October 23, 2011
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You are the 1%
Everyone reading this post has access to the Internet. You probably have food in your fridge.
while others are starving to death.
You probably have heating and cooling in your home. I am sure if you are reading this, you have indoor plumbing.
Back in the old days they went outside sometimes in the middle of the night to poop.
They had to check the hole for animals and the smell could be pretty horrible.
You all have toilet paper.
You know what they used before toilet paper?
Probably all of you have a stove and a microwave.
You have water to drink that comes to your house and all you have to do is turn it on.
You have water that is heated in your bathtub. You can control whether it is hot or cold.
These awesome features were not available 100 years ago.
So for most of human history, no one had what you have today.
You are the 1%. You are the rich. You are privileged.
So stop complaining.
Comments (150)
ALWAYS check the hole for animals. Youngens should take our advice and not learn shit the hard way.
Even in parts of the world today there are people who have to go outside at night in the cold to poop. It’s very sad. We should all send toilet paper overseas.
Maybe in relation to those parts of the world I’m in the top 1%. But the figures are greatly skewed in the US. Still, nice reality check.
I think I’m the only one who doesn’t know what this whole “occupy” and percentages thing is about…
I’m more than a number.
The Tea Party is trying to take us back to those days.
Oh, don’t even start that. They’re getting in on my good. I have to kill them. Get starved.
Stay away from my government aid.
See, I was like that, and I was like, life is great; I don’t have to worry about anything. I was nice and filled with the delusion of hope with enough paranoia to stay above the water.
And then came the monster on Beck’s Mellow Gold album. The government is using sex rays to kill us.
If you get in on their good, you die. If you stay “youthless” or “useless” then you die too.
I was so happy for once and then they came with their games.
Every time I turn on a tap, or a light I think about this.
I’ve lived (briefly, thank God) where we only had an outhouse. We did have real toilet paper, though; no corncobs or Sears & Roebuck catalog.
Is it okay if I complain about my aches and pains?
Thank God and the inventor.
Them, complaining? NAHHHHHH lol
You are oddly hostile to the occupy movement. People are homeless, people are losing their jobs, and the economy is crumbling. Even if you somehow can’t face that, it’s happening.
Right on!!
Interestingly enough, the OWS protesters have to go outside in the middle of the night to poop. Now I’m starting to wonder where they’re going to the restroom.
Neat! I think I inspired a post!
True.
The secret shame of being rich ! But can you imagine this present world without toilet facilities !
I do have a lot, and I am blessed to have what I do. I am glad I sit in the dark because my fees that go along with the electric bill are as much as the electric I use. I am glad I get hot water about once a day, because the tank is so small and not efficient I get it only at certain times. I am glad I am a blanket freak and have about 30 or so because I cannot afford to use my heat in the winter time. I am glad I live alone because a 12 pack of double rolls lasts me three months, and when I cannot afford to buy it I can get it at work because I work in an Inn. I am glad I like mac and cheese and roman noddles because otherwise I wouldn’t eat, cause the bills I do have take all my money. Things could be worse and they have been but do not assume that just because we live in America that things are “rich”. There are children in this country that go hungry every day, and There are still Native Americans that have to poop in the cold. Dianne Sawyer did a show on it just last week. When the Few have enough to take care of the many and still have enough money to drive a BMW, then yeah they need to help others. Oh and I am extremely grateful that both my legs work cause otherwise I wouldn’t be able to walk the mile to and from work. In the cold up hills both ways, thankfully it is also down hill on the second half of the walk. I do have shoes, that I can only afford to buy one pair a year.
OMG DAN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. It’s about inequality, banks robbing from the middle class and poor class, and the government not doing anything about it and letting us suffer. Why don’t you quit complaining about something you obviously know nothing about and don’t care to educate yourself about.
Occupy Wall Street is primarily against corporate influence in politics (and thus, corporate personhood). If you are against the movement, then it must be because you think that corporations, not people, should decide our elections. It seems that you haven’t taken the time to figure out what this protest is even about before deciding your opinion on it.
