my name is jessica and i live in new york.

here you'll find a variety of things i like.

ask a question twitter facebook

Occupy. My thoughts.

You know, I really didn’t want to have share my opinions on the Occupy movement, because I had faith that my fellow young, intellectual friends would understand the movement and its purpose. And it’s fine to disagree with the movement, but first you must understand it. While there may be many people who are protesting because they are lazy and—wait for it, it’s the word of the hour—ENTITLED, let’s just take a moment to look at the facts and understand exactly what the fuck is going on in this country and why you should care about Occupy and support it. Flippant replies such as “Get a job and make yourself rich!” are probably the saddest and uneducated reactions to the movement. Because you know what? It’s impossible. AND I’LL EXPLAIN HOW!

Let me preface this rant by saying I may be wrong on some points, I do not claim to be an expert on economics or even a novice at that. In fact, I’m super shitty at math and barely understand what the christ a derivative is. If someone can enlighten me, I’ll gladly listen and process the information. Doesn’t mean my opinion will change, but I’ll consider it.

Let’s start at the beginning. And by the beginning, I mean let’s talk about the fall of the Roman Empire, the beginnings of the Catholic Church, and the subsequent Dark Ages. There was once a time when those who were in charge were really fucking in charge. They didn’t pretend that they were helping everyone; there was barely a whisper of “this is for the greater good” or it’ll “trickle down”. It was a time of the rich being super rich and the poor, well fuck they had slaves and I think that sums it up. Poor people weren’t given the right to an education and they most certainly couldn’t read or write. The aristocracy held the power and they were influenced by the “fear of God” instilled in them by the Church. Ah, such simple times when the rich were allowed to be rich assholes in peace without the plebes interfering and protesting.

Nowadays, we’re all allowed to read, write, pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend college, and LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM. However, this elusive dream seems to have died within the past 10-20 years. This is the first American generation, our generation, that is less prosperous than our parents. Where’d that dream go?

There was once a time where an entire family could be supported with one salary. Vacations could be taken. Jobs were plentiful. People even had vacation homes. And I’m talking about normal middle class people. Not the ultra elite. We had progressive, smart people running our country. We went to the moon. We ate wholesome meals at home. Parents could spend quality time with their children. A year of college could be paid for with one summer’s worth of hard work. Loans were honest and easily repaid. Credit card debt? Not an issue. Everyone’s salary increased steadily year by year, not just the rich. The top earners in the country were taxed up to 90% and yet, they still lived lavish lifestyles. Life was pretty damn good.

But something happened. Things changed. People got greedy. I’m not pointing fingers at political parties; I think this is much more than that. Wall street realized they could take advantage of some of our country’s greatest minds. Without the cold war and the stagnation of the space program, brilliant minds were seemingly wasted. The powers that be on Wall Street snuck in like vultures and took these brilliant people and used them to figure out how they could essentially, gamble on everyone and anything they could possibly think of. Government officials were offered large sums of money to allow this racketeering scheme continue in peace.

The cost of education rose; we were all told we needed an education to get anywhere in life, so we took out loans. We just wanted to live like our parents did, have a good life and comforts. Taxes were slashed for the wealthy. Salaries and tax rates for the middle classes remained frozen. Loans were given to people who could not afford to repay them. Everyone was told they needed a credit card. We listened. Jobs were outsourced; foreign labor cost a hell of a lot less and allowed the C-levels to get richer. As a result, people believed there was no work without a college degree, so we took out more loans to pay for education. All the while, deans and presidents of universities were being paid by Wall Street for their “consulting” services. Even medicine and the pursuit of good health were turned into a business. Doctors prescribe medications from the companies that paid them the most. Private health insurance is difficult and costly to obtain without a full-time job. Full-time jobs that simply do not exist.

And as this shit storm came to a head, a figure appeared for the masses: Barack Obama. He promised us change but the moment he took office, he was afflicted by man’s greatest downfall: greed. Banks run this country and those who are loyal to the banks are compensated generously. It’s not his fault; if someone offered me millions of dollars to do something, I’d probably do it, too. None of us are immune.

But, we can change this. If the wealthy could live with a little less, we could all have a little more. This isn’t about republicans or democrats; this is about a better life for all of us. We should all have access to affordable housing, free or affordable health care, and free or affordable educations. Cause the better we do, (remember this is America, the world’s biggest and best country) the better everyone else does. We dictate how things run elsewhere. And guess what? Things are pretty fucking shitty here right now.

If I could, I’d be down there occupying with everyone else. But I have to come to work everyday so I can repay my staggering student loan debt and keep my health insurance, because, unfortunately, I have health problems that require frequent doctor’s visits. I’m trapped by the system. I can’t help the change, because I’m not brave enough to give up the few comforts I have. And that’s how they get us.

The news finds the few dolts sitting down in Zuccotti Park and puts them on the news so we think everyone downtown is an entitled trustafarian fuck-up. But let us not forget, the news is run by major corporations that benefit greatly from the successes of Wall Street. And for those of you suggesting, “If you hate corporations so much why do you have an iPhone or a camera or x, y, z,” I hope you realize how ignorant this sounds. Occupy Wall Street is not about the barring of innovation or modern comforts; it’s about the redistribution of wealth amongst the masses. We still want these things, cause they’re great. They make our world come closer together. They make communication easier. Corporations and people are inherently greedy; it’s not the products they hate it’s the people in charge.

In summation, we’re essentially returning to an almost medieval system. The rich are so fucking rich and the poor—well we’re really fucking poor. Except now there’s an illusion that we can better ourselves by seeking higher education and taking out loans that only benefit those ultra rich. It’s sad. I’d rather have those in charge tell me, “Yeah we’re just trying to fuck over” than live with this illusion that great wealth is waiting for me if I get a Master’s degree.

 I realize this is overlong and probably won’t resonate with many people, but please take a moment to consider your life. Would you be happier with a little more? Of course you would. And believe me, those at the top have some to spare. This isn’t about handouts, it’s about building a country made up of happy, satisfied, and comfortable people. I once read a figure that the countries that were considered “happiest” and had the best quality of life were those with the least divide between the richest and the poorest.

Let’s all be happy. I’ll leave you with two YouTube videos that I find inspirational:

Let’s all try and strive for a better tomorrow and if that means protesting today, then fuck it, DO IT. Do something.