http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/reasons-people-are-occupying-wall-street
- What do you know about Occupy Wall Street? Did this article further your understanding of the movement?
- What kind of impact did the images have on you? Was there one in particular that stuck with you? If so, why?
- Do you think the length of the people’s stories had anything to do with how effective they were at offering reasons to Occupy? Why or why not?
I don't know much about Occupy Wall Street, I just know that there are many people who are arguing with Wall Street because of the unemployment rates and the inequality due to money and the economy. This article helped me realize that it is more unfair than I thought. The people and families that I know are fine now, but now I know that there are a lot of others who are not fine and need help.
ReplyDeleteThe images really made me think about the problem, and it looks very serious. Number 6 stood out to me because she wrote that she is too over qualified for jobs. I think that is just ridiculous. Wouldn't you rather have someone over qualified than under qualified? It makes no sense.
The length doesn't matter; only the information matters. I think the longer ones did have a great argument, but some of the shorter ones made an impact too. As long as they have a strong message then people will pay attention.
I know a little bit about Occupy Wall Street. I know that people who don't have a lot of money are fighting so that they can get the help they need. I know that most of these people are going with out their basic needs and often times are unemployed. This article helped explain more in detail what is happening with Occupy Wall Street and gave me more information as to what is really going on.
ReplyDeleteThe images shown in the article impacted me because they were showing regular people like you and me. I realized that anyone of us could be put into that situatuion. Picture number 5 stood out to me the most because the woman had a lot to say to defend herself. The part that impacted me the most was the story about her friend who is pregant and knows that they will not be able to support their new child. This is something that no new mother or father wants to face.
I do not think the length of the picture matters. I think that as long as the person is getting out the information they need to then it is fine. A few simple words can make just as much of an impact than a whole page story.
Occupy Wall Street is the name given to a group of protesters who are fighting for the ninety-nine percent of poor or low-income Americans. The protesters believe in economic equality for all Americans and that it is unfair that only one percent of Americans are wealthy and all others are suffering. The article “Fourteen Reasons Why People are Occupying Wall Street” taught me that despite having college degrees someone still may not be able to get a job to support themselves. However, the article did not further my understanding of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures made me very upset. Many of the people claiming to be unable to make ends-meet had on makeup, painted nails, and piercings. All of these accessories are very costly, so why these people are saying they can’t afford to live on their own, I just do not know. The people in the photographs need to rethink their priorities before they complain that the government is to blame for their troubles. One picture in particular stood out to me; the picture is of a woman holding a piece of paper that disrespected America and its veterans. The woman had obviously manicured nails and dyed hair. The sign she was holding said “I’m ashamed to be an American, where I’m anything but free, and I won’t forgive the men who lied to me, and took that right from me.” This woman is not only disgracing our country and its brave citizens, but it is also incredibly rude to those who truly do need help making ends-meet. If this woman is truly one of the “ninety-nine percent” then she would be receiving aid from the government and should not, therefore, be saying such terrible things about its veterans. Furthermore, another story was that of a young boy who was in a low paid position so he quit his job because he was upset with not being paid enough. Now, this boy is complaining that he is one of the “ninety-nine percent”. This boy should have worked toward increasing his situation like thousands of Americans have done in the past rather than taking the easy way out and then blaming others for his self-inflicted misfortune.
The length of the people’s stories had nothing to do with their effectiveness at explaining why they are occupying. Each reason for occupying was unique, so not all of the stories’ lengths had to be the same. Some people’s reasons were more detailed than others, but all were, in the occupiers’ opinions, valid reasons for occupying.
Before I read this article I didn’t know much about Occupied Wall Street also known as OWS. I knew that a lot of people where on the streets in New York City in order to fight and protest against Barrack Obama for something. I wasn’t too sure on why they were fighting against Obama though. This article did further my understanding of occupied Wall Street. I found out exactly why people were protesting on the streets of New York. Most of them were people that were unemployed.
