So, What's Up With Occupy Wall Street

[longfisher]

I used to think that the Tea Party was a genuinely grass-roots anti-statist group that was fed up with having the middle class trampled to death by the banksters. Actually, I believe they were before being coopted by the Republicans and the likes of Bachmann. Basically, they're no more representative of the middle class any longer than perfume is of dung.

But the Occupy, well, seemingly Everything folks are sure picking up where the Tea Party dove off the tracks. And, you know what's interesting, they're growing...translation, their message is resonating. The Pilot's Unions marched recently and big labor is said to be in their camp now.

I always told the wife that the sunshine patriots abound because the nation was rich. Such silent Americans would tolerate just about any infringement on their liberties as long as the GDP continued to rise.

But I also told here that all good things come to an end. And, that when that realtive wealth turned to biting poverty so would the tilt of the American atittudes about the class structure in the U.S. I thought the Tea Party might be that movement. Not anymore. But I think the 99'ers might be.

Best of luck to them. They might save the middle class butts of all you guys even if you carp against them.

LF

[Jay W]

So now you are the top of the food chain. Half the people I know in my area that are Tea Party members are loaded, not middle class. Explain that one LF.

[wauwinet]

It's kind of similar to the Tea Party except without the racism, homophobia and religous dogma. I am rooting for them and I am also glad I didn't graduate from college in the past few years as they are as likely to find themselves working at fast food or simply being unemployed as they are finding an appropriate job.

[longfisher]

So now you are the top of the food chain. Half the people I know in my area that are Tea Party members are loaded, not middle class. Explain that one LF.

I'm almost always mystified by what you write, Jay.

I'm an elitist? Hardly, I'm solidly middle class and very much a populist. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't figured that out already, Jay.

Did I claim that I personally was, "at the top of the food chain"? Nope.

But perhaps you're assuming I'm with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, that they believe they're elitist and at the top of the food chain, and that by virture of guilt by association I'm an elitist because they are. Nope. The OWS movement is distinctly and particularly anti-elitist.

Regarding the demographics of the Tea Party, here's an authoritative account:

"Membership and demographics

Several polls have been conducted on the demographics of the movement. Though the various polls sometimes turn up slightly different results, they tend to show that Tea Party supporters are mainly white and slightly more likely to be male, married, older than 45, more conservative than the general population, and likely to be more wealthy and have more education.[76][77][78][79][80]

A Gallup poll conducted in March 2010 found that -- other than gender, income and politics -- self-described Tea Party members were demographically similar to the population as a whole.[81]

When surveying supporters or participants of the Tea Party movement, polls have shown that they are to a very great extent more likely to be registered Republican, have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party and an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party.[80][82][83] The Bloomberg National Poll of adults 18 and over showed that 40% of Tea Party supporters are 55 or older, compared with 32% of all poll respondents; 79% are white, 61% are men and 44% identify as "born-again Christians",[84] compared with 75%,[85] 48.5%,[86] and 34%[87] for the general population, respectively."

Sounds like a sound description of the general Republican party to me.

Anyway, Jay, what in what I wrote about the Tea Party made you believe that I intended to suggest that the Tea Partiers were anything but what you describe them to be? Was it that I said middle-class?

If so, I don't yield. The middle class is more than broad enough to include those you cite as being members in your environs.

But thanks for chiming in, Jay.

LF

[longfisher]

Saw a sign among the 99'ers protesting yesterday that said, "Eat a banker".

And, I've read, seen and heard of some of the Wall Streeters getting a bit anxious about the sudden expansion of the protests to other cities. I've even read a recently released pamphlet from a bank (the name was withheld) which explicitly told the employee banksters how to protect themselves physically, even though the OWS movement has been particularly and pecularly non-violent thus far.

I think they're getting scared.

Ghandi said of peaceful protest:

"First they ignore you.

Then they ridicult you.

Then they fight you.

Then you win."

An author writing about these things recently said that it would be best to insert, "Then they get scared and piss their pants at the thought of you." somewhere in the midst of what Ghandi said.

I'm sensing a bit of that now.

Imagine that, the Masters of the Universe (wall streeters) being scared by a bunch of kids in sandals with tie die shirts and shorts! Makes me laugh at the destruction of their self-image this must be causing.

LF

[longfisher]

...it'll be winter soon and darned cold in many of the northern cities in which the movement is concentrated.

Summer patriots come to mind?

LF