Occupy- A Different Way

We have all heard of Occupy Wall Street as it has grown and become known around the world. It has gotten lots of media coverage- those involved have been noticed. The weather however is getting “wintery” and the law enforcement short on patience. I would like to make the proposal for a different kind of occupation. WRITING
Part of being a citizen of our great country is having the right to express concerns in a non-violent manner. When watching the various occupy groups it is noted that hand written signs are often involved. Let’s transfer those words to paper or e mail. How about picking up the pen which we all know is “mightier than the sword” and express the concerns of a particular individual. Although snail mail letters are always appropriate, it has become even easier to contact the Senators and Representatives with e mail. Not only could this be for national but the same is true for state and local governments as well. A step further might be to write companies and financial groups.
One of the largest complaints around Occupy Wall Street that the media has highlighted – has been that there hasn’t’ been a single focus but rather everyone seems to have his/her focus of concerns. The loose relationship among the demonstrators seems to be that there is a general discontent with what is happening in the financial world as well as the world of politicians.
By using a letter writing/ e mail campaign each person is able to write from the heart his/her specific concern. It would be great to flood mailboxes and remind those who work for the citizenry what kind of representation is expected. It may have a bigger impact because it is addressed to an individual- it becomes personal from the writer and the reader. Perhaps if the politicians know specific concerns or changes that have the constituent’s attention those constituents can be better represented. (Hopefully)
As a consumer, using the pen often makes an affect. Looked what happened with the petition drive and names collected when several of the banks decided to add yet another fee for the privilege of being a depositor. It is a sure thing that fellow members of the financial world were paying attention. Especially when actions went further with a petition and even people becoming active in using their own money to show displeasure. The media was helpful in highlighting how people were showing the dissatisfaction by moving their business.
The big message here is in an appropriate way – make your ideas known- positive as well as negative. Get in the habit of writing!

Note: The evening I first wrote this article, the national news shared a story about a young lady of 14 who wrote a letter to a producer of video games. Long story short she was able to have the game writers upgrade the game to be more gender neutral.
A friend shared that a former student – now in high school- wrote a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
Let’s all applaud both young ladies and realize that we are raising a generation that is developing writing skills in schools. Join them and write concerns and occupy the mailboxes.