Occupy Phoenix

An offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement that began last month in New York City, more than a thousand people packed Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown Phoenix on Saturday to protest what many view as a government operating in cahoots with the major corporations.

Image source: Mike Harris, KPHO.com/CBS 5 News

The reason I'm mentioning it is because the "Occupy" protesters are often labeled in general as being hippies, wackos, lazy bums, disgruntled homeless, or as some other derogatory term, perhaps used in order to reduce their credibility.

But, if you look closer at the Occupy Phoenix protesters, there seems to be many who look just like you and me, the typical average American, and don't fit into those derogatory categories often used to characterized the Occupy Wall Street protesters. The two ladies pictured above look more than capable enough to me to be able to express just what it is that bothers them, and bothers me too.

Now, I do have to agree with "Occupy" detractors that this movement doesn't really have any defined leadership, clear-cut solutions, or a plan in place designed to fix things. I think that it's more of an expression of dissatisfaction and disillusionment than anything else. I'm also of the opinion that the system is too corrupt to change, and that changing it by civil protest is likely impossible.

However, anyone who's experienced the civil unrest of the 1960s and 1970s can tell you that these types of protests have a way of gaining momentum, and shouldn't be dismissed lightly by those running the show. People don't tolerate injustices for very long - one thing could lead to another.