Occupy Oakland Being Undermined?

The Christian Science Monitor posed the very interesting question “Is the message of Occupy Oakland being undermined by the violent actions of a few people”? Indeed, the violence has gotten the brunt of the media coverage, but to say that it automatically undermines the message may be a misfire.

Social movements, such as the Occupy protests, sweeping across the country often have multiple branches. Take the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. While the world remembers Martin Luther King and non-violence. There were elements within the African-American community who advocated violence as the means to an end. You’ll find similar behavior in virtually any movement.

The task for the Occupy movement is to prevent the burning buildings and overturned cars from becoming symbolic of the movement. Don’t let the few speak for the many. I repeat: “Do not let the few speak for the many.” That’s the real problem in this country right now.

 The average citizen feels like big business and special interest groups have bought our representatives, so the average person has no voice as various entities continue to take more and more from those who can least afford to give more.