I’ve been annoyed with the “Occupy” movement since it began. The first time I’ve heard of it, I ignored it. I was thinking it would go away… Only, it didn’t. Then it spread… I thought it would only spread in the US, but who would have thought it went more and more international....
So ok, my the beef with the movement is…
The Arab Spring… was about citizens rallying against long time ruling dictators. It’s about Mubarak who kept on winning elections over and over again that made you wonder why they even have elections back then. It was about Gadhafi, with his rambling speeches, self penned green book, escort nurses, bunkers and whatnot. It was about people like him, who had been in power since he was in his 20s. It’s about the shady Syrian government that annihilates its activists, they get rooted out, tortured and killed. It was about the gravity of the oppression that even the doctors who try to treat the injured were harassed by government forces. It was about and is still about a rally for more freedom, a cry for rights... (to vote, for free expression, etc.)
The Euro Rallies... were protests against austerity measures and their government's mismanagement of state funds.
One could say, hey, you're country is now bankrupt, just suck it up. The Greeks should just buck up because, logically, what other choice do they have? (Well, they could keep on raging on...) The thing is, where will they get their money to move forward when they refuse to bend to potential creditors who require them to be more prudent with their money, which is but logical.
Having said this, I believe that the Euro issues are more or less legitimate. People can get mad at their government for squandering their money. Italians can be pissed at Berlusconi for allowing their economy to go there, despite their leniency towards his affairs with underage girls. The Germans can get riled up if they end up picking up the slack for their neighbor’s money problems. These are issue of countries and a continent on the brink of financial chaos. Legitimate issues, yes.
But this Occupy Movement… What is it really? I get it, you guys are mad. You’re over educated but you’re either unemployed, underemployed or living in your parent’s basement. These bankers took your money away. Your over leveraged house is now gone. Sad, yes. A legitimate problem for you, yes. The Wall Street people were greedy, yes. And, so what now?! We all sit around somewhere in a park/sidewalk/pavement or wherever… and hold various signs of rage?
So ok, I ask again, what happens now?
So it goes... People with legitimate jobs actually quit their jobs to rally. Ok, most of these people rallying have no jobs so they‘re mad and they rally. Meanwhile, those people with actual jobs, quit, and now they have no jobs as well, they too are now ready to rally.
I understand your hate for these uber corporate Wall Street people but with the amount of banks and financial institution that went bankrupt, got sold, or downsized, all these Wall Street people who duped you into your high risk loans, are probably now, also, unemployed. Karma sort of served, right?!
And, so what now, then?
Let's just... occupy everything?!
Disclaimer on the photos: I picked them up off the net and put them together.
SO...
Arab Spring = dictators must fall, freedom of speech, cry for human rights…
Euro crisis = entire countries going/about to go bankrupt
Occupy = I am unemployed, I have no career fulfillment, I have no house... So, I am angst!
I’m not saying these are not legitimate personal issues, they are. I have suffered through years of quarter life crisis issues, so I know how much it sucks. All I am saying is that juxtapose this Occupy thing with the other rallies around the world, with Japan's earthquake-tsunami-nuclear blowup combo, with Thailand’s months long floods, with Somalia’s famine, or any other crisis around the world – this Occupy Movement, despite its reach and media coverage...
I just think we have to put it all in perspective.
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