As Occupy Wall Street has spread to cities across America, including St. Louis, students have joined in the movement.
Amber Davis
-Asst. Art & Life Editor-
As Occupy Wall Street has spread to cities across America, including St. Louis, students have joined in the movement.
According to http://occupywallst.org, the movement is a “leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions” happening at Wall Street and worldwide. The movement is committed to economic reform.
STLCC-Meramec Sociology Professor Cindy Epperson, Ph.D., said students should participate in the occupy movement because it is the most significant protest this generation has experienced.
What drives more people to participate in Occupy Wall Street is fear, frustration and a feeling of helplessness, according to Epperson.
“We are experiencing so much social change that people are scared and they are reacting,” Epperson said.
American citizens are upset with the political system, the politicians that we elect into office, the economics’ and debt in America, Epperson said.
Sociology Instructor Emily Neal, Ph.D., said the economic turmoil Americans and students face is an issue of justice. She said people across the country should become more outspoken for social rights.
“I believe that we need to have more feminism, we need more anti-racist activity, we need to battle homophobia and we need to have better access to health care,” Neal said.
Neal joined Occupy St. Louis protesters at Kiener Plaza last month. She said she went because she is upset with the wealth distribution in America and the “elite few that make decisions on [American citizens’] behalf.”
“I believe that if you are not on the side of the protestors, then you are on the wrong side of history,” Neal said.
Furthermore, Neal said one person could not represent a movement that expresses a variety of complex issues like Occupy.
However, Meramec History Professor Robert Lee, Ph.D., said without a leader or without a direct message, the occupy movement will not be long term.
“One of the problems this movement has is the same in the anti-war movement during Vietnam,” Lee said. “The message got drowned out. If Occupy Wall Street does not create a coherent message, what will be remembered are people camping in parks, trash and lawlessness.”
Social networking has had a role in the occupy movement. Anyone can follow the occupation on Twitter, watch videos on YouTube or browse the Facebook page, but Lee said it takes more than clicking ‘like’ on a page to support the movement.
“[Americans] are being handed an opportunity here that they need to grab, it requires more than clicking a key on your computer,” Lee said.
Lee said students who do decide to protest have to keep in mind what they can live with and what they cannot live without.
“I have told students that every generation gets judged,” Lee said. “You don’t get to choose what you get judged for. You’ll get to choose what you handle at the moment. It’s not a great cause we are going to make ribbons about and sing songs about, but, the debt and economy is your generation. This is it for you – this is what you will be judged for. And frankly, it does not matter if you protest with Wall Street or against, but actually standing up and giving a damn matters.”
