October 13, 2011
“Meaningless lives???” This photo just got to me. People need to realize that, while the “Occupy” protesters only have a (maybe too) vague set of demands, their message is important; their grief, valid. Most of the people afflicted by poverty today are not in that position because they are lazy or because they aspire to “live off the system” in the form of accepting welfare and food stamps. I know people on public assistance, and I can assure you that they would rather work but because of poor health or lack of education, cannot. Th reality is that the “system” is designed to keep those with privilege on top, and those without on the bottom. Sure, some of us “make it.” I (a person of color whose maternal grandparents worked in factories, paternal grandfather died of a heroin addiction, and whose mother has been on a disability pension since I was 8 years old) “made it” (to graduate from one of the best colleges in the country) because I have the rare gift of a family that from an early age made me understand the importance of education. Because I am naturally very intelligent. Because I was lucky enough to come across teachers who encouraged me. Because I was raised in a city with some great public high schools. In many ways, the system worked for me, and yet even I can see that without my combined good fortune, it would have mattered very little whether or not I worked hard. I hate seeing people (on tumblr and on my own Facebook home feed) who have been blessed with health and help from others call these protesters lazy. What they are is angry, and IT’S ABOUT TIME.  Hard work is essential to financial success, but without some luck and a system that wards off predatory practices, hard work alone won’t get you very far. Especially if you are at the very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. Most people want the opportunity to be able to work hard and see the fruits of their labor manifested by living wages, politicians who in turn work for them and ensure that lending practices are not exploitative, and that their tax dollars fund a GOOD public education system, comprehensive health care, and retirement plans rather than banks that are “too big to fail.”

“Meaningless lives???” This photo just got to me. People need to realize that, while the “Occupy” protesters only have a (maybe too) vague set of demands, their message is important; their grief, valid. Most of the people afflicted by poverty today are not in that position because they are lazy or because they aspire to “live off the system” in the form of accepting welfare and food stamps. I know people on public assistance, and I can assure you that they would rather work but because of poor health or lack of education, cannot. Th reality is that the “system” is designed to keep those with privilege on top, and those without on the bottom. Sure, some of us “make it.” I (a person of color whose maternal grandparents worked in factories, paternal grandfather died of a heroin addiction, and whose mother has been on a disability pension since I was 8 years old) “made it” (to graduate from one of the best colleges in the country) because I have the rare gift of a family that from an early age made me understand the importance of education. Because I am naturally very intelligent. Because I was lucky enough to come across teachers who encouraged me. Because I was raised in a city with some great public high schools. In many ways, the system worked for me, and yet even I can see that without my combined good fortune, it would have mattered very little whether or not I worked hard.

I hate seeing people (on tumblr and on my own Facebook home feed) who have been blessed with health and help from others call these protesters lazy. What they are is angry, and IT’S ABOUT TIME.  Hard work is essential to financial success, but without some luck and a system that wards off predatory practices, hard work alone won’t get you very far. Especially if you are at the very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. Most people want the opportunity to be able to work hard and see the fruits of their labor manifested by living wages, politicians who in turn work for them and ensure that lending practices are not exploitative, and that their tax dollars fund a GOOD public education system, comprehensive health care, and retirement plans rather than banks that are “too big to fail.”

12:52am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZvXOWyAcgWIP
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Filed under: occupy protests USA hard work exploitation american dream 
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    I agree. And my Mom always said, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” And that’s how a lot of those people...
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