That's not to say I haven't been writing. My hard drive is quickly filling up with letters to people that will never read them. Sometimes you just need to provide an escape for frustration, anger, and hurt-feelings, without latching them on to someone else.
Holy smokes, melodrama.
Anyway, I also haven't had a lot to write that I felt like sharing, but today I do.
When I was in high school I took a social studies class called "40's through 70's". This was my favorite class by far. My teacher was absolutely passionate about the subject matter, and EVERY ONE that we studied was passionate about something. We talked about Martin Luther King Jr., Kennedy (both John and Robert), Nixon, Khrushchev, Reagan, Kent State, Vietnam, the Cold War, it was essentially a highly detailed, more in-depth, version of "We Didn't Start the Fire".
I would sit there in my seat thinking about how exciting those times were, how my generation would NEVER see times like that, how lucky the people that lived through that were, because they had these amazing stories to tell. I would never have those kinds of stories. We would never see civil unrest the way that our parents did.
Cut to seven years later.
Every Saturday I volunteer at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art on the corner of Fulton and Division. Kitty-Corner from this gorgeous, state-of-the-art facility, a group of Occupy Wall Street protestors are camped out. They wave their signs, bang their bongo drums, and cheer every time a passing motorist honks in support. I stare at them through the window and decide on whether or not I stand with them or think their efforts are silly.
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| Of course I do love watching Bobo the Chimp and his "No More Monkey Business on Wall Street" sign. |
I am not an expert on this movement, and I have heard so many different explanation on what they are fighting for, that I don't know what their primary focus is. But I do know this, I am currently looking at about $30,000.00 in student loan debt. I have a full time job that doesn't pay anywhere near that for my annual salary. What's more, I work for one of those big evil banks (mine is among the top-five largest in the nation) and I am constantly watching their profits increase while my salary remains stagnant and repaying my student loans has made living on my own almost impossible. I am one of the fortunate ones though, because I have full health coverage, dental, and a 401k that my employer contributes to on my behalf. There are millions of Americans out there that are not blessed in the same way.
I've seen the postings online from people who have been laid off from their steady jobs and are now working three part-time jobs with no benefits just to make ends meet, and like any person with a soul, I feel for them, I do. Working three jobs just to put food on the table and provide for your family should not be the status-quo.
Watching public policy be dominated by a vast minority (1%?) should not be the status-quo.
Deciding that any one industry is "too big to fail" completely contradicts those capitalist values that so many of us cling to, and this should not be the status-quo.
Of course, every time I see the protestimonials explaining how someone is $200,000.00 in student loan debt and can't find a job outside of being a barista, I roll my eyes. College is a choice. No one held a gun to my head forcing me to go to school. I applied to higher ed. with the understanding that this was going to be a huge investment. One that will put me way behind financially for at least a decade. And you know what? There ARE jobs out there that don't require you to work for tips. I started at the bank with no experience and a HS diploma. I worked hard and never thought I was too good for the work I'm doing.
I also recognize that the poverty that Americans face is NOTHING compared to the poverty that the rest of the world faces. I'm not belittling the U.S. poor, homelessness is always heartbreaking, but the poverty stricken Americans still have constant access to clean water. Emergency rooms and Doctor's Offices are completely prohibited from turning away anyone in need of care. We live in a nation full of NPOs dedicated to nothing more than providing food, clothing, and God's grace to those less fortunate. This is why I tend to get annoyed at OWS protestors asking for more, when so many of us squandered what we had to begin with (myself included).
To the rest of the world, the first world is the 1%.
In addition to our economic woes, we are ten years into a war that went from a "necessary evil", to an "evil", to no end in sight, to "oh wait, we are still at war"?
Once upon a time we sent troops into a far-off country to "contain" the spread of communism. Thousands of men and women were killed. I'm no political expert*, but I can connect dots, develop venn diagrams, and make connections. Today we still have thousands of men and women overseas, trying to contain the spread of terrorism. One of the lessons I took from 40's-70's was that the longer the U.S. stayed in a conflict (like that of Vietnam) the less chance they had of emerging victorious. Not only does support from home start to wane, but eventually people want their countries back. Support from the place where you're fighting starts to wane too.
When Nixon took office, he began to seek a way out of Vietnam that wouldn't ensure victory, but dignity. So in 1975 (ten years after war was declared) he pulled our troops out of South Vietnam and America tried to pretend that mess never happened. Obama has stated (several times) that the war in Iraq will be over by the end of 2011. I predict this will be another event that we try to pretend didn't happen. We underestimated our enemies (can you really beat terrorism if you commit yourself to UN peace treaties and standards?) and we refused to acknowledge defeat.
As for passionate people?
...still got 'em.
*I used to think I was, but as I get older I realize that there is so much I don't know. I'm probably better off that way.