ReplyDeleteThe images had an impact on me because you can really tell exactly how these citizens are feeling. They aren’t just fighting for themselves they are also fighting for their families. They really need help and you can tell that in these photos. Two photos out of the 14 really stuck with me. The first image that stayed with me was the first photo. This stuck with me because I couldn’t even imagine not going to the doctors in 8 years. If I am sick and need the doctors I like to go right away because then I feel safer. I can’t even imagine how this girl got through all of her medical problems. The other picture that stuck with me was the one with the fourteen year old. That is so sad that her mom, dad, and she had to move in with her grandmother in order to live in a stable home. I am glad that her and her family is in a stable home but at the same time it is sad that they can’t have their own house because their dad can’t find a job. It’s not that he isn’t trying it’s just that there are very few jobs available right now.
I don’t think that the length of peoples stories have anything to do with how effective they are in giving more reasons to Occupy Wall Street. It’s just that they have more life experiences to back up their reasoning.
Like Jessica, all I knew about Occupy Wall Street before reading this article was that people were fighting to lower unemployment rates and create an equality among tax payers. I also thought that they were fighting to raise taxes for the rich and lower them for the middle and lower classes in America. From this article, I learned that occupy Wall Street is so much more. People who are protesting are fighting for their jobs, healthcare, and money to take care of their families.
ReplyDeleteOne photo that stuck out to me was the woman who changed the words to "Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood in order to make a point about how corrupt she feels America is right now. This stands out to me because I remember singing that song for a Memorial Day when I was in third grade and feeling so proud. The song itself is a reminder of the people who are fighting for our freedoms and rights and brings out a feeling of pride when you hear it. Seeing this woman's views written in this song just stuck out to me and made me see exactly how she felt, because she took this emotional song and completely changed the meaning of it. It gives you a different outlook on how people truly feel about their American rights.
I don't think that it mattered how long a person's "speech" was in order to convey a better message because all of the peoples' messages were strong, no matter what the length. The shortest message was a girl who said "I haven't been to a doctor in 8 years, I am the 99%." Even so, Anonymous(above) said that this was the most the picture that stuck out the most to them. I truly believe that it isn't the size of the message that makes people listen, but it's the message itself.
I don’t have much knowledge on what the reasons are for Occupying Wall Street, but I do know that they are unhappy with the unemployment rates in America currently. These people are not necessarily homeless or uneducated. A majority of these people have gone to college and had the dream of becoming something successful. This article did somewhat further my knowledge of the reasons why, but it did not show the two sides of the story. The article didn’t show the governments reasons as to why this is happening or what they are doing to fix it, if anything. The images were touching, and gave me a greater understanding of why occupy movements were going on around the country, not just on Wall Street. The first image made me realize how lucky I am to have the ability to go to the doctors whenever I am sick or hurt. The other images were mostly saying that these people had degrees and a college education, but couldn’t find jobs. I do feel bad for these people, but to me, it seems like there has to be *some place that’s hiring. That is just an assumption that I have though, which could be inaccurate. The length of the stories had absolutely no effect on how strong their arguments were. I think that each person’s reason for occupying was heartfelt and legitimate. I think that it is bold of these people to go out and risk there freedom to fight for something they believe in. I appreciate what they are fighting for because I could potentially be in the same position in 7 years- you never know.
ReplyDeleteI had originally had no idea about anything of what the whole ‘occupy Wallstreet’ was. At first I thought it was a little dumb that people were rioting when it was clear that a lot of people had no clue what it was for. I often hear of people on the television using fancy words when discussing it, which is probably part of the reason that I never understood it. I now know that people were fighting for their rights as Americans to healthcare and to a solution for a better economy
ReplyDeleteThe individual stories made a bigger impact on me than any newscaster could have. It also gave me a better understanding of why people would go through so much trouble to riot a cause that really is their life. The one story in particular that stood out to me was the one, ironically, about the well-off man. Years ago he had lost everything when the company he worked for was taken over and moved to Australia. He fought back and eventually won. The quote from him that I think is really powerful was when he wrote “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” All of the people who were occupying Wallstreet had enough fight in them to stand up for what they want; which is a better America.
I do not think that the length of the people’s stories had anything to do with how effective they were. Even the shortest one, which was written on a small sticker that was just one sentence about not being able to buy their daughter school supplies, was full of truth that showed how much power to change things people could have in such little space.
