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The Occupy Wall Street protest has entered its fourth week. The leaderless movement, which started in New York on September 17, has attracted thousands of protesters and swept more than 100 major US cities including Washington DC, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Seattle,. Young people, many unemployed or under-employed, compose the bulk of the demonstrators in protests against corporate insatiable greed and increased social inequality, among other grievances. ?The movement, which is aimed to vent anger against the two parties' connivance of Wall Street, is now providing ammunition for both parties wrangling for personal and partisan gains. While US President Barack Obama expressed understanding of the protestors' frustration and blamed Republican lawmakers for hindering financial reforms, the Republicans rebuked by accusing him of stimulating a "class war." Their heated arguments provide a glimpse of some fundamental problems of US' economic and political systems. ?The Wall Street protests are still spreading. But there are still many questions: what has caused the large-scale occupation movement? Where will it go or spread to? And will the protest have an impact on the US political climate? |
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?@ Wangyigongkaike The "Occupy Wall Street "movement spread across the nation like wildfire. At present, 40 percent of young people aged from 19 to 25 in the US are unemployed and can't afford to pay house loans, whereas not a single Wall Street tycoon, the culprits of financial crisis, has ever been brought to justice. People are getting more and more resentful about this unfairness, and lots of young people are overwhelmed with anger. Will the movement shatter the capitalist system driven by the big consortiums? |
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?@ Qinagumingyuejizhesi The root of the "Occupy Wall Street "movement lies in young people's feelings of deprivation. Once the social benefit pattern is formed, the conflict of interest among generations will become more conspicuous. As young people have neither experiences, nor resources, they have naturally become a disadvantaged social group. They are either worse off out of work, or idling away in their careers. Being helpless, they become careless. Being careless, they become fearless. Being hopeless, these young people love movements. |
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?@ Huang Hao As World War I was against imperialism and World War II was against fascism and dictatorship, the present "Occupy Wall Street "movement, as well as several demonstrations and civil appeals are against officials' collusion with the rich, and rampant abuse of power. Yet from the historical perspective, it is to reconstruct the distribution mechanism. From the cultural perspective, it is to remodel the human nature. And, it is to punish evil-doers and encourage people to do well. What everyone should always conquer is himself. As the real democracy is still far from being achieved, there is no democracy that can be credited as the best, but a better one is not hard to achieve. |
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?@ Song Hongbing The "Occupy Wall Street "movement has swept over 1080 cities in America, and it has hit Europe currently. If the movement remains 'non-violent', it's likely to evolve to be the world's most influential event since the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s. This movement will unite the poor worldwide (99 percent in population) to demand rights from the rich (1 percent in population). This is a challenge that Civil Rights fighters pose to "Plutocracy", and also a combat between Political Democracy and Financial Dictatorship. |
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?@ Bixiadongcidaozhang [The "Occupy Wall Street "movement is telling us] a government needs to analyze the financial market rationally instead of injecting funds blindly to save the stock market, for the money all comes from taxpayers and they should never sacrifice the interests of the 99% people to save the greed of the 1 %. Otherwise, the public will surely be angry. |
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?@ Benpaodejingyu The "Occupy Wall Street "movement is autonomic. Despite its large scale, it's not fully integrated and well-organized and the motive of each individual varies. Therefore, it won't be that influential. There will be two development paths of the movement: the government makes a modest compromise and the movement brings to an end, or the protesters establish a unified and integrated organization and continue to confront with the government until they compromise. |
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With the duration of the movement uncertain, no one wants to see it evolve into violent demonstrations or spin out of control, which is also the last thing the world economy in general, and the US in particular, needs at the time of recession.? But, if Washington fails to heed the calls of the protesters and address its fundamental problems, the occupation will snowball to a mass movement capable of changing society. |