'Occupy' Looks Forward, Tea Party Backward

It's surprising to me that such an accomplished scholar would publish a piece with so little content or actual thinking. This piece doesn't really even have any arguments to speak of, but simply calls one side good and the other side bad.

I do not agree fully with either side, but am pleased that people are at least participating in the process. It's important to note, though, that the Occupy protests are just about as disproportionately white as the Tea Parties. And claiming the mantle of the "99%" against greed and general suckiness is no less shallow or slogan-based than the Tea Parties have been.

Would it be so difficult for Mr. Mitchell to acknowledge that people have different perspectives on what constitutes moving forward? Saying that the Tea Partiers are intolerant and just want to move backwards is reminiscent of what people dislike about Fox News. Pieces like this one solidify the widely-held opinion that academia is a hotbed of intolerant liberalism, and add nothing to the public debate.

Mr. Mitchell, you can do better.

Critic of NY 3:54PM October 20, 2011