Us vs Them, Changing the face of the 99%

Us versus Them

I've been tossing around the idea of how to integrate new members into the movement. I've come across a few stumbling blocks and rather than proceeding forward with the current plan and watching us lose members and momentum I would like to offer a suggestion.

When asked "What is Occupy about?" We don't have a simple answer. It's hard to encompass everything that occupy is without seeming like a pie-in-the-sky dream. This is a dividing point of an ideal we can not articulate without a lengthy explanation of a subjective perspective on a unrecognizable ideal that hasn't yet been consensed upon.

At Occupy we are a community lending each other information and the means to discuss solutions to the issues of employment, sustainability, environmental alerts of our respective areas. We are the network of our region collaborating in full view of the public eye with an open ear and an inviting twinkle in our eyes. We are a grounding discussion, free of the distractions of race, religion, sex and income. We are a locality self-aware and conscious of our voice in Washington, the Houses, Capitol and City Hall with the ability to agree to fire a voice that speaks for us but does not represent our best interests. Our vested interest is to encourage discussion to find solutions that we can make in a park within the full view of our children because it is their future that our decisions will impact.

I propose we tweak the image of Occupy Gainesville a bit to move forward with the momentum we have and start finding the solutions by identifying and inviting answers to our issues. In order to spread the message of community I ask if we can make a presence as a peaceful discussion group with a sign stating our issue of choice and an invitation to join us. We can Occupy parks or street corners to change the image of the angry protester to a more inviting image of an intellectual discourse geared toward inclusiveness and finding solutions.