The irony here, of course, is that the history lesson of democracy gets delivered by a former refugee from the former Soviet Union, but the history lesson doesn’t just end with the USA.  One young man tried to pass an “Occupy Wall Street Journal” to two men observing the protests, and ended up gaining an education in history, politics, economics, and statecraft.  Give the young Occupier credit, as Joe Schoffstall says — he was at least willing to listen.  I’m not sure he was actually convinced, but he at least knew better than to keep arguing:

You might be tempted to stop after a couple of minutes, but stick to it all the way through to the end.  It shows what one man can do when he’s armed with the facts, as well as a little moral authority from having lived through a socialist nightmare.  His companion tells him at the end, “I’m very proud of you,” and I’d bet more than a few people here would be as well.

And at least the young man still had the capacity to learn. Ringo and Zombie document some of the mental incapacity found at the Occupy LA rally last week, including these images:

I’m an old tech-pubs editor, and I don’t think I could diagram that sentence, even with my extensive experience.  Then there are those who just can’t deal with reality:

Here’s a better question: why should I have to pay for you?  Or, for that matter, this guy:

If you need to eat, then I suggest you find ways to feed yourself.  If your art isn’t doing it for you, it’s time to consider another career.  Understandably, someone this dense has limited prospects anyway, but obviously it’s time to give it a try.

That’s why engagement will probably only work with a select few, but it is important to keep trying.