How Occupy Wall Street Is Like the Internet, or a tale of a randomly-blogged funny protest sign

Conor Friedersdorf, an associate editor at The Atlantic, shares a strange but true story of how his words wound up on a protest sign 3,000 miles from his home: "How Occupy Wall Street Is Like the Internet."

The short version: over the weekend, I blogged this snapshot taken by BB reader Ben Furnas of an Occupy Wall Street protester in New York. She's cute, and she's carrying a funny sign. A friend of Conor showed him the blog post, and said (more or less): dude, Conor! that's a quote from an article you wrote! Conor is trying to track the sign-holder down, to complete this excellent meta Internet tale.

Do you know this woman?

Below is a related video by John Grace that reveals the person who made the sign.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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http://www.littlecirclesvt.com MikeB

and so far, its looking like the internet without drm, dmca, and draconian copyright enforcement…
xenphilos

I love that #Occupy is like the internet. Tony Balogna probably does not.
- ChicagoD
  
  The guy’s parents named him Tony Baloney. Apparently Jack Meoff already lived in the neighborhood.
  
  The guy was set up to fail.
ChicagoD

“She’s cute, and she’s carrying a funny sign.”

How cute do you have to be to get tracked down like this? Might come in handy to know that . . .
GuyInMilwaukee

I loved this post by one of the one percenters. ”
This is Why They Hate You and Want You to Die”
http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2011/10/09/this-is-why-they-hate-you-and-want-you-to-die/

“You want to know why everyone in this country hates you and wants you dead, you big stupid fucking bank?….”
Read the whole thing….
Chris Gorski

Can someone let me in on the joke in that sign? It looks like a statement of fact to me- I must be missing the “funny” part…
Aaron Hodges

I think the funny part is the media has made fun of the signs from the beginning. And this is a 40-something word intelligently-worded sign.
Tim

Am I the only person that thinks she looks a bit like Kari Byron?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kari_Byron
- Mathieu Mantrant O’Dowd
  
  My thought as well, she sure looks a lot like Kari Byron
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/L2ZN6W5WHYVOAWIAIRYFOJPJZE Jayarava

You never know it worked with this image from Occupy Wall St: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akinloch/6201618503/ the girl in the green hat was identified quite quickly.

BTW I re-blogged this image. Brilliant statement, kudos to Connor. Why is no one in jail for this heinous fraud?
http://twitter.com/arnaintheraw Arna B. Hemenway

Can’t believe no one in the dorkosphere has pointed this out yet, but she looks an awful lot like Kari Byron from Mythbusters. Someone should ask her if it’s her.
http://www.facebook.com/people/BigVic-Proton/1112763277 BigVic Proton

He probably wants to sue her…
oscar

I guess you missed the update: https://twitter.com/#!/cecurran/status/125694572247515136
- Cowicide
  
  So that’s her name? Caitlin E Curran
  
  Yep, this is her:
  https://twitter.com/#!/cecurran
twodimensionalme

eBay auction for that sign.
JProffitt71

Interesting thing (almost) in line with this article:
http://jeffcouturier.com/2011/10/i-support-the-occupy-movement-banner-project/

That would be a particularly interesting way to raise awareness and keep it while sentiments develop into action.

And thank you GuyInMilwaukee, that was a wonderful read.
Cowicide

I also hope we can find this woman and bring her to justice. Hannity is right! People like this are just trying to destroy America. Just look at these MOBsters! Just look at them.
Guest

Wow, this is all very stalker-ish to me.
hwatttx

Hannity et al. are just pissed and confused (dazed and confused?) because the signmakers can spell correctly.
Go explan socialism no brith certificate now pinko!

Feel better Faux News?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_POGBALCW4KOBTRACKY4LGS4JCI jacquelyne

Classic comments here.. And the proliferation of brilliant protest signs from all over, are yet another nail in the crypt door of corporate lamestream media everywhere , now so far out of ‘touch’ mostly they dont even realise how much is read into what they have ‘said’ as they are reduced to laughing at each other…! Honestly believe there is hope for us all haha, unless Harold Camping’s prediction comes true tomorrow (21st October in NZ ) , in which case see you here the day after.. since 99% of us are surely in hell already.. : -P