Before reading this article, my knowledge of Occupy Wall Street was very limited. I knew that it was occurring in many important cities, like Boston and New York. I knew that the people who were protesting were those who were among the majority in America; those who had low income and were unemployed. This article greatly heightened my knowledge of Occupy Wall Street. I learned that most people protesting were those who were well educated people who were unemployed due to circumstance. Unlike common belief, these people were neither homeless nor uneducated.
ReplyDeleteThe images in the article made me see real faces behind the protesters in Occupy Wall Street. It allowed me to see beyond the news coverage of the protests. I was able to see that people just like myself and my family are struggling due to the economy. I think the picture with the most impact on me was number 7. The fact that that individual works so many hours and cannot afford the necessities seems absolutely criminal. I think the fact that she wrote her message on a postage stamp is very symbolic of her plight.
I think that the length did not have an apparent sway on how effective their stories were. I believe that those with the shorter stories (like number 7) were able to grab people's attention, as the messages were short and to the point. However, i also believe that those with the longer messages were able to more adequately convey the effect the poor economy has had on their lives. I believe that all of the examples were able to convey the hurt and damage the economy has done to the 99%.
Before I read this article, I really did not know much about the Occupy Wall Street movement. I knew that it was always being shown on the news because there were new camps being set up on major cities like Boston and New York. I also knew that these were the people in America who are not happy with the unemployment rate. This article furthered my knowledge because it really showed me their reasons for protesting. These were personal stories and it showed everyone's personal reason for being apart of Occupy Wall Street.
ReplyDeleteThese images showed me how some people in America are really feeling, not everyone can be fortunate enough to have a secure job and these images showed me that people like you and me are struggling and they are fed up with the way the economy and government are right now. One picture that really stood out to me was number six. She says she is too overqualified for jobs and then she is too under qualified for others. I think it is ridiculous that some can be too qualified for a job. If they qualify and need the job, they should be given it. Another one that stood out to me was number ten. She says the reason she has no job is because she has no experience and she has no experience because she has no job. That makes so much sense to me. If she is not going to be hired she will never find the experience for another job.
I do not really think it mattered how long their reasons were. All of them were very valid reasons to be protesting and each thought and reason no matter how long, should be heard by the government and other people in their community. They were all capable of conveying that they were unhappy and they are the 99%.
I did not have to much prior knowledge on the Occupy Wall Street Movement but after looking over these images and reading the captions I realized that this is all about the 99% of Americans that are unhappy with the way that the Government and society has treated them. It is mostly all about how all of them cannot afford to survive in our economy so they are protesting against our government to make sure that they can live.
ReplyDeleteThese images showed me that there are people out there that are really struggling with the state of our economy but I think that they are just wasting there time just protesting where they could be searching for jobs and trying to get themselves out of this economic slump. The one picture that stuck with me was the one where the girl had a song about our nation and she reworded everything to make it seem like it is all the governments fault and that all the people that has a problem is part of that 99%.
I think that the people that had the longer stories seemed to go through the most trouble but then those who had the shorter stories went through hard times but they did not have that much to go for.
Before reading this article, I had little knowledge of Occupy Wall Street. I knew that average citizens who were struggling financially were protesting on Wall Street. I knew that these protests were taking place not only in New York, but also major cities such as Boston. I also knew that there was great controversy surrounding the arrest of protesters because of their right to petition, and it was questionable as to whether or not the protesting was done on private or public property. After reading this article, I understood the more personal side of the protests. I understood the motives of the people who were protesting, and realized how regular, educated people are being so harshly effected by the current state of the economy.
ReplyDeleteThe images had a big impact on me. I saw how much people were struggling because of the economy. I saw that the people who were struggling were not the under educated or the homeless, but average citizens with bachelor degrees and masters who were under experienced and over educated. One image that stuck with me in particular was image five. This image stuck with me because this woman was contemplating suicide because of her financial situation. She makes a good point when talking about how her parents have already supported her, and now they have to support her again because she can not find a job for herself. It was also shocking to hear about her 7 month pregnant friend who cannot afford health care because she got laid off, and her parents are having trouble paying for the medical bills. These pictures are very revealing about the people who are struggling.
