海角大神

The Occupy Wall Street movement is trying to take a page out of Warren Buffett鈥檚 playbook.聽

For more than a month, protesters thronging city squares nationwide have aimed their anger at the richest 1 percent of Americans. Now, a group purporting to represent 1 percenters is telling protesters: We鈥檙e with you.

Just as billionaire investor Mr. Buffett implored President Obama to raise his taxes, an organization of wealthy young Americans called Resource Generation is hitting social media networks with the same message.聽

鈥淲e believe that we have more than we need, while the 99 percent struggles to survive. This has to change. We believe in an equitable distribution of wealth,鈥� says a mission statement at the group's website.

On one hand, efforts like those of Resource Generation could help take the 鈥渃lass warfare鈥� edge off the Occupy protests. Video testimonials on the website show earnest young Americans echoing Buffett鈥檚 sentiments.聽

鈥淚 need government to help redistribute my wealth,鈥� says a man in a T-shirt. 鈥淭ax me! I am the 1 percent. I stand with the 99 percent.鈥�

But because the testimonies are anonymous, some analysts are wary.聽

鈥淯nless I see names and phone numbers and actual tax returns, I have to be more than a little skeptical,鈥� says Lara Brown, a political scientist at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and author of 鈥淛ockeying for the American Presidency.鈥澛犫�淐onsider how many people post extravagant blogs anonymously but when asked to put their name on it, suddenly behave differently.鈥�

Moreover, a website does not a social movement make, adds Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.聽

鈥淭his group does exist, but its resources beyond a Web presence have yet to be demonstrated,鈥� he says.聽鈥淭hose resources are essential if the group is to have a considerable and lasting presence in the national agenda.鈥�

鈥淭he tea party, for example, was able to call on thousands of activists for large public demonstrations,鈥� he continues.聽鈥淭his movement is going to have to demonstrate similar resources over many months for it to have an effect on the national agenda.鈥�

So far, Resource Generation has teamed up with Wealth for the Common Good 鈥� a network of business leaders that promotes fair taxation 鈥� and that represents a good start, says the group鈥檚 cofounder.聽

The anonymity of the 1 percent website is based on the spirit of the Occupy websites, which include comments from supporters, says Chuck Collins, cofounder of Wealth for the Common Good.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 disclose their tax returns 鈥� that is a frivolous objection, I鈥檓 sorry to say,鈥� says Mr. Collins. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 ask people to financially disclose as a requirement for speaking out 鈥� nor does any other advocacy group in America.鈥�

Some analysts see room for solidarity among the 1 percent and the 99 percent.聽

鈥淭he groundswell of people occupying public spaces and speaking out via online and mobile media is striking evidence that neither the 99 percent nor the 1 percent believe their government is working in the way it should,鈥� says Gordon Coonfield, a professor of communication at Villanova.

But he, too, admits that he is intrigued by the notion of rich Americans crying out to be taxed.聽

鈥淚 would want to talk to people who are putting out the message that they want to be taxed,鈥� says Professor Coonfield.聽鈥淭hat's a man bites dog story if I've ever heard of one.鈥�

If true, it could have an impact on how the Occupy movement is perceived.聽

鈥淲hen [Warren] Buffett came out and said he wants to be taxed more, people giggled and thought it might be some kind of ploy,鈥� says Barbara O鈥機onnor, director emeritus of the Institute for Study of Politics and Media at California State University, Sacramento. 鈥淭his is evidence that the idea has gone further than that and is starting to get some traction.鈥