(pictures see below, but first some info...) Anyone who says he has no idea what these folks are protesting is not being truthful. Whether we agree with them or not, we all know what they are upset about, and we all know that there are investment bankers working on Wall Street getting richer while things for most of the rest of us are getting tougher. What upsets banking's defenders and politicians alike is the refusal of this movement to state its terms or set its goals in the traditional language of campaigns. That's because, unlike a political campaign designed to get some person in office and then close up shop (as in the election of Obama), this is not a movement with a traditional narrative arc. As the product of the decentralized networked-era culture, it is less about victory than sustainability. It is not about one-pointedness, but inclusion and groping toward consensus. It is not like a book; it is like the Internet. Occupy Wall Street is meant more as a way of life that spreads through contagion, creates as many questions as it answers, aims to force a reconsideration of the way the nation does business and offers hope to those of us who previously felt alone in our belief that the current economic system is broken. But unlike a traditional protest, which identifies the enemy and fights for a particular solution, Occupy Wall Street just sits there talking with itself, debating its own worth, recognizing its internal inconsistencies and then continuing on as if this were some sort of new normal. It models a new collectivism, picking up on the sustainable protest village of the movement's Egyptian counterparts, with food, first aid, and a library. Yes, as so many journalists seem obligated to point out, kids are criticizing corporate America while tweeting through their iPhones. The simplistic critique is that if someone is upset about corporate excess, he is supposed to abandon all connection with any corporate product. Of course, the more nuanced approach to such tradeoffs would be to seek balance rather than ultimatums. Yes, there are things big corporations might do very well, like making iPhones. There are other things big corporations may not do so well, like structure mortgage derivatives. Might we be able to use corporations for what works, and get them out of doing what doesn't? And yes, some kids are showing up at Occupy Wall Street because it's fun. They come for the people, the excitement, the camaraderie and the sense of purpose they might not be able to find elsewhere. But does this mean that something about Occupy Wall Street is lacking, or that it is providing something that jobs and schools are not (thanks in part to rising unemployment and skyrocketing tuitions)? The members of Occupy Wall Street may be as unwieldy, paradoxical, and inconsistent as those of us living in the real world. But that is precisely why their new approach to protest is more applicable, sustainable and actionable than what passes for politics today. They are suggesting that the fiscal operating system on which we are attempting to run our economy is no longer appropriate to the task. They mean to show that there is an inappropriate and correctable disconnect between the abundance America produces and the scarcity its markets manufacture. ... European banks have the same fallback position that U.S. banks had here in 2008 after Lehman Brothers failed. They are threatening to wreck the economy if the government doesn't save them from taking a loss on loans gone bad.... They have the power to disrupt the payment system and hold the economy hostage if the government doesn't take their losses onto the public balance sheet. This is what Ireland's government did, bailing out the banks for blatantly crooked loans (that turn out to be worth only about 22 cents on the dollar) and making taxpayers pay. The reality, of course, is that the banks have enough assets to pay their retail depositors. But they can't pay the wealthiest layer of depositors at the top of the economic pyramid. The financial core institutions say that they "are" the economy. In practice, that means financial wealth-holders. So what you're seeing today as a purely technical financial crisis is actually a stage in the class war. The financial sector's tactic is to threaten to wreck the economy if politicians don't surrender and strip the economy bare  - to pay the creditors. This is its weapon of mass financial destruction. ... ... a political split has developed in Angela Merkel's own party over whether Germany should go along and help buy the debts of countries running fiscal deficits so as to support the banks. At issue is whether governments and the EU should put the interests of the banks and wealthy investors first, or the economy at large. Should governments be permitted to do what governments are supposed to do, and create their own money to spend? That is what the Bank of England was created to do in 1694, and the U.S. Federal Reserve in 1913. Or should Europe resist this "public option" and let only private-sector banks create credit? That would put the narrow layer of wealthy individuals first ... The question now before Europe is whether this principle of a government supporting a poorer region – such as Italy has supported the southern Mezzogiorno for 50 years should be applied on a continent-wide level. Should Europe's rich nations take responsibility for supporting other countries, or should they be treated as completely separate? So the political and social character of Europe is now being determined. [Germans have indirectly answered that question. They voted in favour of support "because germans profit from the common Euro-currency"] Unfortunately, what really is at stake is bailing out the rich, not the poor – saving the financial markets that have profiteered from government deficits and now want to avoid taking a loss on the unworkable plan their short-term self-interest has created.            This is what really underlies the debate about whether the European Union overall or its individual governments can issue debt Michael Hudson (speaking to Bonny Faulkner) Occupy Wall Street-Global Photos, 15 October 2011, Day 29