I do not think the length of the stories was as effective as the information of the stories. The more information the better, but all that is needed to sink in is the person's current situation in a few brief sentences. The people with the longer stories however, seemed to be going through more emotionally and financially.
Before reading this article, I had little knowledge of Occupy Wall Street. I knew that average citizens who were struggling financially were protesting on Wall Street. I knew that these protests were taking place not only in New York, but also major cities such as Boston. I also knew that there was great controversy surrounding the arrest of protesters because of their right to petition, and it was questionable as to whether or not the protesting was done on private or public property. After reading this article, I understood the more personal side of the protests. I understood the motives of the people who were protesting, and realized how regular, educated people are being so harshly effected by the current state of the economy.
ReplyDeleteThe images had a big impact on me. I saw how much people were struggling because of the economy. I saw that the people who were struggling were not the under educated or the homeless, but average citizens with bachelor degrees and masters who were under experienced and over educated. One image that stuck with me in particular was image five. This image stuck with me because this woman was contemplating suicide because of her financial situation. She makes a good point when talking about how her parents have already supported her, and now they have to support her again because she can not find a job for herself. It was also shocking to hear about her 7 month pregnant friend who cannot afford health care because she got laid off, and her parents are having trouble paying for the medical bills. These pictures are very revealing about the people who are struggling.
I do not think the length of the stories was as effective as the information of the stories. The more information the better, but all that is needed to sink in is the person's current situation in a few brief sentences. The people with the longer stories however, seemed to be going through more emotionally and financially.
1. Befor looking at this article I did know a little about wall street. They were protesting Obama and all his political moves that were jeopardizing the economy. I knew they were also protesting being part of the 99 percent, because I assisted this workshop on first amendment day.
ReplyDelete2. These images had a great deal of impact on me because I have some friends who have to live off of food stamps, and I am part of the 99% who are not rich. The images also are very powerful because you see just how many problems these people are facing because of what is happening on Wall Street.
3. I believe that the length of the peoples stories did contribute to the effectiveness because the more people can see how bad the others are being effected. The length can also show the fact that being part of the 99% can be scary.
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ReplyDeleteBefore reading this article, I honestly did not know anything about Occupy Wall Street other than that it was a group of protesters. This article definitely furthered my understanding of the movement, because I now know that people are protesting for healthcare, jobs, and better lives.
ReplyDeleteThis images had a very big impact on me. They really made me feel sorry for all the people that are suffering due to today's economy. One picture that stuck with me in particular was the first one, where a woman is holding a piece of paper that reads: "I haven't been to a doctor in 8 years." This really stuck with me as a read through all the pictures, because the fact that a person cannot afford even one check-up at the doctors is just really hard to think about. Until now, I never really understood how bad things are getting for people.
Lastly, I think the length of the people's stories did contribute to how effective they were at offering reasons to Occupy. I think this because the more I read about how hard people's lives were, the more I sympathized them . However, the story that stuck with me the most was actually one of the shortest, but one of the most shocking. So I do not think it is just the length of the story the contributes to the effectiveness, but also the depth of the story.
Before reading the article or looking at the pictures i knew a good amount of knowledge on Occupying Wall Street. My father and I would talk about it because he goes into Boston to visit my grandparents and to go to work so he saw the people on Dewey Square with their tents. From what i saw on the news it seemed as most of the people were students in debt, people who could not find jobs, and people who believed that the executives on Wall Street were being paid too much. I also knew that Occupy Wall Street took place in many major cities other that Boston. I got to see the people in Dewey Square on Thanksgiving and you truly see how dedicated these people were to this cause. They stayed outside in horrendous weather conditions, stayed in their tents for the holidays all for one cause.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures had an impact on me because the age of each individual differed. There was one women who looked older and had two kids and a 14 year old girl all fighting for the same cause. The picture that stuck with me the most was the picture with the 14 year old girl. I am 14 right now, i cannot put myself in her position. At 14 years old she is a college student. Both my parents work and put a roof over my head so i do not have to worry as this girl does. Granted we are all struggling with this economy but sometimes we need to realize what we have and not take it for granted.
