HUGE for Oklahoma) but nothing the last couple of days with the 4+ inches of rain we had yesterday and Saturday.
If I can get down there, I’ll see what I can do picture-wise.
wonkie
Northwest Cable News which I guess is associated in some way with NBC has the usual two second coverage but what content they have had has been good. They pick reasonably articulate and normal looking people frmthe protests and let them say one sentence, ussually something like “We are the middle class and we are fighting for a job and a life”.
That was followed by Obamasaying that any Senator who voted agasint the jobs bill would have some ‘splaining to do and that was followed by them stating that the Rethugs opposed the bill because it put a tax on millionaires.
Bruce S
The Times DID have a very good editorial on OWS on Saturday – pretty surprising actually in that it was right on target:
http://titanicsailsatdawn.blogspot.com/2011/10/wall-street-protests.html
Judas Escargot
@Samara Morgan:
I prefer the original, myself.
Bruce S
Just an observation and the suggestion that this would have seemed unthinkable a month ago: the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the President of the United States, the Vice-President of the United States, The New York Times and – yes, according to an email in my box this morning from the ubiquitous “Robby Mook, DCC” – the Beltway Democratic Party organization, have all embraced and rendered “legitimate” the anti-establishment sentiments of an angry bunch of living, breathing, non-metaphorical “Dirty Fucking Hippies” ensconced with signs, protesting and refusing to leave Dirty Fucking Wall Street.
Who’da thunk? I’m loving it…
Michael Bersin
Occupy Kansas City, yesterday:
Occupy Kansas City: a concert, a few speeches, and a march
chanster
Coverage of Occupy Seattle from The Stranger: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/occupy/
Triassic Sands
Just a few days ago the complaint here at BJ was that the Times was covering the demonstrations by explaining “why” the protesters were protesting. And now, you’re calling for articles that explain motivations. Isn’t that precisely what BJ was criticizing?
Is what motivates the demonstrators really mysterious? I mean, if George Will were there protesting, his motivation would be unimaginable, so it might be news. But asking the 99% why they’re angry at the 1% isn’t likely to elicit any surprise responses.
SuzieC
http://www2.ohiovotes2011.com/news/2011/oct/10/occupy-columbus-effort-lands-ohio-statehouse-steps-ar-779463/
Columbus.