Spain

People take a part in a demostration as they march towards Puerta del Sol square in solidarity action for the worldwide protest dubbed "Occupy the City" in Madrid on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The organizers of the Occupy Wall Street announced on their website that protesters will demonstrate in concert over 951 cities in 82 countries. (Arturo Rodriguez)

Germany

Protestors march through the streets of Berlin during a demonstration to support the ' Occupy Wall Street' -movement Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. Protestors gathered at many major European cities Saturday to join in demonstrations against corruption, capitalism and austerity measures. (Maja Hitij)

Chile

Protesters march during a "March of the outraged" in Santiago, Chile, Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. The gathering in the capital of Santiago was one of dozens of global protests launched Saturday in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. (Aliosha Marquez)

Portugal

Thousands applaud and cheer outside the Portuguese parliament, in Lisbon during a popular assembly Saturday, Oct. 15 2011. After a protest march, demonstrators held an assembly where anyone could have the microphone and express their ideas and proposals to the crowd. Demonstrators marched Saturday in European cities as protests against capitalism and austerity measures went global. (Armando Franca)

Puerto Rico

A demonstrator speaks as he holds a Puerto Rican flag during the Occupy Puerto Rico protest in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. About 200 people in Puerto Rico have gathered in a financial district dubbed "The Golden Mile" to protest capitalism and government cuts as part of worldwide demonstrations. (Ricardo Arduengo)

New York City

Demonstrators affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York's Times Square, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (Mary Altaffer)

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Occupy Wall Street protestors prepare for a day of demonstrations throughout Manhattan by dressing in clean donated clothes in Zuccotti Park, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, in New York. As many as 1,000 protesters were marching Saturday morning to a Chase bank branch in the financial district, banging drums, blowing horns and carrying signs decrying corporate greed. Other demonstrations are planned around the city all day Saturday. (John Minchillo)

Occupy Wall Street protestors prepare for a day of demonstrations throughout Manhattan by having their hair cut in Zuccotti Park, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, in New York. As many as 1,000 protesters were marching Saturday morning to a Chase bank branch in the financial district, banging drums, blowing horns and carrying signs decrying corporate greed. Other demonstrations are planned around the city all day Saturday. (John Minchillo)

Spain

A protestors tries to open the door as security members and employers block the main entrance of a Zara clothing store during a demonstration in Barcelona Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. Demonstrators burst into a Zara store during a protest against corporate power and the banking system. (Emilio Morenatti)

Portugal

A protestor holds a placard mocking Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho during an anti-capitalist demonstration in downtown Porto, Portugal Saturday, Oct. 15 2011. Demonstrators marched Saturday in European cities as protests against capitalism and austerity measures went global. Placard at right reads 'I do not pay!'.(Paulo Duarte)

Little Rock, AR

Protesters sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street movement carry a flag-themed banner at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (Danny Johnston)

Canada

Nova Scotia Demonstrators gather in the Grand Parade in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The demonstration is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York. (Andrew Vaughan)

Italy

Protesters hurl objects at police in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Protesters in Rome smashed shop windows and torched cars as violence broke out during a demonstration in the Italian capital, part of worldwide protests against corporate greed and austerity measures. The "Occupy Wall Street" protests, that began in Canada and spread to cities across the U.S., moved Saturday to Asia and Europe, linking up with anti-austerity demonstrations that have raged across the debt-ridden continent for months.

