Occupy Wall Street And Conspiracy Theories
Regardless of what side of the fence you stand on, there is no denying that the Occupy Wall Street protests have sparked a keen sense of intrigue not seen in American in quite sometime — maybe as far back as the Vietnam War. But the intrigue surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement has also stirred a hornets’ nest of conspiracy theories. Even in its early stages, the protests were met with apprehension and doubt over its true purpose. Now, with the movement in full swing, the theories abound.
Here are the most interesting and/or most whispered conspiracy theories surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement so far:
1. Hidden Anti-Semitism?
Occupy Wall Street is a movement ostensibly focused on ousting corporate greed, but there allegations of anti-Semitism more akin to racial warfare than class warfare. Supporters, however, say that any anti-Semitism is occurring on the fringe and that the OWS movement is “fundamentally Haimish.” Certainly you won’t see any in the photos.
2. Twitter Censorship
Despite allegations from angry protesters, Twitter asserts it has not censored the hashtag #occupywallstreet as a trending topic. But despite thousands of Tweets on the subject, it has yet to appear as a trending topic as of press time.
3. Media Blackout
Keith Olbermann alleged that there has been a media blackout on the Occupy Wall Street Protests and many are following his rallying cry, which has gotten so much traction that the NPR ombudsman, the Columbia Journalism Review and others were prompted to respond and justify their coverage.
4. Media Myth
While some cry censorship, others, like Sal Russo of the Tea Party Express, are accusing the media of giving the protests too much coverage — and with a clear political bias. Most media outlets have ignored these accusations — some might say “as much as they’ve ignored the protests themselves.”
5. Big Money
Recently, JP Morgan donated $4.6 million to the New York City Police Foundation. Protesters are claiming that the timing of the donation and the recent police crackdown on protesters is a little too much of a coincidence. Neither the NYPD nor the criminal attorneys assigned to the case nor JP Morgan have responded to the allegations. In a statement on their website, JP Morgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon noted , “These officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe…. We’re incredibly proud to help them build this program…”