I’ve granted before that the #OccupyWallStreet mob do have one grain of truth in their anger, whether or not they know it.
Where they do not have a point is their whining about being the so-called 99%, i.e., the 99% who allegedly do all the work, while 1% get to take home all the cake. This is not just statistically unsound, it’s frankly Marxist rubbish.
I cannot imagine a better response to the whiny "I am the 99%" meme of the "Occupy Wall Street" protestors than We Are the 53%. (That refers to the fact that 47% of households pay no U.S. federal income tax.)
Here's just a taste:
In case you can't read the text clearly, it says:
My father came to NY from Croatia in 1971, with KNOWLEDGE in his head, LOVE in his heart
& the clothes on his back.
He built up a small construction business and put me & my 4 siblings through Catholic school
and college, while my mother raised us and put home-cooked meals on the table.
Business has been steadily declining and my family (still honestly abiding by the regulations,
TAXES & fees imposed by the gov’t) now lives paycheck-to-(hopefully!) paycheck.
We found out he has thyroid cancer - THANK GOD WE PAY for our own health insurance and
WERE ABLE TO CHOOSE the best cancer hospital in the country, Sloan Kettering, where he underwent
10-hour surgery this past summer.
He was back to work FULL-TIME (12 hrs/day, 6 days/wk) within a month, even though the doctors
told him to take it easy (he works manual labor).
The cancer still grows, but my father STILL WORKS FOR LIFE, LIBERTY, & THE PURSUIT OF
HAPPINESS!
THAT is the American dream.
WE are the 53%.
**People like my father came here because America was the answer to all of their problems- IT
STILL CAN BE.
These are the kind of Atlases whose work ethic and productivity (yes, Virginia, these things are virtues) keep themselves and the 47% fed.
And how inspiring to see their grassroots response.
Go read all the stories. Go read them now.
UPDATE: In NZ, of course, We Are The 56.5.
11 comments:
Great stories, PC. How refreshing to see two or three of these heroes saying "If I didn't earn it, I don't want it."
Great role models for the smelly hippies currently invading our public spaces.
Relevant:
I work in a plumassier – that’s a fancy word for “sweatshop.” I spend fourteen hours a days willowing ostrich feathers so that rich women can wear attractive hats. Because they want to wear these hats, I am able to HAVE A JOB. I used to make 15 cents an hour, but now there are so many young girls in the business that I only make seven or eight cents. The boss tells us that we will soon be paid only five cents.
BUT I DO NOT COMPLAIN, because I am determined to WORK HARD FOR EVERYTHING I HAVE.
Also, my boss will fire or rape me if I complain.
BUT I AM NOT A VICTIM.
The girl who used to work next to me got tuberculosis from inhaling all the dust and fluff from the feathers. But she did not expect the GOVERNMENT to pay for her health care while she recovered. Instead, she went out and got a job SEWING SLIPPERS during the day while her son PICKS OVER THE SWEEPINGS FROM COFFEE WAREHOUSES. They are saving up with THEIR OWN MONEY so she can have BOTH OF HER LUNGS COLLAPSED. This will leave her permanently short of breath and dizzy, but she will continue to WORK because that is the AMERICAN DREAM.
WE CAN DO ANYTHING IF WE SET OUR HEARTS TO IT. WE ARE THE 53 PERCENT.
That's a bit of a tall story Bizarro, because the shop across the road made Yankee Doodle Dandy Caps and paid a full 40 cents an hour more, and offered a 10 minute lunch break, so all the workers left and got new jobs and job satisfaction.
What's worse, is that PETA broke in one night, and liberated all his Ostriches so he ran out of feathers, and went bankrupt. his creditors raped him and then tickled his wife's fancy with her own hat. Sad story.
Meanwhile, the banks have actually agreed to all of the OWS demands, so all is well in the world: Occupy Wall Street Successful
So stop yer whinging.
Inspiration story from that lovely chick in that photo.
@ Bizarro
Did something really bad happen to you to scar you as a child? The malevalent universe you describe does not exist. It's a fantasy-like scenario that's purely in your head - and the real world is one of almost limitless opportunities. The only limit is whether you choose to recognise them and take advantage of them or not. Many people choose not to, and they get the life they choose - but your outlook seems particularly morose and your blindness acute. I'd suggest you should be sharing these thoughts with a therapist rather than us.
So someone with cancer has to work 72 hours a week of manual labour just to support their family and pay for their healthcare?
I'm not convinced that this is quite the argument for the American dream that the author thinks it is.
@Mark
The scenario described by Bizzaro most certainly does exist for millions of people, just not in any of the countries you have been to.
Ignorance is bliss
@Ross sure, and what are the governments of those countries like? Clearly not based on liberty. The closer to liberty you get, the less you'd see any scenario even remotely close to the fantasy above. Remember, this was talking about the USA (and to a lesser extent, NZ). Focus! :) We'll get to freeing the rest of the world later...
You're right Greig. Just consider the Libertarian paradise of Somalia, no government for decades and clearly the opposite of said fantasy.
islamofascist anarchy is not libertarianism
My point was pretty much what nic said. The person in the image is essentially saying, "my life is complete shit thanks to modern American capitalism. U-S-A! U-S-A!" It's really bizarre to hear someone say, "my cancer-stricken father, who has been advised to take it easy, is forced to work 72 hours a week just so that our family can live paycheck to paycheck! Hurrah for the American dream!"
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