There are plenty of people out there writing and talking about what the Occupy Movement is, what it should be, why it sucks, why it's awesome, what they should be doing, what they're doing right and wrong. So now it's my turn - I think they're doing great! I'm very impressed. Honestly, I'd given up on witnessing a social movement that was so effective and well-grounded.
I've been following from the beginning, and have been tempted to visit/participate, but haven't yet, and probably won't, in the near future. A few years back, during the W years, I would probably have gotten very actively involved, but since then I've found work that is meaningful and relevant to me, and that's where my focus is now.
So what do I think is so important about Occupy? What's impressed me is their presence and their voice. I feel that is the core strength, and I think that's more than adequate. The emphasis on occupying public spaces is a very strong message, and the power of the People's Voice is dramatically effective. When they challenge Rove, when they sit silent, when they walk, when they speak, they're strong in ways that move and inspire me.
The footage and news from UC Davis was dominant for awhile, but it's just part of the wave, something that continues to build strength, based on the sacrifices and courage and determination of thousands of people. Their actions are inspiring hundreds of thousands more. Every person who goes out and participates in Occupy directly affects/inspires their community, friends and family and coworkers. To say nothing of the impact through the media/internet.
Going back to RFK (updated/corrected for inclusiveness),
Each time a (person) stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s/he) sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
What impresses me most about Occupy is how well they've stayed on message - presence and voice. I feel that much of the criticism of Occupy is based on perspectives that recognize the power of this movement, and want to redirect it in directions that will make it more controllable, either in order to accomplish specific goals, or to blunt the effectiveness of the movement. But Occupy is already its own entity, and has successfully resisted being co-opted.
I know that I've skipped the consensus-based decision-making component, the General Assemblies. That's the component that would make me crazy, if I were participating. From what I've read, there are suboptimal aspects to this system. Nor have all the actions by participants been optimal. As a participant in previous protests and movements, that's no surprise to me. But I think that this has successfully created a culture of mutual tolerance and respect, a sense of responsibility and participation that isn't often experienced. If Occupy disappeared tomorrow, those who've participated would continue sharing and intiating what they learned and experienced during their time with Occupy.
When the right shut down (and you know what, honestly, it's a travesty how hard I had to google for this, eg keywords: ban defund progressive liberal community activist, because even though I'd met and talked with ACORN activists, and had my own reservations about their motivation, and then my own disgust at the right wing's core-reactionary idiot revulsionist drama, I knew that they were committed to the right things, and also knew that after their defunding they carried on, because so many people so well-committed to the right things didn't just stop because the paychecks stopped, they carried on like we all do...).
The spirit of ACORN continues just like the Occupy spirit continues, just like JFK and RFK and MLK and Gandhi's spirit continues, there's nothing that stops voice and presence and power like that and that's what Occupy is, it's Power, based on Voice and Presence, it's not based on the Media's interpretation, or political integration, or anything like what all these idiots are asking. It's based on Presence, and Voice, and as long as they're there, and speaking, Occupy will continue, and that has nothing to do with all the news douchebags spinning their stupidities, or anything else.
Occupy matters because it's Present, and because it Speaks, and if you want to go deeper I recommend Buddhism, and I'll see you in a few years.