What is Occupy Occupy Wall Street?

Where the so-called 99% may be protesting across the nation in the Occupy Wall Street movement, who is left to represent the 1%? According to a Washington Post article by Elizabeth Flock, the 1% may have a new voice in the parodical "Occupy Occupy Wall Street" counter-protest. But where the number of Occupy Wall Street protesters may be in the hundreds, the number of Occupy Occupy Wall Street protesters is limited to only two.

Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig are two actor-comedians dressing up and claiming to be investment bankers fed up with the Occupy Wall Street protests. According to the Washington Post, Stiefler and Selvig began their parody of the Occupy Wall Street protests on Oct. 5. As part of a seemingly comedic routine, the two have taken their humorous cause to the streets of Manhattan chanting, "Status quo! Status quo!" The two comedians have even set up a website to promote their Occupy Occupy Wall Street campaign.

According to the Washington Post, Stiefler and Selvig started the Occupy Occupy Wall Street movement because "[they] worked hard to get where [they] are, and these people [the Occupy Wall Street protesters] seem like they are trying to take it away."

In a youtube video documenting the comedians' antics, the two pass out flyers regarding the movement acting as two stereotypical Wall Street investment bankers touting in favor of keeping the current economic situation in the nation as it is. Selvig: "If you give [the Occupy Wall Street protesters] an inch, they'll take a square mile of one of your houses in the Hamptons. And that's actually true."

According to CNBC.com's John Carney, the two actor-comedians' "arrival stirred up some angry reactions at Occupy Wall Street". Carney: "It seems that the police have decided to keep them apart from the other protesters. Perhaps out of fear of violent clashes." Such a use of parody for the sake of comedy hearkens back to the antics of Sacha Baron Cohen. Carney concluded that Occupy Occupy Wall Street seems to be "more of a prank than a genuine counter-revolutionary action by the investment bankers".

It could be owing to the fact that I sympathize with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, but I do not find the Occupy Occupy Wall Street parody to be all that amusing. Too soon, too soon. I mean, I suppose Stiefler and Selvig's antics are "hehe" funny, but I have laughed harder at other things in my day.

While the two comedians may be seeking their 15 minutes of fame by way of making a parody of the Occupy Wall Street, many of the issues behind the actual Occupy Wall Street protests are no laughing matter. While the Occupy Wall Street protests are spreading across the nation, the movement is beginning to gain steam and attention from both politicians and the media.

Where one might argue that the Occupy Occupy Wall Street protests are belittling or diluting the actual Occupy Wall Street protests, the parodical movement does only consist of two actor-comedians. To echo Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's comments, America has become a bit too uptight in this time period. To be honest, this country could probably use a bit more dry comedy anyhow.