You are the 69%
am I funny now
okay no
We are privileged compared to many in the world…
Just because we’re more privileged than 3rd world countries doesn’t mean corporations don’t find 10 different ways to screw us over.
And do you know many people don’t have food in their fridge or who live in homeless shelters? I swear, Theo, these posts of yours are infuriatingly ignorant…
You make an excellent point. And while I do believe that we have a responsibility as citizens of the world, I think we also need to address our own problems and inequality (not necessarily first, but sh*t’s f*cked up).
@TheThinkingPerson - If they’re in a homeless shelter they’re probably not reading this. And I think you missed his point. Think about it…
Well said. Hoping you are getting back to your senses.
I understand that you have a gripe against people who complain about this country’s financial situation that really shouldn’t be complaining.
But does the existence of people who complain without reason invalidate the people who complain justifiably so? Does the existence of the imaginary problems of the few mean that there is no problem at all?
Personally, I don’t think so.
I was thinking the same thing. The people protesting tend to be very well off. A lot of them are college students. If you go to college, you are very well off. Even if you are on financial aid, you’re still doing something that is very exclusive and involves a lot of privilege. It’s great that you’re the “1%,” (which I’m 99% sure is not a true statistic…) but if you’re going by that…what if you’re the 98.99999repeating%? Shouldn’t you be helping people in the bottom 1% out instead of just aimlessly protesting around no specific cause? Why wouldn’t you do something worthwhile like volunteer and help out in your community – helping each other – instead of screaming to people who probably won’t listen to you anyway? That’s a lot of time and effort that could be put into productive things.
Also there’s no reason to be ashamed of being rich. It means you got somewhere, probably. I hate spoiled and obnoxious trust-fund babies as much as the next person, but there are SOME people who work hard for what they have and I don’t think those people should be persecuted.
Half these people probably don’t know the first thing about actual politics, follow the race, or know in any educated way who to vote for. It is just a blind cause for angry people to latch onto. And it’s sad they’re so angry, but I don’t see how it can possibly be any type of answer.
@npr32486 - actually, that’s not necessarily true. you don’t think there are ANY homeless people on xanga? really?
this is just so ignorant and biased.
this doesn’t make any of us in the 1%.
“you have hot water?! that means you’re in the top 1% in the country, don’t complain about barely scraping by.” shut up.
While I commend your commentary on world starvation, the temporal aspect of your argument makes little sense. Theoretically, in every particular era, EVERYONE was the “1%” of history – that is, as long as there has been technological progress, every single person of any given era was better off than 99% of all other humans who had ever lived. You are conflating time and space, and I’m callin’ you out on it.
That being said, you’re partially right. We aren’t the “1%”, but we are the “15%” – that is, only roughly 15% of the worlds population enjoys all of these first world benefits that you mention here.
@RealistFantasies - There may be some, but I very much doubt it. The homeless people I have met and interacted with don’t usually seem like the blogging type. However, I have met people hard on luck, but they’re not truly homeless. Btw, I think the whole point of this entry was about perspective. It was supposed to be abrasive. But that’s just my take on it.
A decade ago over half the world’s population had yet to receive their first phone call, there was only 1 car made for every 11 humans alive. You could go on and on, and I’m only trying to point out that since you’re making this argument, you can do better.
“You know what they used before toilet paper?
Probably all of you have a stove and a microwave. “
They wiped with stoves and microwaves? I need to brush up on my history.
u haz t.p. for your bunghole
@EpsilonCassiopeiae - If you make a median American income, you are already in the to 1%. Check out where you are: http://www.globalrichlist.com/ If things were truly redistributed fairly, you would end up with less than you have now.
@FireMapleSong - Check it out and see where you are: http://www.globalrichlist.com/ If you make a median American income, you are in the top 1% of the world.
