There's no easy way to define Occupy Wall Street. That's part of what's made it hard for the media – and those involved in the protests – to wrap their arms around the movement.
Many people have questioned the movement's legitimacy, since it has no clear leadership, nor a clear list of demands or solutions to the economic inequalities it rails against.
It also raises endgame questions.
What would it actually take to say, yes, this movement of protest, spurred by a large group of people across the country and world, was a successful movement? Or is it too early to even assess what impact it may have had?
Would success need to come in the form of large reforms being passed regarding jobs, unemployment and economic policies that affect Wall Street – or even of President Obama losing re-election? Would it be adjustment of our current government model to one that more accurately reflects what protesters want?
Jeffrey D. Sachs, an expert in economics, visited the Occupy Wall Street crowd in New York's Zuccotti Park early in October and suggested that success could come in the form of a change in what groups politicians look to for influence (hint: not the 1% that can shell out money for dinners with the politicians). He also said the protesters needed to elect a government that will represent the 99%.
"What are we going to do when we get it? We are going to re-establish government for the people. The people need help and the government is there to help. So with all that income of the 1%, there's some pretty good things to do."
Sachs suggests that the 99% could make a lot of changes with the money of the 1% – including spreading the wealth to close the financial equality gap, while taxing the rich in order to use the money to fix our struggling economy as well as bringing our troops home.
Some have suggested you wouldn't need a re-established government or new policies as a whole to be a success – just a defeat for Obama.
Jonah Goldberg, an American Enterprise Institute visiting fellow, wrote for the National Review about the Occupy Wall Street movement's potential to have political success like the tea party:
"There's only one way the Occupy Wall Street movement can become like the tea parties, and that’s for Barack Obama to lose in 2012. Why? Because Obama is the most divisive figure in American politics today. ...
If Occupy Wall Street is a sincere, organic, grassroots movement for radical change and overturning the status quo, it can’t be 100 percent behind the guy who’s been running the country for the last three years.
Moreover, Democrats had near total control of the government for Obama’s first two years. Together, Obama and congressional Democrats already got their Wall Street and student-loan reforms, their health-care overhaul, and a huge stimulus. And yet Occupy Wall Street is still furious with the political status quo. Does anyone believe Obama can both run on his record and co-opt the Occupy Wall Streeters?"
Joseph Lazzaro, the U.S. editor at the International Business Times, notes that while some on the right may believe unseating Obama is the key to ending the movement, it won't end what jump-started the movement.
"Tea party supporters, and other conservatives, argue that if only President Barack Obama is defeated, or more Republicans are elected to Congress (and more Democrats voted out of Congress) or more unions are broken up, that will be the end of Occupy Wall Street, and the nation's economic and social problems.
In sum, the U.S.'s economic and social problems are there, Occupy Wall Street headlines or not."
NPR dedicated a segment to asking people what they felt would spell success for the movement. One listener suggested it would come in the form of presenting the movement's own political candidates and a voting bloc. Another suggested success was simply about raising greater awareness and continuing the path the movement is on. Others suggested that it meant specific reform in campaign finance laws and bankruptcy regulations.
So, you've got passing reform, ousting the leader of our country, and engagement in the political process as options. But is a defined, significant goal like that the only way to measure success? Does it depend on whether the Occupy protesters can literally weather the cold fronts that are upon them? Or is it possible you could already call the movement a winner because it has invigorated a group of people, who may not have been politically active before, to stand up and say they are unhappy with the status quo?
Don McNay, the author of "Wealth Without Wall Street: A Main Street Guide to Making Money" wrote for the Huffington Post that the movement has allowed that group and the silent majority that supports it to have a wider voice in the public discourse.
"The days of clamping down free speech with violence are over. The average citizen, using social media, has too many ways to communicate, organize and stand up to oppression.
I think it will be difficult for the Occupy movement to maintain its outdoor protests through the cold winter months, but I expect the seeds of their protest to have an impact for years.
Already, they have had an immediate victory."
While we may not know, or be able to really put into words, what a finish line looks like for the Occupy movement, there are a few things that can give us some insight on how its ideas are entering the national dialogue. Google took the time to dedicate a blog post to looking at what search terms might tell us about the movement's impact.
"Search interest for (Occupy Wall Street) jumped ahead of the (tea party) on September 24, and hasn’t looked back. In a historical context, when viewing the snapshot of their nascent birth, we can see the peak of (Occupy Wall Street) has slightly more interest in American than searches for the (tea party) did during the groups peak in 2009."
So what would success for the movement look like to you? Do you think there is a finish line in sight? Let us know your thoughts below.
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To those of you who believe that the young do not understand, I would like to say this.