Belgium

Two protesters spray graffiti at a bank, during a march in Brussels, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The protest in the Belgian capital was part of Occupy Wall Street demonstrations against capitalism and austerity measures that went global Saturday, leading to dozens of marches and protests worldwide. (Yves Logghe)

France

A protestor holds a placard during an anti-capitalist demonstration, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Protesters in cities across Europe took part in rallies inspired by the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in the United States, expressing their frustration at social inequality and corporate greed. The placard reads: "Financial market dictatorship, enough"(Thibault Camus)

Romania

A man wears an anti-establishment mask during the "Occupy Bucharest" protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The protest, meant as a part of worldwide protests "Occupy Wall Street" against corporate greed and austerity measures, was joined by few people who at times fought among themselves, trying to clarify their vague requests, aimed at linking up with anti-austerity demonstrations that have raged across the debt-ridden continent for months.(Vadim Ghirda)

Great Britain

Julian Assange, center, takes part in the Occupy London Stock Exchange demonstration in London Saturday Oct, 15, 2011. Protesters in cities across Europe take part in rallies inspired by the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in the United States, expressing their frustration at social inequality and corporate greed. (Elizabeth Dalziel)

Canada

Montreal Frederic Carmel sits next to his tent in Montreal's financial district on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The demonstration is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York. (Graham Hughes)

Toronto Protestors gather in Toronto's financial district for the Occupy Bay Street demonstration on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 in Toronto. The demonstration is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York. (Chris Young)

Columbia, SC

Diane Kuhn, of West Columbia, S.C. holds a protest sign calling for the prosecution of financial criminals during the Occupy Columbia demonstration at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (Brett Flashnick)

Washington, DC

Demonstrators hold banners during the Jobs at Justice rally at Washington Monument in Washington on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. (Jose Luis Magana)

Australia

Protesters gather in front of the Reserve Bank of Australia in central Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The organizer of the Occupy Wall Street announced on their website that protesters will demonstrate in concert over 951 cities in 82 countries. (Rick Rycroft)

Bosnia

Bosnian people carrying banners with the text "For a class war against dictatorship of capitalism", top, and "What did bank do? The bank bankrupted!", bottom banner, during a protest march, in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Hundreds marched down the main streets of Bosnian cities carrying banners that call for the end of alleged worldwide "Capitalistic Dictatorship". (Amel Emric)

Harrisburg, PA

Protesters gather at the Pennsylvania Capitol Saturday, Oct 15, 2011 in Harrisburg, Pa. The demonstration is one of many being held across the country recently in support of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York. (Bradley C Bower)

Japan

Participants march through Tokyo's Kasumigaseki administrative district during "Occupy Tokyo" protest Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The demonstration was held in support of the Occupy Wall Street protest against corporate power. (Itsuo Inouye)

Netherlands

Children watch as protestors prepare placards outside the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday Oct. 15, 2011, during a demonstration in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Demonstrators in hundreds of cities all over the world protested against corporate power and the banking system. (Peter Dejong)

Philippines

Protesters shout slogans as they march towards the U.S. embassy in solidarity action for the U.S. protest dubbed "Occupy Wall Street" Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 in Manila, Philippines. (Pat Roque)

South Korea

South Korean protesters stage an "Occupy Seoul" rally in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The demonstration was held in support of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest against corporate power. The Korean letters read: "Tax the Rich 1%, Welfare for the 99%." (Ahn Young-joon)

Sweden

Protesters take part in the "Occupy central" protest in Stockholm, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, as protesters worldwide demonstrated against bankers and politicians they accuse of ruining global economies through greed. (Maja Suslin)

Switzerland

People demonstrate on the Place des Nations in front of the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. Protestors gathered at many major European cities Saturday to join in demonstrations against corporate greed and inequality. (Martial Trezzini)

Young people demonstrate in the financial district of Zurich, Switzerland, Saturday Oct. 15, 2011. The organizer of the Occupy Wall Street movement announced on their website that protesters will demonstrate in over 951 cities in 82 countries. (Ennio Leanza)

Taiwan

Activists hold magazines titled "Socialist" during a protest named "Occupy Taipei" organized by Taiwanese net friends in front of the Taipei 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The rally was a part of Saturday's worldwide activities held in support of the Occupy Wall Street protest against corporate power. (Chiang Ying-ying)