@jasonwl - Now I’m curious, how can anyone be ahead of the US in sovereignty? Are you saying that some other power is in control of the US, that we don’t have sovereignty?
Tell me about it. When I lived in Asia, my coworkers worked their asses off to go to the top universities and make…wait for it…less than $25,000 a year and work 60 hours a week, 6 days a week. And these are the people who are doing well. Oh, and we didn’t have potable water either and toilet paper was a rarity when you did find an unlocked bathroom.
@KuyaD - They used old magazine pages. My mom told me outhouse horror stories from when she grew up on a farm.
@EpsilonCassiopeiae - I missed something. When did the banks rob people?
Distributing wealth evenly means many things. We are privileged, yet still oppressed. When will we all decide to be compassionate and reciprocal? #inaperfectworld
@npr32486 - all it takes to be “truly homeless” is to not have a home. you can be temporarily homeless, you can be down on your luck and not have a place to live. you are still homeless.
i understand that it didn’t mean literally in the 1% but that didn’t make it any less tasteless than it was.
Nice post
@Joelllllll - Corporations are people you dumb fuck, groups of people called shareholders. If you were a responsible adult you’d be a shareholder through your retirement plan or some other capacity and you’d want the most favorable political climate possible for the corporations you own.
k
@arae137 - Speak for yourself. I am not oppressed.
@jasonwl - Who, the Waltons? lol controlling the world through cheap merchandise? lol
You’ve got to be kidding, right? Tell me this was a satirical post. It makes no sense. Nobody has a right to be dissatisfied, as long as people do or have had it worse than them?
@TheThinkingPerson - This is really interesting, how exactly did a corporation screw you over?
I am reading this at work, cause the internet cost money at home and is free at work. The guest who stay here pay for it. I have Tea, expired milk, tap water, and a few condiments in my frig, and Ice in my freezer. Yet I do believe that I am blessed.
@hollowhopes - I paid for my own college and I am far from well off. But I do agree with you if you have time to protest then you must be doing okay. I know I have to be at work when I am not sleeping cause the bills have to be paid.
Why does everyone assume this is about the Occupy movement? I didn’t get a hint about that from the blog post.
@WhisperingWings - Yes, there are always exceptions, but one must agree that someone attending a four-year university has some type of funds, because most people don’t have straight-up around 25,000 dollars a year to toss around, even with good financial aid. That is neat you could pay your way though school. I respect that.
To everyone – I also respect people who respect having any type of job right now. I am grateful for my minimum wage job people look down on me for having. And I don’t mind cleaning, and large brute trashcans, and asking people to upsize when it’s embarrassing. I have little respect for people who are “looking for a job” (not really) who won’t take certain jobs because it is “below” them. That is an awful attitude! Some people won’t even apply to retail stores – and that’s not even a bad job! I don’t know WHAT they’re looking for, if you’re 20 and looking to work part-time but NOT willing to work weekends and NOT willing to work for minimum wage. Really, we should be happy there are PLACES hiring for minimum wage here – more than one! It is so dumb to be selective right now.
And if you are being this way, you have absolutely ZERO right to complain about not having a job. Take what’s offered to you! You are not above everyone else!
/End Rant
* Also rich people employ us
If everyone was poor, nobody would hire us
@belleorecluses - Me too. I feel so, so guilty.
@Maverick83 - I feel the same too.
meh…it’s human nature to be greedy.
One thing my pastor says that always gives me goosebumps and makes me open my wallet a little wider (even though I’m legit BROKE half the time): “Let us all live simply so that others may simply live.”
This only shows that life is unfair,,, period!
@hollowhopes - I both agree and disagree with this. I certainly see where you’re coming from, and respect it. I don’t look down on anyone for having any job, or being grateful to have one. But at the same time, I think it’s sad that anyone should have to be grateful for making minimum wage, and I don’t blame people for demanding more. I mean, are you able to make a decent living on minimum wage? If so, I commend you, but I absolutely do not think anyone should have to. Not the current minimum wage. Minimum wage needs to be about 1.5 times what it is now.
