Though the Occupy Wall Street movement has no “official” spokespeople, a cast of colorful characters has been speaking for the unfocused group of protesters joining in supposed “solidarity.” And wherever there are protesters, video cameras are sure to follow. Here are a few YouTube clips of the more — ahem — notable protesters.
The “Occupy” crowd isn’t known for restricting itself to Ned Flanders-approved language, so viewer discretion is definitely advised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcFBPFf5lic“Help us now!” “Save our country!”
This protester screeches and cries “Help us now!” in what seems like an act before breaking in to a poetry-slam-like rant about the future of our country — while offering no meaningful solutions or an explanation about why he’s protesting.
The Little Red Protester
This self-declared Maoist claims he got screwed over by the capitalist system and says if he lived in China, he would be treated more like a human being. He also thinks reports of mass civilian casualties under the Chinese and Soviet communist regimes are pure fiction.
He insists he is “not in support or against the socialist agenda. I am simply in support of the accurate and honest understanding that we don’t know what happened to create what we now have.”
Whatever that means.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3eetvHeSvg“Fuck the U.S.A.”
These Portland protesters break up their busy day with a pick-up jam session, covering a little ditty by the UK punk band “The Exploited.”
How do you really feel, guys?
You stay classy, anti-Semites!
This rowdy demonstrator tells National Review Online that he wants to “provocateur your intellectual mind.” Offensive provocations follow, along with outright anti-Semitic slurs directed at an elderly Jewish New Yorker.
The self-named “Lotion Man” says he hates corporations because they don’t pay him any money. He blames the Jewish man for this too, of course.
We also want the word “money” stricken from the English language
Reason TV assembled this collection of dissatisfied Occupy Wall Street protesters, whose demands cover government control of banks — unless Republicans control the government, of course — and the renunciation of our monetary system.
Note the expensive Apple products. Hey, man — the Internet is free, right?
One homeless man told Reason that the New York City protest wouldn’t accomplish anything. He was just there, he said, because he could sleep among the protesters at night without getting arrested.
(Be sure to note the reappearance of our friend the Lotion Man.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piw6gY-_sqo“Karma Police” (Google it)
The 99% are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. Why? An advertised Radiohead concert at Zuccotti Park never materialized. A large crowd showed up, and all they got was solidarity with the sound of crickets.
“There’s power in numbers and it’s great that so many people came out,” one activist said, “but it’s unfortunate that Radiohead is, like, the only thing motivating some of them, you know.
“It’s not about Radiohead. If you want to see Radiohead, go see a Radiohead concert.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMsgN2WF0-MIs it a protest or a parade?
It looks like Halloween came early for these Occupy Wall Street protesters. Setting up a make-up table, they put on horror-show makeup and walked down Wall Street as corporate zombies.
“Being here for two weeks, all the time, you need fun activities,” one protester said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebvb319A_0QCalling Bruce Hornsby
Not everyone using video to comment on the Occupy Wall Street movement is a fan. This video has a recommendation for everyone who’s unemployed, angry, and apparently idle enough to protest instead of job-hunting.