Today in Irony: Walmart Profits From Occupy Wall Street

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By: Shawn Paul Wood

You have to love the free market and capitalism. Everyone in America has the same possibility (not opportunity) to make money. Of course, the beau monde one percent has more possibilities than most. Life, ain't it great? Whelp, it seems the umpteenth iota of that one percent has found a way to make the outcries whine for its own issues, and the picketers can stick one of those signs elsewhere instead of up in the sky. Yes, we're talking about Walmart.

While I shop at my local Walmart frequently, I have not seen this item found in Gothamist, by way of Walmart.com. Wait for it...Occupy Wall Street Posters for $50! Rich, ain't it? What makes it even better is that they sold out.

For sale at Walmart.com were panoramic photos of Occupy Wall Street's heyday in Zuccotti Park, printed on "Premium Heavy Stock Paper which captures all of the vivid colors and details" of the protests. Even for Occupy Wall Street, Walmart keeps it classy. Despite which side of this iconoclast fence you reside, you have to appreciate the sick irony this online sale has created. Additionally, consider the PR win out of this. Someone in Walmart product buying is a twisted genius. Take a "global revolution" that abhors everything on which you stand. Sit through the campouts, bonfires, hate mail, and all those negative stories quoting hipsters half-baked on hippie lettuce and aerosol cans. Wait a skosh for the headlines to vanish like a fart in the wind and *voila* — you have free enterprise at its finest.

Ta-da.

To add salt in that freshly peeled wound (aside from the other open scars most of those Occupy folk have), we have this one-finger-salute-to-the-movement quote from this guy:

Yahoo News spoke with Ravi Jariwala, spokesman for Walmart media relations, who said that Walmart provides "a broad assortment of products to serve a diverse customer base."

Occupy Wall Street? Check. Mate.

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About the Author

Shawn Paul Wood is a hack-turned-flack with more than 20 years of collective journalism, copywriting and marketing communications experience. Shawn Paul is founder of Woodworks Communications in Dallas, Texas. If you need him, ping him here or follow him on Twitter @ShawnPaulWood.