“Also rich people employ us. If everyone was poor, nobody would hire us.”
This is true. But we also provide the rich with a means of generating their wealth. Without employees, people can’t attain a high level of wealth (not without winning the lottery or something). It’s a mutually dependent relationship, and while the employers may deserve more of the wealth for taking on the responsibilities entailed in leadership, their workers deserve at least enough of that wealth to make a decent living.
Multi-ply, quilted toilet paper is the dead giveaway that we live in a hyper civilization. Even the vaunted Romans used a sponge on a stick while the rest of the world used their left hand.
Maybe not 1%, maybe we are the top 20% or so…
But in yes, I understand your entry’s analogy.
I thiought we we’re 2%. Owning and using 99% of the planets resources.
meanwhile in America LINK
Agreed. If we distributed the world’s wealth completely fairly, most of the western world would be worse off than they are at the moment. People need to realise that although things aren’t great here at the moment, they’re even worse in other places.
People ASPIRE to have what we have in times of struggle, because, for them, they don’t even have close to that when times are “good”.
I think this is really relevant:
http://posters-for-good.tumblr.com/post/542977597/if-you-have-food-in-your-fridge-clothes-on-your
life is what you make it…i’m privileged cause i WORKED my ass off for it. i help out those in need when i fucking can…so don’t make me feel like an asshole by saying i’m 1%
There are two types of love for your country: the love of the immature man, and the love of the mature man. The immature man believes that his nation is always right and perfect, and the way things are is not to be questioned. The mature man is forever trying to improve his nation–even when others call him a complainer or a rabble-rouser–because he is aware that we live in a changing world. He is aware that as people, we should never stop trying to make life better for each other.
Well said Dan….
My mom grew up in a third world country and she always reminded my sister and me to be thankful for even the little things we had growing up. She said we had it good, and we should not take anything for granted.
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing
the freeness of speech.”
― Benjamin Franklin
@GodlessLiberal - Yes, the Tea Party’s opposition to the federal government’s morbid obesity problem clearly means they’re against indoor plumbing…….
How could they not know it’s the creativity and innovation born of bureaucracies that inspire the creation of these modern day marvels? Who knows what kind of primitive conditions we’d be forced to live under if we were to require Congress cut spending on progressive companies like Solyndra?
It’s hard to make money. It’s important to have the right attitude. I eat cereal mornings, sometimes nights, I gained five pounds. I want to buy twenty pound barbells. I hate winter. I realize I have been living in a dream world for twenty five years. Even to this day I fantasize a lot. Yesterday I felt loney. I have been viewing nude women on internet, wacking off to it. Life is boring, plain and simple.
I have been getting images of Theodan in my head lately, I don’t know why, the images portray Dan to be an evil white guy, could he be in some sort of crisis? I have stopped saying utter nonesense and now I write more intelligently. I am so shy, and that is why meeting people is hard. Also, my personality sucks. I am clearly not good gene material. By some miracle of god, I am not miserable. But if I were to say flat out what I really want to say, I would say, I WISH I HAD THE POWER TO BE SOLE RULER OF MANKIND LIVE FOREVER AND BANG CONCUBINES, THROW BODIES TO THE SHARKS for fun.
I thank God every moment for the richness of my life as a citizen of the United States; BUT you are missing the point of the present 1% protests.
“Occupy Wall Street is primarily against
corporate influence in politics (and thus, corporate person hood). If you
are against the movement, then it must be because you think that
corporations, not people, should decide our elections. It seems that you
haven’t taken the time to figure out what this protest is even about
before deciding your opinion on it.”
…
Coming to China has really been an eye opener for me. =]
I’m currently here in Beijing as an international student. I do not have my parents or any family members here.
I have to share the bathroom with the whole floor of my dorm, which trust me, stinks and is literally a hole in the ground.
I do not have a stove, or a fridge. Every day, I have to walk up to the sixth floor to get to my room. The school will not turn the heater on until the 15th and it’s freezing here.
