Is this really all that puzzling? The beginnings of public dissent in the form of the Occupy movement was swiftly and violently squashed. Protesters were beaten, maced, threatened, shot, and tazed. The police brutality is well documented, as is the infiltration of the group by government officials. This was coupled with a propaganda campaign to paint the protesters as listless, entitled, and stupid. The public received the message loud and clear - there is nothing you can do. If you try to speak up, you will be discredited, assaulted, and locked away. These tactics are not at all new; there is a long history of civil rights groups and protesters being subverted and intimidated in this country.