Can the Occupy Wall Street movement works?
By szz1990602
@szz1990602 (188)
China
October 8, 2011 11:30am CST
Recently, in America, the protest called Occupy Wall Street has been expending to more than a dozen cities, perhaps more in the following days. I'm a little worried about that whether the protest will virtually make the difference in reforming the American financial system and reduce the gap between rich and poor.
I don't know much about the cause of the movement, maybe two things above are part of it. BUT mylotters in America, how do you see this protest movement? Are you a member of the Occupy Wall Street movement? WHO or WHAT leads to the protest? I just wonder why such huge protest movement will occur in America, a rich and democratic country. It's not like Lybya or Egypt, so why? I'm looking forward to recieve your response. Thank you.
1 response
@andy77e (5156)
• United States
11 Oct 11
I'll answer your questions in order, as best I can.
1. No, the protest will not reduce the gap between rich and poor. This is because the number one way to reduce this gap, is for poor people to stand up, work hard at doing something, and save the money they make.
The protesters are not working, they are sitting and screaming. Sitting and screaming never produces wealth.
2. The reason for the protest is complicated, so this will be hard to explain.
For 10 years our government has encouraged banks and the people, to make loans they could not afford to pay. So the people went to the banks, and the banks loaned the people, money that they could not afford to pay back.
In 2008, the number of people who stopping paying back those loans, was too great, and banks started to go bankrupt.
Because the banks went bankrupt doing what the government told them to do.... the government gave money to the banks. However the government itself is going broke.
So now the government is trying to cut spending.
So here is why they protest. The people instead of blaming themselves for making bad loans, and instead of blaming government for spending too much.... is blaming the banks. Wall Street is where most of the big banks are. So they are protesting on Wall Street.
Basically, things are happening that people don't like, so they are shifting blame off themselves, and onto the banks.
3. Yes, you are absolutely correct. We're America, and all those protesters enjoy a standard of living that 95% of the world does not have.
I have learned something really sick about humans. Human beings are never happy no matter how good they have it. It isn't a middle east thing, or a Europe thing, or an Asian thing, or an American thing.
It's human nature. We love to complain no matter how great we live. Everyone owns a car. Everyone has heat in the winter, and Air Conditioning in the summer. We have computers, internet, clothes, Iphones and other gadgets. We have as much food as we want. We have people walking around that are 400 lbs (182 kg), and yet we're still not happy.
Human nature my friend. We humans just love to be angry about nothing. That's what Occupy Wall Street is all about.
@trruk1 (1028)
• United States
14 Oct 11
Wonderful! Those who do not have a decent job are just ignorant and lazy. All 20 million of them. Those who have not seen improvement in their standard of living in almost 30 years--well it's their own fault--all 250 million of them. I guess everybody is stupid and lazy except those who manipulate politicians to get tax breaks and exemption from regulations.
A complete fantasy.
@andy77e (5156)
• United States
16 Oct 11
Yeah? Define decent job? I have yet to not be employed for longer than a couple of weeks at the most.
Sometimes I've had to take low paying jobs, to tide me over until I could find something better, but I have always been working.
And even if you can't find "a decent job" whatever that idiocy means, so what?
Your solution is to sit in a park and scream at bank building, where the people inside those buildings are not only are actually doing something and earning a pay check, but they also could not possibly care less about idiots outside screaming?
That's your big plan? What do you thinks is going to happen? Money fall from the roofs if you scream loud enough? Are managers going to come out and offer you job because you yelled loud enough?
Yes I am mocking this pathetic idiotic protest.
I have a quote for you:
"My wife and I decided in 1996 that we were sick of poverty. We went back to school. We earned degrees. We got jobs. No one handed it to us. We earned it. We did it. I didn't go through all that struggle while raising 5 children so I could support lazy [expletive] people who want nothing but government handouts. You want to 'occupy' something? Occupy a job and start contributing."
Notice... "my wife and I". Not your dumb girlfriend.
Notice... "decided we were sick of poverty" Not government decided they were sick of us being poor.
Notice... "We went back to school" They did something.
Notice... "We earned it." They did it, not government or some bankers.
Notice... "go through struggle while raising 5 kids" They struggled, it was hard, but they didn't whine and complain and have some pity party protest 'wah wah wah' at the bankers.
That's the difference between lazy and working. That's the difference between adults and children. Children whine and hold their breath, and have a temper tantrum.
Adults work, work hard, struggle, and get up off their butt, and get to work.
Which are you?... Determine that for yourself, and then stop making excuses for which one you are.
And by the way... seriously? You really expect me to believe that there are 250 million people in this country that have a standard of living not any better than back in 1981?
Really. Ok, first off you are proving my point. Even *IF* our standard of living has not improved in any way since 1981.... WE ARE STILL BETTER OFF THAN 90% OR MORE OF THE PLANET YOU WHINY PEOPLE!
But more than that, our standard of living has drastically improved over the last 30 years, and I highly doubt there are *any* people, let alone 240 Million people, who's standard of living has not improved.
In fact this conversation right here, right now, could not have happened 30 years ago. There was no internet. Which didn't matter because no one had a 'personal computer' where even that term had not been created yet. There were no 'cell phones' let alone 'smart phones'. And the list of improvements to our standard of living, is limitless.
Take a hint. Get over yourself. Learn to be grateful for just how pathetically good you have it.
