The winds are a-changing across this great land of ours. From Seattle, to Boston, Oakland to Wall Street the masses are rallying together. A revolt led by The People, for The People.
... What is everyone protesting, you ask?
Hmm. Good question. It seems as if one were to ask ten different 'occupiers' what they happen to be sick and tired of (and thus, no longer 'able to take anymore.') one would likely receive ten different answers.
Crack open your text books (or for the younger kids, power on your Nook). Throughout the history of this wonderful country of ours, each Revolution fought for a clear and concise goal. Whether it be the Civil War, The Civil Rights Movement, Women's Suffrage, or the Boston Tea Party (not those wacky new ones) each had a specific, justifiable, and more importantly, possible and plausible goal they were looking to achieve.
I bring up those four specific revolutions simply because of their striking differences. The Civil War, along with the Boston Tea Party saw unheralded bloodshed, while the (logical, and equally, long overdue) advancement in the struggle towards equality for all creeds and colors was predominantly achieved through unheard of peaceful methods.
All of these Revolutions are ingrained in the foundation of being an American citizen. Many take for granted the freedoms that we as citizens are afforded simply because your parents got busy on a magical weekend in Vegas. See? I was losing you for a second there..
Have you ever actually sat down and read The Bill Of Rights?! I mean give our former leaders credit, they only whiffed on the 18th (Prohibition) and the 27th. (Which also proves that Congressmen and women are assholes. No if-and-or-but's about it.)
What I'm saying is, I'm Irish, I'm all for a fight. I'm down to support the cause, I just want to know what the cause is. I know, crazy.
Peaceful protesting get's stuff done! Dr. Martin Luther King proved that. The people of Egypt proved that. The uprising in Libya was bloody, but you must tip your proverbial cap to the fact that freedom of choice was worth fighting for.
Which brings me back to my original question, what are we fighting for? What are we looking to change? The Status Quo? Alright, but aren't we all a little late to the party?
What's that? "Better late than never?" You say?
"In the council of government, We (The People) must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address, 1961What was that?
"Touche, salesman."
Oh, thank you!
After that...well, refer to your textbooks (or Nooks) - but it's safe to say that Don McLean nailed it -- Bye Bye Miss American Pie.
Moving on...
Some argue the Occupy Movement grew out of a boiling pot of fat-cat-corporate executives, short-sighted Wall Street gambles, and shadowy, war-mongering politicians. Which, I suppose is feasible.
Can we collectively blame 'greed' for both the (apparently) limitless indulgences of a select few, and the hardships of so many? Possibly, but I don't think the blanket stretches that far. Ready for a well-known-yet-little-talked-about fact? There is no cure for greed. It's human nature to want. Greed is the unfortunate and unavoidable poison in the well that is Capitalism.
Redistribute the wealth? Seriously? Socialism doesn't work. I'm not saying that to score a job on Fox News as a 'consultant' either. Just facts. Greed is the cancer of any economic system. Capitalism, historically, tends to be the 'white blood cell' fighting the greed disease. The system may not be able to kill it, but, with enough support, puts up one helluva fight.
So what happened? Did We fail? Notice the date of President Eisenhower's Farewell Address. We, The People, had ample warning in regards to the 'perfect storm' waiting on the distant horizon. The Military Industrial complex the President alluded to happens to be the same big business that We, The People are beginning to fight today.
What's the score here, what's next?!(*)
Which brings me to the one thought holding me back from going 'all-in' with this madness..
I'm a hard working, mid-twenties, high school graduate (as my erratic grammar can attest) in a unique position; My livelihood depends on the success of my families' small business. If it fails, we fail. In other words, if we cannot sustain some semblance of success, the people that raised me and sacrificed so much, would, potentially, be in a position to lose everything they have worked so hard to build the past thirty years. Why is it that, based on what I've gathered throughout the 'occupy' scatter, if we succeed the masses should reap the benefits of our hard work?
Which, ironically, is the hyperbolic 'double-edged sword'. Without risk there is no reward.
Just because your parents had that lustfully long weekend in Las Vegas doesn't mean that you are fundamentally guaranteed the 'right' to a trust fund and a never ending supply of top ten swimsuit models - despite what the cast of "Jersey Shore" would have you believe.
So..in closing, and in an attempt to convince you to convince me, I ask of the occupiers this:
"When I was younger, so much younger than today,Sell me. If I wanted to hear hollow ideas, vague plans and unfulfilled promises I would listen to my local Senator, or an ex-girlfriend.
I never needed anybody's help in anyway.
Now these days are gone I'm not so self-assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and I've opened up the doors.
Help me if you can, I'm feeling down.
I do appreciate you being 'round,
please help me get my feet back on the ground.
Won't you please, please, please help me?"
Until then, there is plenty of room next to me. Although, I can't guarantee a comfortable spot. Luckily there isn't any barbed wire yet, and the police refuse to use their TASERs.
(*) - All credit, past and present, goes to the Good Doctor himself, Professor Hunter S. Thompson.
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