Many believe this movement has no direction. That is one of the biggest fallacies out there. These are people that are intelligent and understands the real problems that afflict the nation.
Occupying Wall Street, demanding accountability
The movement “feels like something that will ultimately spread like the Arab spring,” said Egberto Willies, a CNN iReporter in Washington. “I call it the American autumn.”
Occupy Wall Street and its offshoots have clear strains of liberal economic populism — a powerful force in U.S. history during various times characterized by growing economic stress. That said, it could be a mistake to label or tie the movement to a specific agenda, said Susan Olzak, a Stanford University sociology professor.
“It’s difficult to classify a social protest movement early on in its history,” Olzak told CNN. “Clearer goals could eventually emerge, but there’s no guarantee.”
“Many movements fizzle out. Others become more organized,” she said. But “I think we run a risk (by) taking a snapshot at any one point in time, and trying to categorize the movement in any one way based on that snapshot. The only way to study these protest movements is to follow them over time.”
If Vincent, Willies and Clarke have their way, there will be plenty of time for this movement to continue to grow and evolve. Some observers question if it could become a liberal counterweight to the conservative populism of the tea party.
For his part, Clarke predicts the movement will go international in the next few months.
“Let’s get talking,” he urged. “Let’s have some of these issues looked at.”