Forum Post: Enough with the drums.

Seriously, guys. They are a nuisance to the neighborhood and are, quite frankly, embarassing. I fully support OWS both financially and in spirit, but it makes me cringe walking past the park and seeing the vast majority of the passers-by gawking at the drum circle rather than reading signs and literature or listening to thoughtful dialogue.

If those very energetic drummers could put half of their boundless enthusiasm into helping OWS focus and disseminate its message or even make the community itself more sustainable as a physical presence as winter approaches, I think everyone will be better off. I love the spirit, but the cacaphony and images of a wild drum circle at the site of the movement's genesis do nothing to advance what I understand to be the goals of OWS and only give ammunition to those wishing to lampoon and demean the organization and its message.

Like it or not, this is 2011. Raw energy and spirit are very important to bringing attention to and spreading the OWS message, but so are packaging, marketing, and image. Drum circles are not.