I am under thirty, have a post-graduate degree in clinical psychology, and am unable to find a job in my field. I am unable to do so because every master's level job in my reasonable travel area (~50 miles) requires 2+ years of practical experience, which is not provided in any accredited program in my state. I cannot get a lower-paying, bachelor's level job because I am viewed as overqualified and overeducated. I do not have the money necessary to move to another state with more opportunities. I currently work as a security guard at a bottling plant, for slightly more than minimum wage, and I count myself fortunate that my wife and I are able to pay our bills and set aside a little every month. Nearly every plant worker that I check in every day, many of whom have worked there for less time than I attended secondary education, earns more than I do.
No one promised me that with advanced instruction that I would be guaranteed a job in my field, but consider this: if you had been working for more than a decade to improve your station, to make things comfortable for yourself and your family, only to be met with shaking heads and shrugged shoulders, would you not despair? I see some people on here saying, "Just get a job and settle." Right, because the American dream has always been about forsaking happiness. Is that what you did? Did you settle for the first thing that came along? If you did, was it worth it?
A job at that level really should include a relocation package, shouldn't it?
It's up to you to go after it. Because you're restricting yourself to 50 miles, you're making a decision which affects your ability to find a job. In this day and age of technology, you can apply for jobs anywhere in the country.
First thing is to have a good plan. Plan to apply and go where the jobs are in your field. If there aren't any jobs in your field, then maybe it was a bad decision to study that in college. Many artists love what they do, but are poor because of it. It's their decision, and for most, it's worth it.
The point is, personal freedom starts with you taking control of it, not expecting it to be handed to you from a government who has no interest in your personal freedom, only how many taxes it can collect from you.
Bubba – PhD or PsyD-level positions typically do. Not so for those with master's degrees, as we are rightly viewed as still inexperienced and requiring oversight. Generally we just don't command benefits like relocation.
MSinMI....do not settle. I did when I graduated right after the .com bubble burst. I ended up going into an area that I NEVER saw myself getting into but it was the only area that was hiring at the time given my degree and education. I have been miserable sense then and regret ever having to settle into an area that I was never interested in. Now I am almost to the point in my life that I cannot change that decision and must live with it for the rest of my life. I hope you don't make the same mistake.
Bubba. I don't know about where you work but typically these days, companies are not awarding relocation packages for people when they hire them. I know my company used to but it was decided that it was a waste of money.
You gotta do what you gotta do... I was laid off, out of work for 4 months, got on my hands and knees, and took a job where my position was lower and my pay is also lower by 30%. The owners know I have very little choice with the economy the way it is but I have a family to feed, clothe, and provide a roof over their heads. Of course, the owners are making a killing and firing employees left and right to save money so they can have their Benzes and huge salaries....
My son has a Bio-chem degree from a top University and he's worried too.
These professionals won't have the income necessary for livable wages – let alone supporting the Boomers retirement.
It's a recipe for disaster. But the 1% and their tools don't care about America – just GREED.
wow, what a good comment!
LOlreallynow BFD I don't prof-read comments on message boards like this only anal retentive retards like you do and then also point out every little mistake someone else makes. I bet you have a really lonely life by yourself because no one can put up with your dumb humor.
LOLReallynow – that is the amount of fuel that I am able to afford on my current biweekly paycheck. There are no options for public transportation in my area; literally, none. You should count yourself lucky that this is not a concern for you, as it is for many others. You are failing to see that.
I am 40 (and a young 40 I'd like to think) with a under 2 year old and lots of family in my generation older and younger than myself. I guess where I am confused is, how is this the governments fault? I mean sure they are run poorly and the Bush administration let the bank run amok not to mention all the important regulations they killed in the oil industry to name another....but you are the one making the choices here. You chose to get a post graduate in a field that basically does not exist as far as jobs in the place you live. You made that choice and that the jobs aren't there...well forgive me for not seeing how the government is responsible for the jobs drying up in clinical psychology in your 50 mile radius.
5 years ago my wife and I ran into a wall for better jobs in our beloved Portland, OR so we moved to Austin, TX. We don't live it here but are getting paid more. Well she is, I'm flat. I'd love a better gig and am looking for one. I blame myself for not having a more diverse skill set not the government. I would never occupy because I don;t think they have a point yet. And the tea baggers want everything but without having to pay taxes for it. Another group I fail to understand.
I hope you find a gig but sounds like you need to make some hard decisions. First is accepting you put yourself in this position. No one is going to come and hand you a job. Good luck, and I truly mean that.
I commend you on taking a job below what you spent years being educated for. I have only a high school education, and unfortunately have been hearing the "overqualified and overeducated" excuse for years. I am 60. They never would ask was I willing to work for less; and so few companies offer an intern program so that you can get experience for the jobs you are qualified for. If OWS can change the way prospective employers treat interviewees, that would be a giant step in the right direction. At one time I wanted to be a flight attentant, but had no experience. How they think the graduates will get experience if no one will hire them was, and always will be, the BIG question. Good Luck with your future!
