Misconceptions About The Occupy Movement - We're Hippies, Drug Users, and Leftists

A quick Google News search for the terms "Occupy Hippies" brings up 518 articles. Some of these characterize the movement as hippies while others refute this claim. It should be said we are not hippies.

The characterization of this movement as hippies, mostly by Conservative media groups and think tanks, is nothing more than a great method of discrediting The Occupy Movement in the media. By characterizing us simply as hippies, or in some instances, users of any number of drugs those who disagree with our message are able to say "they're wrong" without engaging an audience in an intelligent discussion concerning why. While the term hippie to some may be a positive thing, to others it characterizes one as a leftist who is simply protesting because there's a protest. By doing this, those working in the media wishing to discredit the movement are simply able to build a wall to divide people further, which is much simpler than assembling a panel to discuss the issues at hand.

Having been to a number of Occupy Dayton events, I can safely say that we're not a movement composed entirely of hippies, drug users, or leftists. While it is impossible to say how someone views their personal identity in the world, without asking them directly, I feel safe in saying The Occupy Movement has a very diverse population. I have seen college students, business men and women, punk rockers, soccer moms, high school students, senior citizens, college professors, and even a hippie or two at Occupy Dayton events. The use of the clothing we wear to create an Us vs. Them mentality shouldn't be insulting to members of this movement at all. It is simply a media tactic, as mentioned before, to build walls between people. Who it should be insulting to, are the audiences of these shows. This methodology is, in effect, saying that the audience either won't understand the message or they'll agree with it. While editorial news shows certainly have an audience, and a ratings chart, which they must cater to. The reduction of a social movement down to its fashion shows, in my opinion, that they fear our message may hold truth with their audience. So, rather than report on the message and make intelligent and concise arguments against it, which even as a supporter of the movement I feel someone who disagrees could and should be able to do, they've chosen to not use whatever intellect they may have and make judgments based on fashion. Because, when attached to the right set of character traits ... even the most noble concepts can be obscured into absurdity.

The characterization of the members of The Occupy Movement as drug users is also off base. I make no claims to know what people do in their free time or in the privacy of their own homes, but I can safely say Occupy Dayton maintains a policy calling for sobriety when you are actively participating with us. It is my hope that this is a policy that is both in place and enforced to the best of each individual Occupy Movement's abilities. As with the clothing we wear, this is just another tactic by the media to obscure the our message without addressing it in a direct and intelligent fashion.

Finally, there is the issue of the political alignment of The Occupy Movement, which has been considered leftist regardless of media bias in almost all cases. This is not a strictly leftist movement. While being an active member of Occupy Dayton I've discussed various political issues and politicians with a multitude of people. I've met people who like Obama, dislike Obama, didn't vote for Obama, support Ron Paul, are Republicans, are Democrats, are Libertarians, are Liberals, are Conservatives, and Moderates. This isn't a movement based around a specific political identity. You don't have to be Liberal to feel like private corporations can do things that are socially and politically destructive and you don't have to be a Conservative to feel like the government is corrupt. There are very few ideological traits that are specific to any political ideology. Perhaps, members of this movement will afterwards realize, like I have begun to, that you take your allies where you can get them. An example, from history, I've used frequently is that of the Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement. They may not have agreed on everything, but when they did agree they worked together. The Occupy Movement is bigger than Liberal or Conservative and it's certainly bigger than any party affiliation. This is a movement of people united by common questions, and we're putting our voices together so that our questions can be heard.

I spent a decent amount of time trying to figure out how to best sum up this blog. And every conclusion I came up with were ideas that had been said better by someone before me. So, I leave you with three quotes from three different individuals.

"We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
- United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis 

"One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99 percent against one another: small property owners against the propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born, intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country."- Howard Zinn

"‎"We all assign blame in our own best interest. So one of the most important functions in society is who controls the blame patterns." - Utah Phillips