Ryan Avola (“Occupy movement all about love,” Jan. 5) sees the Occupy movement as one of “love, empathy and compassion.”
These are qualities lacking in Heinz Klatt’s piece on the subject (“Occupy movement may be most vapid of all,” Nov. 24). Justin Rito, also writing on the subject (“Read, then make up mind on Occupy,” Jan 5), seems to view Klatt’s use of one Occupier’s viewpoint as more of an attempt to inflame readers with an unjust representation of the Occupiers than to add to the discussion.
On that I would have to agree.
It’s not hard to find a poorly thought-out comment, if one so chooses. Klatt got his published, as someone with power can do, managing to add to the negative publicity about the Occupiers in London.
Klatt’s opinion suggested that Peace Studies students offer their front lawns to Occupiers, if they were sincere about giving support to the movement. So if Ryan Avola would like to make such an offer, here’s his chance. I could offer my front lawn, for that matter, but I don’t know what the landord or his other tenants would think of that.
Klatt’s piece was critical of Bernie Hammond (“Don’t shrug off the power of the Occupy movement,” Nov 17), though both professors see the problem as being about the 99 per cent against the 1 per cent, with themselves, at least in part, on the same side as the Occupiers.
But that’s not likely the case.
Anyone who has moved up the ladder of success can scarcely empathize with those who haven’t; furthermore, individuals at each stage are in competition with those further along and those behind them for scarce resources which grow more scarce as time goes by.
Add to this, if you will, comments by ordinary people in the London Free Press and national newspapers offering valuable insights into how men and women think about the Occupy movement, society, and their own lives.
I am educated (two degrees) but was not able to have a career and have ended up with much empathy for the unemployed, as well as the underemployed, of whom there must be many. To continually see the privileged speaking on behalf of the less fortunate, as is the case in university newspapers, is problematic.
Sue (Fulham) McPherson