Back in the US, I had everything and now I don’t. It’s really been an eye opener. And you know? I’m completely grateful.
There are, as you said, many people who are worse off. At least someone comes to clean the bathroom each day (so it could…stink way worse….-shudders-). At least my parents have the financial means to get me a better place in the event I really do want to move. At least I have a roof over my head. At least I have a bathroom to actually use.
Being in Beijing has taught me to be grateful for all the things I have and for all the things I don’t have. Some people don’t even have the basics.
My parents call me every night to make sure I’m ok. They deposit money in my bank account every week because they’re scared I’ll go hungry. I don’t have a fridge. I don’t have a stove. And I don’t have a heater. But at least I have the money to buy one.
Some people don’t.
I know you think you’re being funny…but the simple fact is that your posts are being quite ignorant and missing the point. The problem is not that there are rich people there…hell, even a large majority of the Occupy protesters I’ve met will tell you that. The problem is that the top 1% of earners in this country are unduly influencing a government that is supposed to be for “we the people,” not “we the rich.” As a matter of fact, I can about guarantee you that if you removed the extra loopholes that allowed 1.) private lobbying by corporations (something the average person cannot do as they simply cannot afford such), 2.) private, non-governmental control of both our economy and money supply (as the entire treasury has been run by top officers from Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve is a privately owned bank), and 3.) corporate control over politicians (via campaign funding and the money involved)…a large majority of the Occupy movement would smile, thank you, consider their protests successful…and go home.
That is NOT, however, what has been happening. Private lobbying allows corporations to break the law by treating illegal activities as a “financial risk” in the profit scheme. Non-governmental control of our money supply enables a private bank to print money and pass this on to top executives. (This increases inflation, yet these top executives receive the money prior to the inflation effect, allowing the rich to become richer while everybody else becomes poorer.) Private control of our economy allows heads of large corporations to badly manage a business and then subvert the design of capitalism by claiming to be “too big to fail” and demanding bailouts. (That alone angers people…the fact that these same heads then respond to receiving this bailouts by giving themselves ludicrous bonuses rather than using the money within the economy pisses people off.) Corporate control over politicians causes a whole slew of problems. How many times did a political representative that is elected by the people make a promise and then fail to keep it because corporate demands from their sponsors come first? How many times did we go to war due to lobbying from large arms corporations demanding the income? How many times have we reduced the value of education (indeed, bringing the USA from #1 in education to #31 [with a third world country having better education])…likely due to the fact that corporate America realizes that an uneducated workforce is a source of cheap labor? How many times are people going to turn a blind eye to the fact that young workers (including college graduates with what are supposed to be marketable degrees) face an unemployment rate twice as high as the rest of the population? (Note, by the way, that unemployment only measures those who cannot find work and are actively looking for it.) When are people going to recognize that as a whole, worker productivity has increased by nearly 50% while the average worker’s wages have decreased? (Then, who’s going to notice that this isn’t due to lack of profitability in the workforce…rather, CEO compensation has increased over 500%?)
I don’t know where you stand with the Occupy movement with your back and forth alternations between slander and then claiming “har har just kidding,” but you give off the impression of being nothing more than a deluded zombie on this matter. When are YOU going to wake up?
The question you need to ask about the protests is not why they’re happening…the question is why you’re not down there with them.
ThAnk you for posting this. Least someone has some sence.
This is one of the smartest comments i have read. it is true that Americans have the privilege of power and proper sewage, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is an oppressive society, where the few have power and the many go hungry. I am not as bad off as many of the people I know, but I also am just making it by.@WhisperingWings -
Hehehe I laughed.@derpherp -
Wow. Finally a worthy post and this is the stuff people diss you on. Oh, but they like the posts with pictures of scandalously clad women though. Geez. He’s completely right, people.
