On Thursday, the owners of Zuccotti Park in New York City announced plans to evict the Occupy Wall Street movement so that the park could be cleaned. The park, which had been cleaned nightly before the squatters took it over, had not been cleaned in about a month. Supporters of the movement responded that an eviction was simply an attempt to squash free speech rights.
The Occupy movement, which claims to represent 99 percent of Americans, has been denouncing all things even remotely related to capitalism, including property rights. And this leads the movement’s supporters to the contradiction of denying rights to others while whining that their own rights are being violated.
Individual rights are not separate and distinct principles. To violate one right is to violate all rights.
Certainly, the occupiers have a right to voice their opinion. They do not have a right to take over a television studio, seize a newspaper, or occupy a private park for the purpose of doing so. The right to free speech does not mean that others must provide a microphone, a printing press, or a public platform. The right to free speech means that one will not be punished by government officials for expressing one’s ideas.
But this is lost on the anti-capitalist nihilists who comprise the Occupy Wall Street movement. In the mish-mash of demands that have been voiced, one thing is clear: the movement is nothing but a bunch of whim worshiping brats who want others to fulfill their every desire. They want their student loans forgiven, ignoring the fact that they took out such loans voluntarily. They want an end to the “injustice” of some people making more money than others, ignoring the fact that some people are more productive than others. They want equality of results, ignoring the fact that results are the consequence of choices and actions, and some individuals choose and act poorly.
While denouncing America’s wealth creators, the protestors have taken over the property of one of America’s wealth creators. Were it not for the very people they denounce, these juveniles would be unable to Tweet, order pizza from their I-Phone, or have their “message” broadcast to the world.
As disgusting as the Occupy Wall Street movement is, there is a positive side to the story. The movement has demonstrated, perceptually, where progressives would take us.