Should Occupy Wall Street get more specific?
Steve Chiotakis: President Obama says protestors demonstrating against Wall Street in New York and other cities are frustrated with the financial industry, and the fact many of those who work in that industry don’t always follow the rules. But is it time for the Occupy Wall Street folks to draw up a list of demands?
Marketplace’s Economy 4.0 correspondent David Brancaccio reports.
David Brancaccio: Demonstrators here make clear their view something’s rotten on Wall Street and blame it for growing economic inequality. Some placards read “The Middle Class is too big to fail.” But what to do about it? There’s been no official list of demands. For some at the protests, the time has come to get more concrete.
Harriet Jackson was in publishing, but lost her job and her health plan mid-career.
Harriet Jackson: At this point, they want to be all-encompassing — include everyone. So I understand that at the beginning, but I personally think that there should be an agenda so that we have something very specific to fight for.
But the missing demands may be by design. David Graeber, an anthropology professor who was one of the early organizers of the protest, told me spelling out demands can sharply limit the range of debate.
In New York, I’m David Brancaccio for Marketplace.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
