Occupy Wall Street Is More Popular Than Civil Rights or Feminist Movements In their Heyday « Student Activism #OWS

Occupy Wall Street Is More Popular Than Civil Rights or Feminist Movements In their Heyday « Student Activism:

Occupy Wall Street Is More Popular Than Civil Rights or Feminist Movements In their Heyday

by Angus Johnston

A recent CBS poll found that 43% of Americans agree with the views of Occupy Wall Street, with only 27% disagreeing. (Other polls have found similar sentiments.) But what do these numbers mean?

Here’s some historical context:

• In 1959, five years after Brown v. Board of Ed, a 53-37 majority of Americans thought the decision had “caused a lot more trouble than it was worth.”
• In 1961, Americans believed by a 57-28 margin that civil rights demonstrations were doing more harm