A lot of people have differing opinions on the Occupy movement currently taking place throughout the country. While I share many people’s concerns over what the end result of this movement is, what has bothered me the most is the skewed media coverage of the protests and coordinated actions. To be honest, the general strike was my first time visiting the “Oakland Commune” area currently located in Frank Ogawa Plaza. And what I saw there looked nothing like what I had read, seen, and heard in the media. Instead what I witnessed was a beloved community of people who were working together to try and create something beautiful. Their intention was not to destroy, loot, or riot in the streets of Oakland, but to create an alternative space for dialogue and change. I have my own critiques of the Occupy movement, it is far from perfect or without it’s faults; but in forming those opinions we must look to other sources besides the main stream media for our information.
Now more than ever it’s important to maintain the diversity of coverage for the Occupy movement. Main stream media should not be the only venue in which individuals get information and form their opinion of the events. Social media, blogs, and other platforms like youtube can be a venue in which diverse and differing perspectives of the movements are heard, instead of endless riot coverage we see on TV. It’s partly why I choose to post photos here publicly on my blog.
Occupy Oakland, a set on Flickr.