Have you yourself lived without food in a fridge, shelter over your head on a cold snowy night? The Occupy Wallstreet movement doesn’t come across to me as a bunch of spoiled kids, but people who keep focusing on that notion come off just as that. Spoiled kids throwing a tantrum.
Heartless rich folk destroying the middle class with their greed.
I 100% agree that we should be thankful…
but ugh. This allusion is so utterly stupid. I think you have a lot of false pride. Emphasis on FALSE. I have the impression that you think that standing up for one’s rights is automatically “playing the victim”, that’s why you despise the occupy wallstreet movement. Maybe you want to believe that you have the entire control about what happens in your life, and that actually everything is easy…a comforting thought but so damn blue eyed. People CAN change something. But sometimes you have to go “unconventional” ways, and in a democracy it all starts with awareness. Anyways…people who “complain” are the people who don’t sit on their ass and watch the world go down.
Good point, things could be much worse than they are right now for most of us who care about social justice. Hence, we are obligated to shut our mouths and let corporations screw us any way they wish. Brilliant reasoning.
@Joelllllll - And neither have most of the people participating in it.
It’s sad how we take so much for granted.
Firstly, much less than 99% of the world lives in absolute poverty, which is what you’re trying to refer to, but, secondly, you’re not talking about absolute poverty. You’re going back and forth between poverty and history before they had technological advances, and the two aren’t interchangeable. 100 years ago they didn’t have the things we have today not because they were poor, but simply because they didn’t have the technology and materials that we have today.
And as we progress, these things become a necessity in life not because we will die without them, but society will leave us behind. We as humans want the nicest things, and we judge others if they don’t have the nicest things. Not everybody does, but most people do whether they realize it or not.
While I don’t agree with the protesters for the simple facts like iPhone presales shooting through the roof, I respect that there are reasons for it, which is why I’m not telling anybody to quit their complaining..
Now for their falsified and sensationalized reports of being brutally attacked when they proove to be false…that’s a different story…
From a purely statistical standpoint, as I do not make over $350,000 a year, I am not the 1%.
And I reject the “Starving Children In Africa” argument on the grounds that there will always be someone in a situation worse than yours, but that fact does not usurp your right to be dissatisfied with your situation, complain about it, and strive to better it.
I don’t have a fridge or a stove but that is by choice. A fridge atract water bugs which you do not want and I have stove but no gas to run it with for reasons of my own.
O gawd, now you can use the “make us all feel bad” scheme. I’m NOT WORRIED ABOUT ME. I’m worried about the kid next door who’s mom is constantly high on heroin, but children and youth won’t help her, because they’re sorely under funded. I’m worried about the old person who just got a triple bypass and is forking thousands of dollars out on it, because medicaid only pays “80%”. I’m worried about the homeless person I just passed on the street, covered in urine, who sleeps on the ground at night and gets kicked by kids walking by.
SO MANY HOMES. SO MANY HOMELESS.
Something has to change.
@PatentMagician - You can find out what percentage you’re in: http://www.globalrichlist.com/
@npr32486 - I was homeless and on xanga. Well I had an account. During the period of being homeless, I barely got to update. I did have hot water at the halfway house, but it came with many bugs invading the tub. Baby centipedes I think? crawling up through the drain, so I chose to pay 5 dollars a month and shower at the YMCA. I sometimes got to get on the internet there, but rarely as usually kids were on it and I didn’t feel like fighting for it.
I thank God every moment for the richness of my life as a citizen of the United States; BUT you are missing the point of the present 1% protests.
“Occupy Wall Street is primarily against corporate influence in politics (and thus, corporate person hood). If you are against the movement, then it must be because you think that corporations, not people, should decide our elections. It seems that you haven’t taken the time to figure out what this protest is even about before deciding your opinion on it.”
I would add that it isn’t even against all the folks who own stock in corporations, but rather it’s against the filthy-rich, ultra-rich, greedy sons of bitches who control the corporations and the corporate spending in politics.
