Occupy This

I walk through Dilworth Plaza every morning just for a reminder of what America smells like. And let me tell you, I love the smell of America in the morning! America’s bouquet is a delicious blend of musket smoke, fireside chats and the slow burn of an overworked I-Phone 4. It is not a single smell or necessarily a familiar one. Like the odor, the brave faces of Occupy Philly defy a sole descriptor and their reasons for living a temporary life fit for Valley Forgers are not singular. But, in fact the Occupiers do share something critically important: a respect for freedom and the right to demonstrate for what they believe.

To all those critics who say the Occupiers are a bunch of lazy, jobless hippies just looking for a cheap high and some free love, I say: Jealous! I also say Google American History or go to Wikipedia and search for King George III—the original one-percenter. King George III, like today’s Occupy naysayers (e.g. The Godfather himself: Herman Cain), accused the revolting patriots in his far away colonies of having no organized effort. He mocked them for not having a single message; for not having proper military uniforms and for having the gall to hide behind trees instead of forming a line and fighting like real men. But, what King George III found out the hard way, was that the common ground of the American people was their spirit; their determination; their will. And, as much as we in the communications profession preach to our clients about having a point and staying on it, I will say proudly that in this case, spirit beats messaging hands down.

So to those of you who turn up your noses at the Occupy Movement, I offer this quip, first uttered by the famous players of Monty Python (they too of King George III’s ilk): I fart in your general direction. Your mother is a hamster, and your father smells of old elderberries.

–Scott Tattar