Barcelona: Day 89 : Occupy __________ .

The Occupy Movements began with Occupy Wall Street, which was a "series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park of New York City's Wall Street financial district. The protests are against social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, as well as corruption, and the undue influence of corporations -- particularly that of the financial services sector -- on government. The protestors' slogan 'We are the 99%' refers to the growing difference in wealth in the US between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population."

So, yeah, the Occupy movements. The one on Wall Street has led to numerous other leaderless protests in other cities in American and even around the world. In fact, while in Dublin, we saw the Occupy Dublin protest in front of their national bank.


Okay, so let's talk for a minute about this occupy thing. It started randomly -- and according to wikipedia, by a Canadian activist group. This sounds familiar -- this going into another country and trying to change it thing... Yeah.... we've done that before... This is absolute rubbish though. Why is a Canadian-based foundation proposing to occupy an American financial area? What do they have to gain? Are they trying to change our country? Universal health care has already been put into effect, and honestly it's bollocks.

I'm not sure exactly what anyone really has to gain regarding these protests. Let's go through the arguments and grievances and prove their absolute stupidity, shall we?

They are protesting against social inequality.

Who is to blame except ourselves for this? Tolerance, in my opinion, is at an all time high. I mean, gay marriage is legal in New York City. And as much as I disagree with this, and as much as it disappoints me and makes me lose faith in our nation's leaders that they decided this, it is what it is. You can practice whatever religion you want and not be persecuted for it. And of course there are still gangs, social cliques, and classes of society. But these will always be present. This is not communism; this is capitalism -- we do not have a singular level that all people reside at. Deal with it.

They are protesting economic inequality and high unemployment.

We're in the middle of a recession. We may be rebounding a bit, but it will spike and fall many times before it stabilizes. Think about the Great Depression. It was not solved overnight, and it was not solved for years. And the thing is, over time, things balance themselves out. You can blame it on the President, but all in all, they are just the government. The power of the economy is in the hands of the people, not our elected officials. High unemployment is a by-product of a recession. If you were laid off, you have nothing to complain about. Life happens. Sometimes it's hard to find a job. I mean, most likely, I'm going to get out of school and have no job for years. But that's just the way it is. I've accepted that. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. You want to change unemployment? Start a business and offer people jobs. Or maybe actually look for a job. And don't limit your search to your town or even your state, or even your country! Be willing to move. There will always be jobs out there; it's just a matter of how much you're willing to sacrifice for it. Sitting in a park whining and complaining about the fact that your government isn't doing anything and Wall Street isn't doing anything is pathetic.

They are protesting against greed and corruption, and the undue influence of corporations -- particularly that of the financial services sector -- on government.

This statement has validity. But what you are doing doesn't DO anything about it. It may raise awareness, but since when has anyone thought that the American government was not corrupt?! No one is stupid -- America is a country of luxury and greed. Think way back -- the thought of the New World was one of luxury. You had your own house, and the streets were paved with gold. The opportunity for money was everywhere, all you had to do was move to this country. Whether it was true or not, that was the connotation and still is. Why do you think we have such an immigration problem? People still are moving here to make money and find jobs even in a time of economic depression. Politicians are easily swayed by bribes and under the table handouts. There is no such thing as an honest politician. Furthermore, if you all are so unhappy with your elected officials and how they are so easily influenced by the financial world, you should not have elected them in the first place!

The concept of the 99% has spread rapidly, and to the stupidest places, like college campuses. I'd like to quote a friend at this point, regarding the Occupy movement coming to her campus (pardon my use of your words without permission). I'd like to preface this with the fact that this is her opinion only regarding the Occupy movements on campuses, and not globally:

"Anyway, the issue I have is that most of these Occupy Insert University Here groups are protesting high tuition, lack of more scholarship money, their growing student loan debt, etc. Yes, these things SUCK. I for one, am up to my ears in student loan debt and I still have two more years to go. I got the highest Dean’s scholarship, and still owe so much money it makes my head spin. However, the reason I am not a fan of you occupying my beautiful university is,
I chose this education.
I knew that I would have to take out loans, I knew that I would have a problem affording it. I could’ve gone to Rutgers for free and avoided the headache, but I chose to go to a 50K private school. AS DID ALL OF YOU PROTESTING STUDENTS. Why are you protesting against a school that you chose? And that chose you, might I add. It’s completely mental and makes absolutely no sense. You say you want to show solidarity, well go join the Occupy ______ movement! They could use intelligent students with money in their pockets and a youthful outlook on life."


I don't think I could have said it any better. I may be a part of the 99%, but that's life. Stop bitching, stop complaining, get your heads out of your asses and go fucking do something about it. You want to stop Big Brother? This is your chance to make a difference. If you complain and whine that your government should be saving your drowning pathetic ass, then all you're doing is reinforcing the idea of Big Brother. Stop making our country look bad.