I’ve got to be honest. The thing that bothers me most about the Wall Street protesters is that they are rebelling from the political Left. If they were rebelling from the political Right, I’d be cheering them on.
I hate to admit that. But it’s the God’s honest truth. If these kids were standing outside the US Capitol or the Debt Clock in Times Square chanting about the national deficit, I’d be pee-in-my-pants happy. But they’re not. They’re chanting unoriginal, anti-capitalist slogans as old as the Paris Commune at office buildings in which they one day will work.
I don’t know about you, but I find young Leftists grating — nails-across-the-blackboard grating. There is something about the righteous indignation of the scraggly-bearded Scarsdale anarchist that makes me want to spit The righteously indignant girls don’t bother me so much — they can be kind of sexy truth be told — but the guys I want to kick down a hallway. I can’t quite put my finger on why that is, but the opening scene of the Godfather between Don Corleone and Johnny Fontaine springs to mind: “You could act like a man!“
What is it that lures so many college kids to the political Left? Is it their sociology professors? Is it wide-eyed youthfulness? Or maybe it’s just easier to get you-know-whated while preaching the brotherhood of man. (Although, I briefly succumbed to the leftward call in high school with spare success in you-know-whating.) Whatever it is, the siren to universal action always falls silent as soon as one gets a real job. Then it’s back to every man for himself, as nature intended.
I find myself muttering “get a job” under my breath every time I see a photo or video clip of the Wall Street “outrage” demonstrators. But then I catch myself, remembering that a lot of these kids genuinely cannot. And then, right on cue, I’ll spy a recent college graduate standing on a street corner holding a sign invariably reading something like “I Am in Debt and I Can’t Find a Job,” and I’ll hate myself for having thought ill of him. It blinds me for a moment to the freak show of aging Marxists, union thugs, and neo-Black Panthers marching in front of him.
If only the slogans would change. If only they would shave the fledgling beards, lay off the Saul D. Alinsky, and focus on serious job growth proposals and long-term debt relief plans. But then again, if they did that, I suppose they’d be Tea Partiers.
Interesting times.
I don’t like them either and I’m a Democrat. Maybe it was how many times 25 year old punks called me a racist on Kos for not getting on my knees in front of Obama — after Iowa — in 2008. They started their posts with “People…” and used “um” and question marks a lot. I knew what their voices sounded like through the keys. ugh.
I was downtown last week with my son — we travel to the WTC monthly to watch the progress. It was a gorgeous Autumn night. What I saw was young black and brown cops, male and female, clustered on every corner near the barricades subjected to the occasional epithet from patchouli smelling hipsters. The cops were clearly of a lower socio economic class than the demonstrators, who can afford to camp out downtown while these cops have to get up and go to work every day. Yeah, they say they can’t get jobs. The truth is they can’t get the jobs they think they deserve. Those cops are working,right?
I get the cause and I support it -Bailed out companies should not give failed billionaires bonuses while continuing to screw us – but the fact that this thing happened as a kind of social media fluke kind of bothers me.
I thought the revolution would not be televised.
“People” and “um.” Right the spine, Charmian. Right up the spine.
Bill:
When I see them I think bring back the Draft and let’s see them complain after they meet their Drill Instructor (Sgt Hartman…What’s your name Scumbag?). The Police should hand cuff them and load them onto military buses and off they go! Think about it, these losers will have a job, 3 meals a day, free housing, and all provided by the US Government and the rich tax payers. Where’s the problem?
Yeah Jim…then we can call this country Iran, where the protesters get hauled away, never to be seen again. Yeah…that’s the solution. Let’s call this country Libya and kill all the protesters, even if it is globally viewed. Yeah Jim…that’s what we should do.
It’s so difficult keeping track of all this. Freedom of speech is good, but only if you don’t use it? Young people are only allowed to call for change if they’re minorities or grew up below the poverty line (preferably both)? It’s good to shout out about the national debt but evil to shout out about the growing income/wealth chasm? Being college educated means you have no justification for complaint about issues that will have a lasting effect on you? People who peacefully assemble in protest should face mandatory military duty because…because…you disagree with them? Labor organizers are always corrupt while c-suites and boardrooms are populated by morally unimpeachable paragons of virtue? Idealism is bad and the policies that have wreaked havoc on economies and individuals are sacrosanct? The way it is is always better than the way it could be but never as good as the way it was? Is that it?
No that’s not it. For some outrage is real, for some it’s a flash mob kind of thing. There is genuine concern mixed with people who fly private jets to environmental conferences.
Because I truly care about social justice, I empathize with the young cops who are working that detail as much as the demonstrators.