How Occupy Toronto is sabotaging its own cause

On Oct. 30, I was able to attend the Occupy Toronto protest shanty town in St. James Park and, in the process, met several interesting, inspiring and in some cases, completely insane people who have taken up the cause which is now sweeping the World. The protest in Toronto is now a more than a week old and various members of the media have been commenting on its lack of focus and leadership.

Though there were some potentially disturbed protesters, I was lucky enough to meet a few intelligent and pragmatic protesters who just want to do some good for the World. I have observed one clear thing that many of the protesters have been doing: they have all been hurting their own cause. There are several reasons why Occupy Toronto is sabotaging itself.

The Protests are putting blame on ideologies instead of offering any solutions. The easiest thing for the Occupying movements to blame is "corporate greed" and the "evil capitalism" that was working so well until the pesky recession. Therefore, people are marching on Bay St. cursing the top floors of the tall buildings where the CEO's who are to blame work. Yes, corporations are greedy and capitalism has its flaws just like any other economic model, but that's just reality. What good is blaming an ideology for everything that's wrong with the economy? You can't put it in jail or make it give you back the job you lost in 2008. If something is wrong with capitalism, then what? Do we suddenly invent international markets built on Guy Fawkes masks and left-wing rhetoric? Blaming corporate greed without stating specifics just sounds like your hating the rich simply because they're rich.

The Protest has a split-personality. The media has given Occupy Toronto a lot of attention, yet, the movement cannot seem to make up its mind as to what the cause is supposed to be about, which social or economic issue they are trying to address or which new way that "hemp" can solve all of humanity's problems. Though this just seems like an eclectic way of saving the world, it is only watering-down their cause.

It's like starting a new band, but deciding you want to play every music genre all at the same time in one song. If you want to address the issue of the wealthiest minority having all the power, then stick to it. Build upon it. Give the protest a goal so that when a journalist comes to visit, you can say proudly, "this is what we're all about!" If not, most journalists are forced to state that the protest lacks focus and move on to what is happening next, instead of watching it develop.

Occupy Wall St.'s "we are the 99%" message does not make any sense in Canada. This is the most important point which ties into the fact that the protest is uninformed. The protest picked Bay St. in Toronto because it's where the banks are, just like Wall St. in the United States. On Wall St. they are protesting the terrible economic decisions that the banks made because it caused a recession. On Bay St. they protested the same thing with the "we are the 99%" signs. There's just one problem: the Canadian banking system did everything right. None of the banks in Canada were bailed out, and furthermore, they are seen as a symbol of stability and prosperity for the whole World. They did not invest in toxic assets or hand out sub-prime mortgages like in the United States. Also, they were not overwhelmed with debt like the EU and most importantly, they were regulated by the government.

Our richest one per cent is not the same as America's either. The top one per cent in Canada earns roughly $181,000 a year compared to American's elite which makes over $300,000. Top income earners in Canada are taxed at 43 per cent compared to the 15 – 23 per cent of their American counter parts. Unemployment rates have gone down. The truth is that we did not make their mistakes and Canada is now regarded as one of the best countries to do business Worldwide.

I am not saying that everything is perfect. We still live in a flawed society. We still have issues that need addressing. We all felt the pinch during the recession, had trouble finding jobs and saw gas prices rise. I admire the spirit of the protesters in the camp – especially those intelligent and pragmatic ones that I mentioned earlier. In a time of political apathy and low voter turnouts, it feels good to know that we still care.

Realistically, Canada has little to complain about now, but there will come a time when that passion and will to dig deep and work hard for social change will be needed. When the time comes, think of some solutions, build on one issue, and educate yourself on it. If you can do that, then you will stop hurting your own cause.