Many of us who came of age during the Vietnam era have trouble understanding the Wall Street protestors.
In our day, we occupied a few parks, as well as the offices of college presidents and military recruiting stations. We were just as loosely organized. But our message was coherent and simple -- end the war, bring the troops home.
Of course, when the war finally did end, it was anything but simple. But by then we were on to different causes, like earning a living and building a career.
So maybe we should cut the Wall Street protestors some slack.
If they don't have a consistent message and aren't terribly specific about remedies, it may simply reflect the complexities of the problem.
For example, read Joe Nocera's column in today's New York Times and you'll begin to understand how unprecedented our current economic situation is. And how difficult it will be to return to something appoaching normalcy.
Meanwhile, I think it would be a grave mistake to underestimate those kids in downtown New York -- as well as their cohorts around the country. They may not know what they want, in legislative terms, but the source of their anger and fear should be obvious.
Some 15 million Americans don't have jobs. Another 10 million can only find part-time work. Overall, the median household income has fallen 10 percent since 2007. Nearly a quarter of home owners owe more on their houses than they're worth. A record number of families (45 million) are receiving Food Stamps.
In contrast, corporations are sitting on a cash hoard of $2 trillion dollars. Earnings are up. Hedge fund managers and CEOs are taking home eight and ten-digit salaries. Income inequality has not been as high since the 1920s.
Politicians and business leaders had better pay attention. The people in Zucotti Park may move inside when it gets colder and starts to snow. But their anger and fear won't go away.
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