This is Marine Corps Sgt. Shamar Thomas, verbally confronting New York City police officers and questioning their purpose and sense of honor in dealing with the Occupy Wall Street situation...
Are we witnessing the birth of a post-modern folk hero or just the latest viral video sensation? Personally, I don't know what to make of this. It's five and a half minutes of video. I don't know what happened before the cameras started rolling, I don't know anything about Sgt. Thomas's background, I don't even think I have a real good grasp on what the Occupiers are trying to accomplish. At any rate, I certainly don't have enough info to form an opinion on what, if anything, this means. Would a young Bob Dylan have written a song about Sgt. Thomas or is he going to end up yet another YouTube punchline? Are these "Occupations" truly organic expressions of unrest and discord, signalling a return to activism and social change or is it a bunch of misguided and disorganized would-be hippies nostalgiac for a lost childhood that occurred 20 years or more before they were even born? Or is the truth somewhere in the middle, like it usually is? Is there even such a thing as "middle" anymore? I guess we'll find out.
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The Marine makes some good points. Can you imagine what would have happened if the cops tried to arrest him? Wow. That would have done more for OWS in 10 minutes than they've accomplished in 3 weeks.
As to the cops, that's not an easy job, and it's not as simple as casting them as the bad guys. Those same guys are out protecting us all when they're not busy clubbing unarmed protesters. Life is complicated.
I'm not sure all the OWS protesters really have a cogent message, but I think that's part of the why they're there. Their unifying bond is frustration with the direction our country is heading. I'm frustrated too, though I've kind of numbed myself to it over the years. I used to be a lot more active in politics. Over time I've realized life is less stressful if I worry about things I can control. I'd rather spend time with my family than go out to a protest. But I certainly empathize with the powerlessness and frustration these people feel, and bonding together with other like-minded souls feels empowering, even if only for a while.
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