Alternate "Occupy" movements sweep the nation
The Occupy Wall Street protests that have been sweeping the country have garnered a lot of attention. But, a few unrelated groups and individuals are taking advantage of the "Occupy" name to get their message across.
On Thursday, for example, while anti-Wall Street protests in New York City targeted several subway stations and resulted in arrests and alleged police beatings, another demonstration was taking place in the city that used the "Occupy" moniker. Occupy People, organized by Buzzfeed.com, took place in front of the Time/Life building in midtown Manhattan to protest the fact that Ryan Gosling wasn't named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. (Bradley Cooper took this year's honor.)
CBS station WCBS in New York reported that protesters chanted "Bradley Cooper is just fine, but Ryan Gosling is divine," while holding signs like "Ryan Gosling is proof that there is a god and she is a woman."
In an article on the People website, Executive Editor Liz Sporkin said, "We stand by our man! Bradley Cooper is the whole package. He's gorgeous, talented, brainy, loves his mom, can cook up a storm and speaks fluent French! Who can argue with that?" No word on Occupy People's next play, but a Change.com petition signed by over 3,500 people supporting Gosling is gaining momentum - in the name of human rights.
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Meanwhile, campers who are waiting for Black Friday deals outside Best Buy locations are getting slapped with the Occupy label by some media outlets. Although it is clear that they aren't with the main movement, the fact that they were waiting outside 12 days before the sales begin - and there's more than one group of people willing to do it - has made some question if this will become a national cause.
Possibly the only real alternative Occupy spin-off that is actually related to the protester's movement is the popular tumblr Awwccupy Wall Street, which features the pets who have been hanging out with their owners at the rallies. Sure, they probably can't read what their signs say, but the fact that they are staying loyal to the cause has made for viral, semi non-political fodder.
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Of course, some people have decided that if there's going to be an Occupy movement, there's no reason why they shouldn't try and monetize it. According to The Smoking Gun, Robert and Diane Maresca, a Long Island, N.Y. couple, tried to copyright the Occupy Wall Street name so they could use it as a "global brand." They hoped to capitalize on official Occupy wall Street merchandize including bumper stickers, beach wear and hobo bags.
In an interview with the website, Robert Maresca said that he was disappointed when he discovered a Brooklyn man had trademarked "We are the 99 percent," but believed Occupy would become "a more powerful brand." The couple has since dropped their trademark application, The Smoking Gun reported.
