Man, I Love Occupy Wall Street

Eugene Robinson on why the protests are perfect for the moment
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 11, 2011 11:48 AM CDT
Man, I Love Occupy Wall Street
Members of Occupy Wall Street sleep, spending the night on Zuccotti Park near Wall Street in New York, October 11, 2011.   (Getty Images/AFP)

Eugene Robinson agrees that the Occupy Wall Street protesters “are inept, incoherent, and hopelessly quixotic." And yet? “I love every little thing about these gloriously amateurish sit-ins,” he gushes in the Washington Post. “I love that they are spontaneous, leaderless, and open-ended. I love that the protesters refuse to issue specific demands. … I love that there are no rules, just tendencies." He even loves that Eric Cantor called them “growing mobs,” even after praising the Tea Party. “The man’s hypocrisy belongs in the Smithsonian.”

“Most of all, I love that the Occupy protests... are aimed at just the right target,” namely economic injustice. Wall Street isn't responsible for the world's ills, but it's “emblematic of an entire economic and political system that no longer seems to have the best interests of most Americans at heart." So can these ragtag protesters form a coherent political movement? “I hope not,” Robinson confesses. “We have no shortage of politicians. … What we need is more passion and energy in the service of justice.” (More Eugene Robinson stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X