I've always been quietly amused at the people who seem to completely lose their minds when Occupy is mentioned. "They didn't achieve anything! They didn't have any focus! No leadership! No goals!" But this is their achievement. They are everywhere, it seems. It was kind of the Woodstock of politics. And from now on, even if you weren't there, you will have been when it comes time to write the old autobiography. They figured out how to organize for a particular goal without any hierarchy or any leaders that could be co-opted. I think that's a pretty big deal. And I think that's a big part of the objection - the rejection of structure and hierarchy seems to be viscerally threatening. Honestly, I think that's part of it, because if they were as irrelevant as said - we wouldn't still be talking about them.
these days it hardly seems gradual, but maybe I'm just getting old. OTO, Toffler kinda predicted this...