Les Bonnes Choses

I think the weather would have eventually lead to this outcome anyways, but a few cities (including my hometown) have decided enough is enough, and that it's time for the #OCCUPY protesters to move on. They've made their point, and it's "time to move on", says Toronto mayor Rob "Pottymouth" Ford, winner of the Worst Person in the World award for the week of October 28, 2011 (a remarkable accomplishment because Kim Jong Il was still alive and well as of that date).

Granted, I imagine it must be hard for all the people living and working around these protest sites to have to see these protesters day in and day out. After a few weeks, I'm sure it gets tiring, irksome and depressing.

That's the point. It's a protest, not a parade. Protests aren't supposed to be 'convenient' or make you feel comfortable. Carrots are more expensive than sticks. If you can't afford carrots, sticks are all you've got to work with. A protest (or a union strike, for that matter) is a stick. I'm surprised how many people have not figured this out yet. They're there to make a point. They will stay there until they feel they've been heard. When "the man" comes in and roughs them up and tells them to go away, that kind of reinforces the sense of alienation these people are protesting. So far, they've generally been met with dismissiveness. You want them to go away? Listen to them and do something about it. That's how these things work.