Pitching a tent in a park is apparently the radical new way to change the world.
Protests in the style of Occupy Wall Street are spreading and attracting a lot of attention. But it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the activists want to achieve because they don’t seem to know themselves.
The protests are an outlet for years of pent-up frustration over any number of things: corporate greed, unemployment, dissatisfaction with the government and the rich-poor gap, to name a few. But the lack of focus is confusing. It robs the movement of credibility and those in power are not going to take a bunch of angry people seriously if it is not clear what they want.
The only way to get businesses to listen is to speak their language: the language of dollars and cents. Fines and penalties that create incentives for corporations to change what they are doing might be a good place to start. But that isn’t happening here.
Instead, it’s the cities that are paying. The New York Police Department has spent millions of dollars on overtime for its officers to supervise the rallies in Zuccotti Park, and that’s just creating more of a tax burden on the “99 per cent” the demonstrators are supposedly trying to help.
The Occupy protests are reminiscent of the “Stop Harper” outbursts earlier this year. That round of public outcry saw people demanding change on everything from stopping the seal hunt to advocating for peace in Israel.
You don’t hear much about stopping Harper these days. It’s not that the protesters didn’t have legitimate causes; they just weren’t using effective routes to express their dissatisfaction.
Yes, there is power in protest. If politicians can figure out how to harness that power and align themselves with the causes embodied by the Occupy movement, Canada’s political landscape could be in for a makeover. Left-leaning parties might appeal to the electorate by promising legislation that addresses social inequalities. But that isn’t happening either.
That leaves us where we’re at now, with a lot of anger and discontent bubbling to the surface. Much of that anger is directed toward those big, ugly greedy corporations.
Yet, it’s those big, ugly greedy corporations providing the jobs that feed Canadian families and spur our industry and economy. Hating organizations for what they are designed to do – making money – isn’t going to do anything.
And the corporations didn’t get big and greedy by themselves. They thrived on individual greed – living outside one’s needs, spending money on the latest, greatest gadgets. The big banks grew on interest from loans too big for borrowers to repay.
Underlying many of the protesters’ demands is an attitude of entitlement. But here’s the thing: it’s a competitive market, where innovative, creative, hard-working and focused people get ahead. The world doesn’t give anyone anything. The ones who simply pitch tents and complain are going to get left behind.
Bottom-line: if you want to change the world, go out and do something. It’s far more productive than pitching a tent and complaining.
Some suggestions: if you don’t like the government, go out and vote.
Don’t like how corporations are run? Pick one and organize a boycott of their products or services.
Want to start a protest? Good. But figure out what you want to change, and how you’re going to change it. Then it might actually matter.