I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone shout “get a job” at us today. After a while taunts like that just fade into the background noise (or, as happened today, get drowned out by us).

There are a few things that should be said about this, though. The number of people who turn out to Occupy Melbourne events changes every day.

The people who come out during the day and during the week are only able to do so because they have the time and capacity to do so – whether this is because they are students, retired, disabled or have a good enough job to get the time off is irrelevant. It is precisely for this reason that we hold our General Assemblies at 6pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends – so that those people who can not get out of work during the day have a chance to participate.

On weekends and at the big General Assemblies held on Wednesdays in City Square, we see a lot more people coming out because they have the free time to do so. Personally, I find it a little odd that so many people coming from the races have thought it appropriate to yell at us for not having jobs. Probably the only odder thing was the people yelling at us this afternoon while we were at Treasury gardens. If you take a step back and really think about it, you’ll realise that these people are just yelling at people using their Saturday to meet in the park. How dare we.

To those people who haven’t been able to come out to Occupy Melbourne in person, remember that Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the internet are priceless tools for us. Retweet and share information as it becomes available and join in the discussion. Those people who hear you and who can make it will help to ensure that your voice – as part of the 99% – is heard.