Varying Views on the Occupy Wall Street Movement

Sam Hefler of John Burroughs is a senior on our panel. He is a linebacker on the Bombers’ playoff football team and involved in a wide variety of campus activities including music and government.

Hefler was curious about the average teen's awareness level of Occupy Wall Street movement. He got quite a variety of answers on it.

Question to the Panel this week

What is the teenage view of the Occupy Wall Street movement? Would you say teenagers are well informed about this movement, or is it just a passing disillusionment?

What are your personal views on the ideas about the movement? Do you think college graduates stand a good chance of finding meaningful employment after school?

Allison Hermann, St. Joseph’s Academy

I think most teenagers are aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement, but not necessarily aware of what they are trying to accomplish. I personally support the protesters' motives, but I do not believe the way they are going about it is the best way to achieve their goal.

I like the fact that these young adults are fighting for a cause that will help my generation in years to come when we start looking for jobs. At the moment, I do not believe many college graduates stand that good of a chance in finding employment, but hopefully this movement will change that.

Curt Walls, Ladue

Honestly, I don't believe teens are paying too much attention to this situation. I only know a couple people, including myself, who actually pay attention to it, and that's only because we are on the school's newspaper, the school's broadcasting show or may actually watch the news.

To answer the second question, teens aren't well informed because, from my experience, no one seems to be mentioning anything except for a couple of history teachers, but even then, it's only a brief explanation.

Spencer Desai, MICDS

Due to my dedication to schoolwork and issues around my own high school, I have very little time to pay attention to protests and rallies going on outside of school. While I do agree that the economy should improve, along with the majority of America, I don't have the slightest clue how to fix it or where to even begin.

The protest itself does not affect me greatly because at this point in my life, the general economy doesn’t affect my way of living enough for me to educate myself about it. I believe that teens are split evenly between those who are very informed on this subject and the others, like me, who know next to nothing about the protest or how to appease them.

Molly Soto, St. Joseph’s Academy

I think that teenagers are not really aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement because it does not directly affect them yet. I was informed of the movement because of a school project. I do not think all teenagers are really interested in the affairs on Wall Street. I do believe the protest is a relevant measure in our current economic state.

Ordinary citizens are struggling, but big banks are being bailed out. It does not seem fair to leave our people in difficult situations while big institutions are offered assistance because they are too big to fail. If we are unable to fix our country’s economic problems, then I do not think there will be meaningful employment for college graduates.

Rebecca Antony, MICDS

I do not really know that much of the Occupy Wall Street movement, so my answer may be one of ignorance. I don't think that many teenagers know that much about it, at least not in the freshman class because I have asked my peers for information on the subject, and they know as much or even less than I do about it. I think it has a good theme around it, but I cannot really discern easily what the end goals are for the movement—understanding that the theme is around financial greed, the goals are still not clarified by the motivators.

The motto "we are the 99 percent" strikes Wall Street's wealthiest 1 percent hard morally. Still, the definitive goals aren't mentioned behind that specific motto as they are in so many other mottos such as: "We Shall Overcome" and "Yes We Can." Therefore, I really cannot form a well-painted picture in my mind about the Occupy Wall St. movement.
 
Referring to the second question, In this current economy, I think that it really depends on the diplomas you have. The higher levels of education you have pursued, the more job offers you will be faced with!

Cate Toman, St. Joseph’s Academy

From my own experience, I believe that the teenage view of Occupy Wall Street is for all rights and purposes nonexistent. I haven't talked with a single one of my peers about the Occupy Wall Street movement.

I definitely think that many teenagers are ill informed about the issue, and it's easy to understand why this happens. Perhaps a teenager's parents, their main source of ideologies etc., don't take the movement seriously enough to discuss it with them, or perhaps, this is where I stand, any given teenager is exposed to various views on the matter and doesn't know what to believe.

On the ideas of the movement, I can't say that I know much, but I believe that it is a general protest against capitalism and the greed of the wealthy people involved in large corporations. I certainly agree that there are flaws in the capitalistic system, but I can't say that I support a protest which has no unified direction for a solution.

To add another thought, I do believe that many college graduates stand a decent chance of finding meaningful, career-oriented employment after school, simply because a college graduate naturally has an advantage over a non-college graduate. That being said, having a chance of finding employment certainly does not guarantee employment, especially in today's job market.

Because I'm not a college graduate searching for employment, I guess I can't really comment further on the matter. I imagine that it is more difficult nowadays for college graduates to be employed in their desired careers fresh out of college, but I don't think that means that they won't get there eventually.

Tori Watson, Villa Duchesne

Trying to take a position on the Occupy Wall Street movement is difficult. While I do comprehend that there is a large wealth gap in America right now, I find the depictions of the "callous, corrupt 1 percent" versus the "squeezed and burdened 99 percent" overexaggerated.

These personifications are stark, and separate America into two extremes when there is a vast middle ground that is not being acknowledged. Frankly, the whole movement is confusing. People are upset about this large wealth gap, but when I read articles and watch interviews of these protesters on TV, it appears to me that these people could not articulate why they protest beyond, “I am the 99 percent.”

It is hard for me to understand this movement because it is not organized, and it fails to address larger problems of our society, such as health care or education.

Isabell Stillman, John Burroughs

I think teenagers in Ladue are most likely under-informed about Occupy Wall Street. Sure, we've seen pictures of slogans written on cardboard or read articles about the protestors aims in the movement, but we cannot truly understand what it would be like to fight for health and economic well-being.

I, for one, have never had to deal with an excess of bills or health insurance, nor anything of the kind. I can see how the protestors would feel the need to fight for benefits they feel are going only to the wealthy and powerful, but I have no concept as to whether they have reasonable claims or deserve what they are asking for.

Grace Ahlering, Villa Duchesne

Teens are becoming increasingly involved and aware of current events, especially social justice moments. As children grow into teens, they are beginning to shape their own values and opinions towards political movements, such as the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It is safe today to say that nearly all teens and even children are aware of the current economic crisis. They know well that people have various feelings and opinions about the distribution of wealth, and how to go about solving the problem. Some teenagers are more interested in this movement than others.

Teens who hold part-time jobs may be more inserted in this than others, because they understand the time commitment it takes to hold a job, the value of having a job, and the hard work it truly takes to earn money.

Time for teenagers in the community to chime in and add their views. The panel members would love to hear your comments. Just email the editor, james.baer@patch.com or write your comments in the box on the right side of this page.