Democrat VS Republican:

CHRISTOPHER MUNSEY

"We are the 99 percent."

This is the mantra of the new America, or at least I think it is.

Since mid September, thousands of protest­ers have flooded the streets of lower Manhattan peacefully expressing their concerns over our country's financial woes. The majority of the participants are those who were directly affected by the Financial Crisis of 2008, and have no options left but to take up verbal arms. Though their message may not be completely clear, their month-long camp out in New York City, dubbed Occupy Wall Street, has made a state­ment that has resonated with people in every corner of the nation.

The point that's been defined most clearly by the movement is the need to separate money from politics. Their argument, and the basis for their slogan, is that almost all of American wealth is controlled by around 1percent of the population. The other 99 percent are left to struggle to make ends meet. They call it a mod­ern day Gilded Age.

A movement like this is exactly what's needed at the moment. Our country is in a unique time, and it takes the voices of the many to stand up and make a change. When the is­sues of a protest have garnered the support of congressmen, senators, Republican presidential candidates, and the president himself, there must be some truth to the madness. It does not mean that these issues will be resolved today, tomorrow, or before the end of any of our col­lege careers, but eventually they will – and they have to.

Power comes with numbers, and Occupy Wall Street's numbers are growing. There is nothing more American than standing up to say what you feel. What is most surprising to me, and what I feel gives the protests the most valid­ity, is the range of demographics they represent. There is no one group in control; young and old, black and white, the employed and unem­ployed, stand with each other in unison to take back their country.

I witnessed the protests first hand this past weekend in New York, and although they may be noisy, there is no real harm being done. Why complain? There are not enough instances today of people standing up for a cause. Whether you are in agreement or not with their point of view, support it. Next week it could be you setting up a tent in New York City.

MEGAN NIXON

At this exact moment, there are hundreds of Americans pitching tents in Zuccotti Park, also known as Liberty Park Plaza, protesting … but protesting what? There is no unified message connected to Occupy Wall Street: the new phe­nomenon that has spread through the country's media at an alarming rate.

While the protest is reminiscent of the days in which this sort of behavior was common, it lacks the sort of ingenuity that makes it worth­while. It may be called a new revolution against corporate lifestyle, but it is only for the feeble-hearted.

How does such fervor spread so quickly in modern times? The answer is social media. The protestors are sitting in their tents, sending off mass e-mails, writing on their Tumblr pages, and tweeting nonstop about how they are doing something for the country while others have just been idly sitting around for weeks at a time (during which time others have been going to work, paying their bills and trying to make something of themselves and continuing to progress in their daily lives).

I am well aware of the concept that individu­als have to give up some luxuries in order to change the world, but why does that mean that the hard workers of today should pay for those individuals who are staked out in tents, order­ing food from the nearest take-out restaurant and playing Sudoku on their smartphones? When you protest something that has no clear course and are unsure of what you are actually going to achieve from it, you are not actually protesting. You are wishing for something that, without actual action, will not come true.

While Occupy Wall Street has stirred up a lot of controversy in the news, it has not yet achieved anything. The message of these unrealistic ideas may have spread to other cities, but what has become of the protests themselves? Between the lack of clear requests, no real direction, and the absence of how they intend to obtain their demands, I personally do not see these demonstrations going anywhere. While there may be a shared view of general dissatisfaction with Wall Street keeping these people camping out together, it has yet to affect those of us sitting at home. I have no problem dismissing these people and going about my daily activities, because while they have the freedom of speech, Wall Street has the freedom to continue to grow and make money without having to feel shameful of it.