Occupy Los Angeles Dominated by Self-Serving Protesters
Not entirely certain what the Occupy Wall Street protest was all about, I decided to visit Occupy Los Angeles to get a clearer idea. After spending a few hours with the protesters I left even more baffled than I started. The disjointed, overwhelming number of issues voiced at the protest would leave anybody scratching their heads as to the movement's main purpose. Yet one central, underlying theme came across loud and clear: selfishness.
I'm not speaking about the selfish CEOs who gave themselves exorbitant bonuses with taxpayer bailout money while the rest of the country suffered; I'm speaking of the protesters.
Hardly any of them cared about uniting behind a collaborative cause simply because they were all too busy pushing their own agendas. Walk from one end of the courtyard to the other and you will see signs for every issue imaginable, end the wars, end animal cruelty, end corruption, end the fed, end foreclosures, stop nuclear testing, save the environment, support unions, universal healthcare, rights for gays, legalize marijuana, consider socialism, etc. Nearly everybody holding a sign or standing behind an information table had only one purpose: to get people to pay attention to THEIR issue.
Concerns outside their individualized protest didn't seem to interest them greatly. They might listen to others speak and join in open discussions, but it would only be a matter of time before they coaxed the topic of conversation to themselves and their personal protest.
I did see a few selfless elements sprinkled throughout the "Pay attention to ME and MY issue" fest. Upon arrival a man from Los Angeles Catholic Workers offered me free rice and beans. I overheard a few people honestly discussing current events without cramming their beliefs down each other's throats.
Yet despite the laudatory efforts of a few, the event was undoubtedly egocentric. At Occupy Los Angeles the "99%" wasn't the ratio of people stymied by the wealthy "1%", it was the ratio of protesters with selfish motives to the ones without.
Unless the protesters rally behind a collective cause and set aside their self-serving issues that have nothing to do with the movement, Occupy Wall Street will not, and should not, be taken seriously.
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by Alex Artukovich
I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film from Chapman University in California. I reside and write in Los Angeles. One of my short stories, "The Little Ones," has appeared in Writers Weekly and another, "D... View profile
Los Angeles Joins the Occupy Wall Street MovementThe City of LA formally joins Occupy Wall Street. And just as what we have seen in other major cities across the U.S., there are peaceful but loud protesting, normally ending wi...
Occupy Reno General Assembly VandalizedOccupy Reno started with vandals spray painting part of The Underground, a nightclub where the meeting was held.Occupy Explained to ConservativesAs a liberal activist and journalist, it's pretty clear that our message isn't reaching across the isle. So, here I have broken down two significant economic and social trends w...
- Occupy Wall Street; Leaderless Resistance or Beatnik Sit In?My view on the Wall Street protest.
- What Do the Occupy Wall Street Protesters Want?The "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations have gone on for several weeks and become a national phenomenon. What do they really want?
- Occupy Wall Street for 2nd Grade Graduates
- Occupy Wall Street Theme Songs Playlist
- Occupy Wall Street Movement Gains Steam in the Wake of Weekend Arrests
- Kanye West and Russell Simmons at Occupy Wall Street
- How Do You Feel About the Occupy Wall Street Movement?
- Message from Occupy Wall Street, 99 Percent: All Who Were Wronged by Corporations,...
- Some Suggested Demands for the Occupy Wall Street Protest Based on the American Sc...
5 Comments
Post a CommentI didn't realize that's what was going on in LA. Thanks for the info. I can understand that their are many issues and that's why there are so many protesters, but they are definitely missing the fact that we have allowed corporations and banks to dictate how the issues are handled(or not). It seems most of those protesters already have platforms and have had organizations to lead them. We definitely don't need more confusion out there or this issue will not evolve to what it should be. I can't wait for your next article. Maybe one that actually gives us the story behind what this "occupy wall street" is really about. I like the way you give information very honestly.
The more I see this walstreet stuff the more often I ask my elders, "is this what it was like when the hippies were around?" The news reporters cast the protestors in a bad light (not that it takes much) but through this article I got more background information than just "these people don't know what they're doing." Thanks ;)
I think you are speaking for the majority of the population on this topic. It seems that we are all confused by what this movement is really about and the more and more I hear about it the more I see that most of these "occupy" people are just out for their own agenda. Great article!
I Talked to a few protesters in Boise and it was funny that they had a lot more to say about smoking bans and marijuana legalization. Two guys were talking about all the protests they had been to in the last few years "professional protesters". I like the occupy concept, I don't like how it's being handled.
Good point I think if any of them want to make any ground they need to organize thier efforts its hard to support chaos!