While most of us spent the long weekend sleeping in, watching football or worrying about how a 24-hour-Wikipedia-less lifestyle would affect us, the Occupy movement was making its final preparations for its planned march on our nation’s Capitol, which took place Tuesday.
With Congress returning from their “winter recess,” the Occupy movement took to D.C. and the Internet to let their voices be heard one more time.
As with any gathering of this nature, reports have varied on the crowds overall size, scope, demographic, message, as well as relevance and seriousness.
Be that as it may, it is clear that something has to change. Some “one” (if not, a great many), including any legally represented body of individuals, must heed the call.
Undoubtedly for all parties involved, concessions will have to be made for us all to move comfortably forward. If either fails, or if either refuses to work together toward a resolution, buckle up, it’s only going to get worse.
So what now? At some point in time the huddled masses will learn that “peaceful” protests with novelty masks, balloon representations of “wishes” and crudely constructed cardboard signs are a waste of everyone’s time and patience.
The upper “1 percent” and the politicians they puppet are not affected in any way by tactics as outdated as the very examples from our own national history given to support them.
Putting carnations into the barrels of guns in the ‘60s didn’t do anything then, and it’s no going to do anything now. A simple “mic check,” YouTube video or clever chant will not move the hearts or minds of the “job creators” and policy makers in the slightest.
In truth, the coldest shoulder is always the most effective. Just ask any woman.
In my mind, the world as we know it today could exist without money. Without money there is no “rich” or “poor,” there isn’t even a “middle-class.” If you really think about “who” and “what” the 1 percent “are” and “do,” you’ll realize that they are merely the ones cutting the checks.
They aren’t at the factories pushing and pulling levers. They aren’t driving deliveries all over the country and they certainly aren’t coming into work at 6 a.m. to open the store, let alone take out the trash at closing time. The rich have islands. Their “job” is to make sure we just keep spending money.
If capitalism has taught us anything, it’s that we should cut out the middleman. In this case, the middleman is money.
So, since were doing everything already, and since we have all the resources and know-how, why then are we paying them? In spite of the reports, most of us have jobs, or are taken care of in some way or another. If we invest our resources as a community, while outsourcing what we can to areas in need and working in conjunction as a collective “national community,” there is no reason then why we should be paying for everything. We should all just work together, for free.
Eventually the “1 percent” will have to join us.
Reach the columnist at jbfortne@asu.edu
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