As any socially and politically conscious American knows, there have been many active protests occurring on Wall Street in New York City. These protests have been enacted for a broad spectrum of reasons, including the massive amount of job layoffs, pay cuts, poor work conditions, and other issues, all motivated by what the protesters perceive to be the incredible and unmitigated greed of big business. Whereas I agree with the focus of these protests, I struggle to understand the methods of protest and the lack of organization.

Speaking as a student of history and as an aware person, both politically and socially, I do in fact realize that the most successful protests, movements, and riots have all had a mighty pen behind whatever sword the movement wielded. Take for example, the Civil Rights movement. It had powerful leaders, fierce, meticulous petitions, and an overall presence, in a room full of politicians, the majority of whom will sleep like a baby at night, despite whether a bill gets passed or not. However, The Occupy Wall Street movement lacks a great deal of the things necessary for a change to occur. The reason why the corporations and corrupt politicians don’t take the time to acknowledge this small fire is because it is only a small fire. The only results yielded by these protests have been negative. Students going to Occupy Wall Street and skipping school in the process are simply adding another charge to this already negatively charged movement. If no organization is present, then this movement will fizzle out, and it will be harder to start the right way next time a movement, such as this, is needed. This movement has potential for great impact, especially for us, students, as we enter the working world while our parents struggle in a failing job market. Somebody needs to stand up, as a prophet, leader, or any important figure, and provide a structured approach. The time to act is now, and we’re wasting it. Our job opportunities and our families’ job situations are at stake. But the Occupy Wall Street group are just not the ones to get the job done.