Perspectives on "Occupy Wall Street"

Lately I've had the opportunity of experiencing the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and its spread to the Ft. Collins area. On Thursday, I participated in a university walkout at CSU, which gathered almost a hundred students together to protest and then walked over to the main protest at the intersection of College and Maple in the downtown area. The demonstration inspired cheers and jeers from onlookers and passing cars while we all chanted "This is what democracy looks like!" It was great to see a group of Americans demonstrating their voice despite the many that may disagree with them. I plan on doing a blog post filling in more of the information on the protest later on.

Meanwhile, this is an essay I wrote concerning an article on the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. It compares the "Wall Street" movement with an new opposition movement, and also its affect on the "American Dream".

Essay on “Occupy Wall Street”

Recently I read an article on BBC website that was titled “Is Occupy Wall Street Bad for the American Dream?” The piece attempted to understand what the effects of the protest movement could be on the “American Dream”; an underlying concept holding that if one works hard enough, one can make a better, more successful life for oneself. In many ways the “We are the 99%” movement is against this concept, saying that the system has allowed the über-successful to take advantage of the rest of the working population – controlling the government with money and hoarding all the wealth for themselves. On the other side, the article spotlights a new movement called “We are the 53%”. This group claims that the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is a bunch of lazy people looking for government handouts and that hard work is all they need to get ahead. They also claim that the economic system is fundamentally fair.

The article attempts to take the two arguments and show how they are more similar than they think; that they both want to work hard and be productive members of society, and that they both believe in the American dream. I totally agree with the article on this point, and I believe that the “53%” is falsely accusing the “99%” of being lazy and wanting handouts. All the “99%” want is a fairer system where more people can be successful and fulfilled in life, which includes a better distribution of wealth and more corporate accountability. A great example being used in many articles is that since 1980, executives make five times the salary, while the average worker makes about the same. The “53%” movement is wrong because they have not taken the time to truly understand the “99%” movement, and because they believe in a system where some make it while many others are left behind.

Song of the Day: David Benoit - One Dream at a Time

Remembering What You Said

"It's you," he said. "It's you I've been waiting for all these years . Is that why I've been so miserable? So this moment could feel that much better? If that's the truth, then I wholeheartedly agree."

Sweet just ain't as sweet > Bitter

Today will feature another excerpt from the novel/novella, Last Dance. This distinct section will be one of the most inspired parts of the book, where the main character lashes out in a tirade of seemingly endless good intentions. But what is he looking for/escaping?

Before Fisher steps out of the cab, an idea strikes him. He acts.

“Hey, you want to come eat with me inside? I’ll need some advice on the best items, you know.”

The cabbie, who for just a bit will remain nameless, is shocked. No one ever asks him to do stuff after cab rides, not even in his wildest dreams. But it just so happens that this is the end of his shift and part of the reason he mentioned the bakery was that it was close to the cab station and his home. Though tired from a day of driving, he isn’t the kind of man to turn down an interesting opportunity like this. He parks the cab and gets out.

“The BEST… is what I’m sworn to deliver.”

Fisher chuckles and smiles. The cabbie chuckles and smiles. They head inside.

Fisher hangs back while the cabbie orders them each a vegetable roll stuffed with an assortment of, well, vegetables. During this, he notices a tattoo on the back of the cabbie’s left arm. It is the ocean, featuring a sinking ship with Japanese and American flags intertwined in a design on the hull. The colors are beautiful and vibrant. They seem to invoke the image of a sunrise: the end of the night and the new beginnings that follow. Soon enough, the cabbie finishes the order and leads Fisher to a table while carrying the food. They sit down at a booth.

Dennis. Good ol’ Dennis. That is the cabbie’s name, and now that Fisher gets a clear look at his face, he can tell that he is in fact half-asian, half-european. He’s not too old either, probably mid-thirties, wearing a v-neck complete with a pocket and a notebook sticking out of it. Not exactly someone you’d expect to be a cabbie. The two unlikely dining partners don’t talk for a while, busying themselves with bites from the vegetable roll and drinks from glasses of Cheerwine. Occasionally they make eye contact but quickly glance elsewhere. Finally, the silence is broken by Fisher.

“Your tattoo. What does it mean?”

“Oh… yeah. But don’t you want to know my name first? It’s Dennis.”

“Uh. Yeah, guess that’s important. I’m Fisher.” They shake hands.

Enchante. The tattoo represents my two grandfathers who fought in World War II against each other - One on the American side, and the other on the Japanese. They both died in the same battle, sinking into the ocean with their comrades and never knowing their families would be one day united in love. This tattoo is a testament to human’s ability to forgive, forgetting the sins of the past and uniting as a race. That is beautiful to me.

The novel is almost at 7,000 pages and still rambling along. I have some short stories ideas I would like to start working on soon, too. Rest assured, there will be some writing.

Adieu, mon ami.