What is Occupy Black Friday?

CNBC's Cadie Thompson reported Tuesday that some Occupy demonstrators may be targeting retail stores on Black Friday to protest against corrupt capitalist greed and companies that "are in the pockets of Wall Street". According to Thompson, Occupy Black Friday protesters are encouraging everyday American consumers "to either occupy or boycott retailers that are publicly traded".

The Occupy Black Friday movement has even set up a website and a Facebook page to further its agenda. Occupy Black Friday's website assures observers that the movement is "NOT anti-capitalist. Just anti-crapitalist". From the movement's Facebook page:  "The idea is simple, hit the corporations that corrupt and control American politics where it hurts, their profits." The movement's Facebook page continues, "Black Friday is the one day where the mega-corporations blatantly dictate our actions, they say 'shop' and we shop! Pushing their ledgers from red to black."

Occupy Black Friday is encouraging American consumers to either occupy and/or boycott various companies including Abercrombie & Fitch ANF, AT&T Wireless T, Dick's Sporting Goods DKS, Neiman Marcus, Verizon Wireless VZ, and Wal-Mart WMT. In order to combat American corporatism and consumerism, Occupy Black Friday's Facebook page encourages consumers to shop at independent mom-and-pop shops in order to support local economies.

Aside from CNBC, Occupy Black Friday has also caught the attention of Fox News. Discussing the prospects of the movement with guest Sally Kohn of the Movement Vision Lab, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto suggested that the Occupy Black Friday movement seems to be crying out for attention. In response, Kohn stated that the Occupy movement appears to simply be trying out new tactics to advance its goals.

Interestingly enough, during the discussion Kohn seemed to invoke the previously-mentioned "Rabinowitz's Law" (nonproductivity in society over time eventually evolves into counterproductivity). Kohn: "Companies are waiting for demand. We need consumer demand. That's one of the things that Black Friday does for this country. Trying to kick that in the knees and further hobble the economy is counterproductive."

Cavuto went so far as to ask Kohn whether the Occupy movement is stupid. In response, Kohn contended that the protesters behind the Occupy movement know what they are about and are simply responding to the rampant consumerism and inequality in American society. The Occupy movement wants to make the economy work for hardworking people. To say the least, Cavuto was unimpressed. With the prospect of targeting companies like Wal-Mart and Subway, Cavuto stated, "Their message is so out of whack that they're just constantly...hitting the very folks they want to protect."

While it is unlikely that Occupy Black Friday will be able to gets its voice heard amidst the rampant commercialism associated with the day after Thanksgiving, the concept demonstrates the immense struggles of the Occupy movement in trying to get attention, articulate goals, and execute plans. As CNBC noted, Occupy Black Friday seems to be akin to Nov. 5th when demonstrators participated in "Bank Transfer Day", encouraging Americans to move their funds from banks to credit unions. We will most likely be seeing similar future endeavors from the Occupy movement.

Though Occupy Black Friday may not lead to the entire country rejecting Black Friday altogether, the phenomenon reflects a deep and profound frustration and angst yet present in American society over a socio-economic environment drowned in consumerism and commercialism. The current socio-economic status quo often seems to put younger generations at a disadvantage -- thereby perpetuating this societal frustration and angst. And to say the least, this societal angst over crony capitalism, consumerism, and commercialism appears to be festering and fermenting.

Where the Occupy movement can be commended for criticizing Black Friday, in the same vein, the Occupy movement needs to take a closer look at the socio-economic environment that fosters and sustains things like Black Friday. Black Friday is not merely a celebration of crony capitalism and greed; the phenomenon has roots in commercialism and consumerism that American consumers willingly bought into and continue to buy into courtesy of the market and society. Materialism is only as powerful of a god as the individuals who choose to worship it.

In light of Occupy Black Friday, where corporate heads may not have to deal with protesters face-to-face on Black Friday, the same cannot be said about big-box retailers' employees. Once again, the crux appears to fall on the everyday American worker.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Occupy protests are costing local taxpayers at least $13 million in police overtime and other municipal services. According to the article, the cities shouldering the heaviest financial burdens are New York City and Oakland, Calif. From an economic perspective, where the Occupy protests have created additional costs, there appears to be no revenue being generated and/or produced by the Occupy movement; taxpayer funds appear to be effectively subsidizing a lukewarm, stagnant movement with no clear message and no clear policy goals. Thus, such use of funds does not appear to be the most fruitful investment.

In an era when many cities are tightening their budgets, additional costs may come as an unwanted burden. As costs rise while Occupy protests remain in existence, municipalities may find themselves at an economic crossroads. The situation is enough to make one wonder what will become of this current societal quagmire; the process of finding solutions would appear to be as clandestine and arcane as the socio-economic and political problems that created the protests in the first place. Where certain socio-economic conditions provided fertile soil for the Occupy movement to spring up, no one appears to be trying to fix those same socio-economic conditions in order to deter the Occupy movement. Thus, taxpayers are left to shell out funds for the Occupy movement. Aye, nonproductivity, if left to fester over time, can lead to counterproductivity.