CorruptUS that was not a typo. Sorry that was the use of a totally different term. Nice try. Go back to school.
MSinMI If you got a better paying job driving more than 50 miles you could afford it then right? Common SENSE goes a long way. Again. What do you really expect.
Your situation is not unique, and I encourage you not to settle. But, I also am sure you understand that you don't have a right to a job without experience within 50 miles of home. You have the right to pursue it! I moved 3,000 at one point and slept on a co-worker's couch until the paychecks came in to afford rent. Similarly, I read the story of an unemployed theatre major protesting at OWS Philadelphia. He was offended at the hedge fund manager's millions, give a guy $100M, he takes 5% on profits, seems reasonable, he gets a lower percent tip than waitstaff... The problem isn't the manager's millions, it's the misguided expectation that a theatre major should be more than a cute hobby unless you get out of OWS Philly, move to Broadway, and work stage jobs until you're big break for $200 a ticket. Then you get to share the 1% – when you perform a job or service that warrants that level of income. Cowboy up, OWS!
Happiness has nothing to do with the american way and never did. The american way as you put it is described very easily, doing nothing for the mass amount of wealth you created for yourself. And after you get that wealth, stifle as many people as you can because "they are below me".
One of the issues for OWS is the inexorable replacement of labor by automation, and the resulting unemployment. The movement will end when the profits from the automated systems are taxed, and redistributed to the folks, in exchange for their obedience to law. Note that there is no other reason at present to obey other people's laws.
Happy Halloween OWS. Btw, if it doesn't profit you, why give your time to an "employer," or your money and obedience to the government? Why not show the 1% another wicked extreme of Capitalism.
Jonah Goldberg seems to miss the point. Obama may not be supportive of the OWS goals but defeating him is a Pyrrhic victory if he is replaced by any of the GOP candidates.
Tea Party: The GOP solution is to cut your Soc Sec and Medicare, especially for Boomers who aren't retired yet (and have sinking home equity).
You're voting against you and your kid's future, why? Because you hate gays, or libs...?
Do you always shoot yourself in the foot?
your comments reveal your generation. Do you really think that hygiene is a more serious issue than being robbed of your human rights by your own government?
How about this for a definition of success? The "Occupy" movement will have succeeded when radical inequalities of wealth and income become so problematic in the US that the words "class warfare" are never heard again in polite society.
Vote more corporate Republicans in office! Destroy unions! Obama is a symbol of the status quo! What corporation payed you to write this piece of garbage. Everything you said describes the Teabaggers, not Occupy! Get it right or don't write!
I disagree that 53% ar as clueless as you.
Isn't it blasphemy to anoint a corporation as human?
Doesn't that violate God's commandments?
False gods creating false images?
That's how the "Christian" GOP rolls!!
Who is the Antichrist again??
Liberal hypocrisy # 27 – corporations should not be treated like people, except when it comes to paying taxes that is.
When does a corporate life begin? Is that why some are not angered by the bailout because it's against their religion?
I part of the 53% not part of the 1%
However don't included me in the 99%
Sorry you are part of the 99% too.
Are you a 1% Poser?
I'm in the 53% and I support OWS. We need elections free of corporate money and the lobbyists are wasting half our tax dollars before they leave Washington.
@barbara451
It explains why they can't get a job now doesn't it? Simple self care is a fact of life and health. If they can't understand something as simple as that then they should not be trusted with any responsibilities like a job. That is the simple reason why they are unemployed.
Yeah I pay taxes too, and I still think you're a total waste of oxygen.
The question is actually easy to answer: "Prosecute those responsible for the crash of Wall St. Those who with insider trading, stock manipulation and derivitives trading started this whole mess. Please tell me that we have prosecuted two people for the entire crime that Wall St. has perpetrated.
Read the news and you'll find that some people have been prosecuted for breaking the law, but not just because they're rich.
@Proud Member of the 53% and Not a 1% Tool
-quote-
Isn't it blasphemy to anoint a corporation as human?
-not quote-
Your a bigot. corporation are nothing but a group of people. So they have every right that other groups of people do.
Unions
But, your a bigot. And want to deny a group of people their rights.
You are a tool for the 1%. Judging from you grammar and spelling you don't even have a college degree like these kids.
1% Poser!
"MY" Definition of success for OWS would be a stack of corruption related-indictments as high as an elephants eye. Anything less would indicate we haven't solved the number one problem. Rampant Corporate and Rich influence in Government. Until we "root out the rats" in our system. It won't EVER right itself. In the meantime, I tell the 1% to keep hitting protesters with teargas and rubber bullets. it makes for some excellent youtube videos that gets thousands more on our side every day. Lord help the 1% if the 99% coalesces much further than it already has.