While May Day came and went last week, one movement is attempting to stay \u2014 to stay relevant, that is.\u00a0 First taking their message to the streets last September, the Occupy Wall Street protest seemingly lost momentum and attention in recent months, as winter weather and erratic behavior obscured the message behind the movement.<\/p>\n
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Hence, the Occupiers are hoping to now recapture what was lost.\u00a0 They called for convergence on May 1st, International Workers\u2019 Day, a day historically associated with opposers to capitalism.\u00a0 Yet with vocal but sporadic response last week, OWS is calling for more organized demonstrations next Saturday.<\/p>\n
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The Intramuralist believes it\u2019s important to look at the root of the Occupiers\u2019 pursuit.\u00a0 As first discussed here last fall, here is the movement\u2019s purpose \u2014 in their own words:<\/p>\n
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\u201cOccupy Wall Street is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants…<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We demand, firmly but without violence: social justice, wealth distribution and an ethic of commons. We condemn poverty, inequality, environmental devastation and corruption as tools of subjugation by the powerful on society.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In order to minimize the emotion of this movement, I will refrain from addressing the erratic protestor behavior \u2014 the violence, the destruction of public property, and the negative impact on multiple small businesses.\u00a0 Allow me to address the following instead.\u00a0 Here are my questions…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How can you assume that the so-called 1% is greedy?<\/p>\n Do you know their hearts?<\/p>\n How is the individual wealth of others an obstruction for you?<\/p>\n Are you not able to work or do you not desire to work?<\/p>\n Are any of the so-called 99% greedy?<\/p>\n Where is the value of personal responsibility?<\/p>\n What about hard work?<\/p>\n What role, if any, does religion play in your pursuit?<\/p>\n Is there any submission to the God of the universe?<\/p>\n Is there submission to anyone?<\/p>\n How do you embrace the Arab Spring concept but distance yourself from the violence that accompanied the approach?<\/p>\n What are the limits of wealth distribution?<\/p>\n Are your protests truly socially just?<\/p>\n What do you believe you\u2019re entitled to?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note that suggested entitlements have included college, cars, housing, medical and dental care, etc.\u00a0 Many also desire a guaranteed living wage regardless of employment.\u00a0 All debt also should be forgiven.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now… my 17 cents…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While some of the demands and expressions of the Occupiers seem outlandish and arguably extreme, the reality is that there is a segment of society which has become disillusioned with capitalism.\u00a0 I believe it\u2019s wise to ask why.\u00a0 From my perspective, some have equated \u201chappiness\u201d with its pursuit<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The Occupy Movement is the manifestation of this equity error.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHappiness\u201d is not a right; it is not included in the unalienable rights boldly outlined in our Declaration of Independence.\u00a0 Rather, it is the pursuit <\/strong><\/em>of happiness which is our prerogative. \u00a0We are a free people. \u00a0We are free to pursue our individual callings, callings that allow for both risk and reward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Capitalism encourages that pursuit… to be successful… to seek and thus find… to be responsible… to realize the value of hard work… to submit to a divine reality.\u00a0 People have opposed capitalism \u2014 and instead advocated for increased entitlement (and less individual liberty) \u2014 because they have failed to realize that the pursuit<\/strong> of happiness is sometimes wiser and better and more life-transforming than happiness itself.\u00a0 The pursuit is good.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ok, make it 18 cents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While May Day came and went last week, one movement is attempting to stay \u2014 to stay relevant, that is.\u00a0 First taking their message to the streets last September, the Occupy Wall Street protest seemingly lost momentum and attention in recent months, as winter weather and erratic behavior obscured the message behind the movement. … <\/p>\n