Much attention has been given recently to the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters in Zucotti Park in New York, and the sister protests they have inspired across the country. The protesters have no leaders and no unified sense of demands, but are united by the feeling that the rich, corporations, and Wall Street are responsible for the problems facing the U.S. The protesters present an obvious parallel to the Tea Party movement; both are born of deep frustration with the direction of the country and the policies of the government. Both are populist movements claiming to represent the masses, and both present an easy target to blame the U.S.'s problems on, government in the case of the Tea Party, and the rich for the Occupy protesters. Though the two protest movements occupy opposite ends of the political spectrum, they are born of the same current of thought. Both believe something is wrong in America, both believe it is somebody's fault, and both will protest until their message is heard. It is interesting that the two most prominent political movements in the past few years have both been populist protest movements. Americans appear to be deeply frustrated with the direction of the country, and willing to go out in the streets, and outside of the normal bounds of politics, to be heard.
From what I've learned on the internet Joe, the two movements are similar in a sense, but they also have many prominent differences. The Occupy Wall Street movement is composed of many self declared communists, socialists, anti-Semites, drug users, and so on. Many have been arrested for breaking things and being violent. If you take a look at the tea party, they are nothing of the like. Very peaceful, nice, well educated people that don't support communist dictators. I know you're probably going to disagree with me, but I think Occupy Wall Street stands perpendicular to American values and founding principles. Most of the members are college students (or people just out of college) without a job looking to blame people who have actually earned their money in their life.
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