No i do not really think that the length of people's stories had any special affect. Some people summed up their reasons in a short poem on a sticky not and still inspired me. Just as one of the men in the pictures said "it's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters. It's the size of the fight in the dog."
Prior having viewed this article I was aware that many people were standing up against large cooperations because of the limited workers' benfits. I also understood their standpoint in which the government should be able to provide benefits to those in need, especially given the current recession. I knew that numerous protests are taking place nation-wide, and at first may have been underestimated, but are now beginning to spike major controversey in media, business, and politics. My understanding of the movement was furthered because I was able to view the true severity of some people's situations.
ReplyDeleteHaving viewed the images had a large impact on me. I have known multiple people, in addition to my own family, who have been down on their luck and suddenly must find a way to afford making payements for morgage in addition to daily expenses. It is a very difficult situation to be in if noone is willing to help. The one story which particulary impacted me was the one of a man who reffered to himself as having HAD been one of the 99%. He continues, to assure that conforming to capitalism is not beneficial towards anyone. This statement I somewhat disagree with because wealth should not equal power, that is true, but the problem within our captitual nation is that educated, capable people are given only limited opportunity to work towards obtaining wealth. However, I find it admirable that he was able to gain power through wealth, and based his buisness on the integrity of the honorable working man, rather than chose to sell his business to obtain more power and more wealth. I think this story is not a perspective viewed too often and was very refreshing to see.
The size of the story does have an affect on how greatly the story impacts the reader. The more details are included, the more realistic the story becomes. It forms an obligation for the viewer who is now compelled to help the cause, in favor of the many unemployed and underemployed people of our nation. If one reads that the general unemployment rate is 8.5% the impact is substancially less than reading the true story of what even one specific person has gone through. However, every reason is a good reason to fight in favor of something you believe in.
Before this, I didn't know much about Occupy Wall Street. All I knew was that people were protesting and most were unemployed. After reading this I now understand what they are going through. All of these people can't find a job, can't afford food and can't afford to go to the doctor. These people have huge problems in their life and it needs to change.
ReplyDeleteThe images did impact me because before this, I didn't realize how serious these people's problems were. I just thought that they couldn't afford some things, I didn't know they couldn't go to the doctor or buy food. A certain image that stood out to me was number 5. She said that she "played by the rules". She got good grades and went to college but now she can't even get a job at a fast food restaurant. This one stood out because I can somewhat relate to her. I get good grades and am planning on going to college. I don't want this to happen to me.
I don't think the length of someone's story changes how powerful it is. Some of the people wrote long explanations about what they did growing up and where they are now. I think these are just as powerful as other's stories that are only one or two sentences. Some people who wrote a lot listed things they couldn't afford or have. Another woman simply wrote, "I haven't been to a doctor in 8 years." This is just as effective to me as the longer ones.
Joseph Ficaro
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this article, I did not know too much about Occupy Wall Street. I knew that there was protesters living in tents in Boston and that they were protesting for the economy which is partially correct, which I found out later. After reading the article it gives me a completely better understanding of what's going on and the struggles that these people are facing. The articles and their captions impacted me in a great way. It brought out empathy in me towards them. It deepened my understanding to a whole new level. The picture that impacted me the most was picture number 5. It impacted me because this woman thinks that there is no future as well as a cure for the future. She thought of suicide and didn't want to live with her life anymore. That is unfortunate and sad which is why it impacted me so greatly. I think that the length of the stories did have a say in the reasons to Occupy because it explained in detail the awful struggles they faced and it would reach the level of sympathy or empathy to people reading the pictures and captions. With the life stories they can reach a very effective level to those who read them.
Before reading the article on Occupy Wall Street, I didn't know too much about it. I knew that people were living in awful conditions outside in protest about something Wall Street was or wasn't doing. I partially thought that people were protesting for attention, but they were really protesting for jobs and healthcare. The picture that stuck with me most was the picture of a woman with the story, "I have not been to a doctor in 8 years." This stuck with me because I had not realized that the economy was as bad as it was because I am able to have the things that I need. I do not think that the length of the story took away or gave power to the stories. I think that that once sentence was just as powerful as one of the longer stories. This article on Occupy Wall Street really opened my eyes to how this country needs to change and it really deepened my sympathy for these protesters.
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