Want to see more people like yourself? Be there.

via Reddit

After reading this story about a conservative journalist openly admitting to infiltrating a group of protestors in Washington D.C., refraining from shaving to disguise himself, "in order to mock and undermine" Occupy DC, and by association the entire movement, I was reminded of the above picture that popped up on Reddit earlier today. Everyone is fully aware that a lot of people think that the protestors' appearance is a big damper to their cause. Unfortunately, and please don't lose me here, this really is a problem. That being said, I think it is ridiculous to ask anyone to mis-represent themselves in a movement about gaining strength from the scary and wonderful melting pot of America we learned about in elementary school.

Yes, there are plenty of people out there who may refrain from participating in a march or an assembly, assuming they don't belong simply because no one looks like them. That is a sad reality of America today. Then how do you propose to make these people feel welcome without asking anyone to obtain clothes they can't afford or don't feel comfortable wearing? There's really a simple answer, what I will be doing Monday afternoon in Boston. Suit up in whatever duds you deem respectable and go down there and join us. Prove all the naysayers wrong by going out and supporting a cause you believe in, despite, no BECAUSE you don't agree with everything the occupiers stand for.

This is not a movement to achieve one single goal that will have little effect on the future of our nation, and the world. This is a movement to yank democracy from the hands of the privileged few and return it to the people. This democracy isn't a place with two party lines for you to fall into, but a forum where people can discuss a wide variety of issues and hear differing opinions. Respectful disagreements are the makings of good government.

Join me tomorrow, and every day after that, wearing your collars, your ties, your Birkenstocks, or your skinny jeans, or the same clothes you've been wearing all year, because you don't have a home with a closet or a dresser, and help us change the world for the better. Come, not because you agree with everything said in the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, but because you disagree with some or all of it, and think we can be better than any document written by any person or group if we just work together. I don't care how touchy feely that sounds, because it's true.