According to the Los Angeles Times, those who dismissed the Occupy Wall Street movement as "just a traffic annoyance with nowhere to go" are being proved wrong and should remember that the same thing has been said about protests all through history (including the United States' very own Tea Party movement):
Nationally, the recent demonstrations likely had no more than several thousand supporters, but when protests began almost a month ago, the numbers were probably no higher than in the dozens. By any standard, that is a high rate of growth and yet another symptom of just how unhappy the American public has become with its political system as the economy continues to be in a sorry state …
Many societies, including the United States, have seen this type of scenario before. The tea party movement began with a lot of anger at the political system that was fed by cable television and some politicians and institutions.
The current round is no different. Polls show perhaps four out of five Americans are unhappy with the political system, which is seen as ineffective in dealing with domestic issues such as the economy. The anger seems to be directed everywhere, but especially at Congress, though President Obama’s approval ratings have also fallen sharply since he took office …
But history shows that successful — and unsuccessful — movements begin as an angry shout in the streets. The next step is when political figures will try to capitalize on it.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.
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