The unmistakable fact is the Occupy Wall Street movement has been started and derives it's energies from a group that is known as the Millennial Generation.
If you've familiar with the works of historians William Strauss and Neil Howe you might have read their 2000 book, Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation.
NOTE AND WARNING Inside that book are sweeping generalities regarding the various generations. Treat those generalities as trends - not all encompassing. Please don't get hung up on the inevitable "but I'm different" thoughts. In real life there is plenty of cross over and exceptions to the general trends.
What Strauss and Howe describe in the book regarding the Millennial Generation matches very closely the attitude, actions and strategies of the OWS protestors.
Read below the fold for a capsule description of what the Next Generation is all about:
From a 2000 NYT review of the book, we get the following description of the Millennial:
The most persuasive theme is that young Americans are pulling back a bit from the excesses of individual freedom and returning to an ethos that values group loyalty. That means restoring community, rebuilding institutions and deferring to authority. The message of Robert D. Putnam's ''Bowling Alone'' is that over the past decades Americans have detached themselves from civic life. The assertion of ''Millennials Rising'' is that young people don't want to live in a bowling-alone world. They are more inclined to think collectively. Today's kids may be less creative, but they are more cooperative. They may be compliant, but they are not cynical.
What's the Matter With Kids Today? Not a Thing
We can see that inclination to think collectively with the OWS General Assemblies and the human megaphone technique.
It's interesting to note that Straus and Howe label this generation a "Hero" generation.
I'm inclined to agree.