Occupy with Purpose

By now, most are all familiar with the Occupy movement that has spread throughout the world.  If you're like me, you're probably a little unsure as to what exactly the "occupiers" want.  I've personally seen signs that say "Abolish Money" or "Compost Capitalism" or "Boycott Bank of America," while others say things like "Throw Me a Bone, Pay My Tuition!" So is it an anti-capitalist movement or just a movement about people complaining about any and everything?  It's hard to wrap my head around why the overall mission of the Occupy movement is so ambiguous since it has been extremely successful in terms of gathering support in major cities worldwide.  How have so many joined this movement when the cause does not seem to be clear?  After doing some research, it seems as if the protestors are a little confused themselves.  Check out this video below because it shows the lack of understanding that the demonstrators seem to have, even as members of such a large movement (just as a note, I don't approve of the harsh title of the video).

The public relations efforts of the Occupy movement have not been well organized.  This is due, in part, to the lack of a single, unified message. Members of a movement this size should be able to answer questions like Why are you here? or What is it that you want? without such disjointedness.  The uninformed demonstrators who want to have a voice have become the Occupy movement's biggest deterrent in becoming anything more than a baseless set of protests.  

In order to fix this issue, I first suggest that a spokesperson be appointed.  Now, I understand that one person cannot possibly represent the entire global movement, but there can at least be a spokesperson for each city.  These reprsentatives should collectively develop a clear, carefully crafted message explaining the mission of the movement, with input from their own cities of course.  Most importantly, these spokespersons must be in constant communication with one another so that they are always on the same page. They should also be the ones who take on interviews and deal with media entering their city's sites.  I strongly feel that these steps will help create a more legitimate image for the Occupy movement.

Just for fun, below are a few pictures I've taken from the Occupy movements in both Boston and London:

Occupy Boston

Occupy London