Occupy Norfolk. Poorly Conception and Implementation Limits the Success of the Movement - Research Paper Example

The aims of the group can be difficult to ascertain, but include raising awareness of the problems of society, a system for more equal distribution of finances, the creation of better jobs and a reform in the way that banks and the government interact . Discussion is ever present as to how realistic these goals are. How much can the current situation be changed before the poor are actually hurt in the process. Certainly, not all big business works against consumers and those that need help. Many actively support people on low incomes, either through the creation of jobs, donating to charities or other factors.

It cannot be denied that corporations are still taxed. The question remains though, is the taxation of businesses, especially large ones, high enough when their earnings are considered. Many Wall Street protesters argue that they are not . Protests have spread across the nation as well as worldwide from this initial seed. Places that have seen occupation by protestors include: the United States, Europe, Germany, Malaysia, South Korea and New Zealand . While these sister movements are widespread and strong in numbers, the question remains, how well do they understand the original movement, and how effective are they?

Occupy Norfolk is one such sister movement. It is based in Harbor Park, which is owned by the city. The movement has been active for more than a month, and around 30 protesters occupy the site 24/7. Support for the movement is not limited to the physical presence, with more than 4,000 supporter on Facebook and many detailed online discussions . For the Occupy Norfolk protestors, many questions remain. What to the protestors hope to accomplish and how do they plan on doing this? The answer simply appears to be, they don’t know.

The basic aim of the movement in Norfolk appears to be to support, in a non-confrontational manner, the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. While the group participated in ideas and discussion, they made it clear that their opinions did not necessarily represent that of the wider group. What then was the point? Protestors agreed that their presence should facilitate discussion, yet they appear ill-informed of the opinions and facts that initially sparked the Wall Street Protests. In terms of solutions, many protestors believed that they should neither offer nor create any solutions, their role was simply to spark discussion .

By this paradoxical logic, the protestors hope to facilitate discussion, although they are not clear on many points of this, but consider that it should not lead to any resolutions or changes. Rather, it is the process of discussion itself that the Norfolk group appears to be interested in. Indeed, many of the protestors criticize movements such as Tea Parties, for providing solutions. For the protestors at Norfolk, one of the overriding opinions is that corporations are corrupt non-human entities that promote greed and wealth to only a small sector, representing the 1% in many slogans.

The ironies are clear when watching the protestors. Although they are angry at the current system, they have thought little about what benefits it offers to the 99%, how it has helped society and helped to reduce human need. Anger against corporations was also ill represented by the behavior of the protesters themselves. Many wore branded clothing, drove expensive