Why they're 'occupying' Wall Street

The so-called "Occupy Wall Street" movement, like the anarchist pie-thrower at Rupert Murdoch's recent parliamentary hearings in London (comedian-activist Jonathan May-Bowles, better known as "Jonnie Marbles"), reflect distinctly Canadian contributions to public policy discourse: Just as Jonnie Marbles was copying the tactics of Quebec's so-called "Entartistes," so did the crowds occupying Wall Street (and now various other downtown areas around North America) take their inspiration from the Vancouver-based activist group Adbusters and its co-founder Kalle Lasn. Both Mr. Marbles' initiative (intercepted by the agile Wendy Deng Murdoch) and the Wall Street "occupation" are perfectly understandable impulses.

The Wall Street protesters denounce government bail-outs, the political and economic short-shrifting of students and young workers, the high cost of post-secondary education, various forms of discrimination, U.S. foreign policy, union-busting, outsourcing, the oil industry, media misinformation and (more generally) capitalism and globalization.

Related

• Charles Krauthammer: Democrats settle on 'eat the rich' as key to campaign

• Lorne Gunter: Occupy Wall Street protesters get things half-right

• Jonathan Kay on Occupy Wall Street: It's a symptom of something serious

© 2025 Conrad Black