Week 9: My Opinion

I personally believe that the Occupy Wall Street protests are justified. I agree with both Paul Krugman from the NY Times and Roland Martin from CNN in saying that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are protesting against the corporate greed of Wall Street and the unfair imbalance in the tax system. I agree with their statements that it is unfair how many of the top corporations of Wall Street are paying minimal taxes while the 99% of the population that is not in that elite category can barely afford to live. Unlike what the Washington Examiner is saying, I don't believe that the protesters are protesting against the freedom and liberty that made the US what it is today - in fact, I think that the are protesting for freedom and liberty and are emulating the dissenters that helped fundamentally shape the US into a relatively successful state. I also believe that many Republican politicians, Rightist supporters, and Wall Street moguls are blowing these peaceful protests out of proportion and reacting with false accusations and generalizations to suppress any criticism of the 1%. 

Week 8: "Panic of the Plutocrats" - NY Times

1. Republican politicians are over-exaggerating the Occupy protests, when in fact the behavior of the Occupy protesters are not as extreme as the behavior of the Tea Party protesters in 2009. 
2. Well-off Americans are responding to these Occupy protests with a sort of hysteria, because the system is rigged towards them and they don't want that to change. 
3. Anyone trying to financially reform the American economic system to allow for more equality (such as Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren) are deemed as socialist and get a bad reputation from the 'defenders of the wealthy'. 
4. The Wall Street moguls realize how their position in this whole scheme really has no defense, so they frantically try to suppress any kind of criticism of their un-American doings. 

Source: Krugman, Paul. "Panic of the Plutocrats."New York Times. 09 Oct 2011: n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opinion/panic-of-the-plutocrats.html?_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>.

Week 7: "Occupy Wall Street is more of the Left's familiar flapdoodle." - Washington Examiner

1. The views promoted by Occupy Wall Street don't consist of any new ideas.
2. They are protesting against the individual freedom that has made the USA what it is today - a prosperous and free country.
3. Occupy Wall Street is promulgating the same concepts that were supported by past Leftist movements in the Great Depression Era and the 1960's.

Source: "Occupy Wall Street is more of the Left's familiar flapdoodle." Washington Examiner. 10 Oct 2011: n. page. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-more-lefts-familiar-flapdoodle>.

Week 6: "Occupy Wall Street Goes Global" - TIME

1. The camera placement behind the police makes the viewer feel protected and paints the protesters in a bad light.
2. The light shed on the protesters makes them the focus of the picture. and literally highlights their presence in the photo.
3. The sheer number of protesters compared with the two police officers in the picture makes it seem like the protesters are encroaching on the police's territory and authority.

Source: "Occupy Wall Street Goes Global." Photograph. TIMEPhotos. Mary Altaffer. TIME, 2011. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2094925_2317871,00.html>.

Week 5: "New York City Attempts to Remove Occupy Wall Street Protesters from Park Encampment" - National Post

1. The lack of photographic focus on the NYPD rids them of individual identities and labels them as a single faceless force, not a department made up of many individuals.
2. The focus on the peace hand-signs made by the subject makes the subject seem harmless and peaceful, and also provides a parallel to 1960's USA and hippie protests.
3. The black/navy blue/white chromatic scale of the road and NYPD in front of the subject sharply contrasts with his red beanie hat, which also mimics the red light of a traffic signal or a 'STOP' sign. 

Source: "New York City Attempts to Remove Occupy Wall Street Protesters from Park Encampment." Photograph. Photos: Fourteen arrested while “Occupy Wall Street” staves off eviction. Spencer Platt. National Post, 2011. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/14/photos-occupy-wall-street/>.

Week 4: "Occupy Wall Street protesters are American patriots" - CNN

1. Some people do not understand that the USA was formed by dissenters, and that the Occupy Wall Street protests are an example of this dissent.
2. The Occupy Wall Street protesters have a right to protest, as mentioned in the Bill of Rights (the freedom to assemble and the freedom of speech).
3. Corporate greed and  the increased pay of Wall Street workers compared to the drastic fall in wages for the 'common worker' is completely unjust. 
4. The Occupy Wall Street protests are trying to make the financial industry's main goal helping the USA on a long-term basis instead of only caring for themselves, not attacking capitalism.

Source: Martin, Roland. "Occupy Wall Street protesters are American patriots."CNNOpinion. 10 Oct 2011: n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/08/opinion/martin-occupy-wall-street/index.html?hpt=op_bn6>.