…
I guess we should be happy we have the opportunity to struggle to make ends meet then I guess? Part of being an American is having the option to struggle for something. We should be grateful for that much.
@FallingSafely - Isn’t your comment just a “make us feel bad” comment?
@FallingSafely - labor camps. If they make it like only 4 years, it’ll prevent disability.
I’m about to kill a politician though. Putin’s getting raped–don’t highlight me. The others are going to get dead. I’m banned from the news, which only frustrates me more.
And i’m very into self-preservation. They can make it personal. I got that tricl.
@Naseni - it’s like, this is war. They cannot survive the system that was engineered. I can’t earn anything, and I don’t “deserve” anything. Oh, I’ve thrown a tantrum this time because things happen for reasons.
@phantomFive - Yea, but mine makes sense. Telling us to be happy we have heat is a ridiculous statement. Making us feel bad for having heat? It’s a common necessity in America. Just SCRAPING BY while corporate giants fuck us over is a ridiculous thing to say. Saying “There’s a little girl with a mom who does heroin and no one will help her”. That SHOULD make you feel bad. The stuff he said… is just ridiculous, because there are people out there who don’t have those things and we deserve to fight for them. We shouldn’t be told to shut our traps, because we have it all. And who will fight for her?
Had Paul Volcker been appointed Secretary of the Treasury, none of this would be happening. Yes, we in northern and central North America, by and large, live better than folks in large parts of Africa and Asia. That doesn’t mean we can ignore the poor in our own midst, or stop trying to correct the defects of the system.
Hahaha this is where you are wrong. That sounds like my life.
its foolishly unwise to compare one’s situations with past expectations. we can only base our opinions on the standards of today, because we live today. The past becomes more irrelevant as time moves on.
WHOOOOOOOP!! TOILET PAPER!
We are not 1% or 53% we are 100%.
Someone playing dangerous game with numbers to divide society.
@phantomFive - I live on a student’s income, which puts me in the to 12.88%. When I say “we”, I am referring to literally EVERY person in the entire first world, not median-income earning Americans.
@Joelllllll - I wish I could recommend this comment more than once! This isn’t confusion though. This is people defending corporations and throwing up smokescreens with irrelevant talk of outhouses. I would feel better if this post had to do with missing the point, but I think he gets the point perfectly and is intentionally trying to confuse people on the issue. So disappointed.
This post was moronic.
@Colorsofthenight - Oh… er… i think I misworded my passage, naw I’m more saying that Mr.Cafes attacks calling the 99%ers spoiled is like someone throwing a tantrum. Though on retrospect my comment has no point. My bad.
Once everyone believes this logic the new world order can begin. I’m not ready to be a part of feudalistic society. I AM the 99%.
I actually don’t have a fridge.
The toilet works sometimes, but I also use outside.
Stove and a microwave? Hah thats funny. More like a fire…sometimes we can go out to eat. Often times I settle for raw (like oranges.)
I don’t have a tub/shower. All of my bathing is done with a hose.
Am I privileged? Yes…I’m rich with family and I couldn’t ask for more! I have my boyfriend and three dogs plus I frequently visit his nana. People need to stop being so materialistic. When I had all this stuff, I felt like I had nothing.
@FallingSafely - Your saying we should fight so that someone else takes care of her, or we do something ourselves to help her out?
lmao this made me laugh, you have to be rich to own a microwave and indoor plumbing? pretty sure you could be on government funds to have those things. and SORRY times have changed? if you wanna shit in a hole go ahead lmfao
This is a good reminder. I’m reading “City of Joy” right now, its made me very aware of all the things I didn’t appreciate.
You’re right why they heck do people like me have these privileges? We should tax the hell out of people who have refrigerators, plumbing, internet, toilet paper, microwaves. They’re rich beyond comparison! They don’t deserve that luxury. And while we’re at it, let’s tax the clothes they wear, so they’re left naked on the street.
Oh so you’re in a Middle East being oppressed by a evil dictator, well at least you have a freakin microwave you good for nothing unthankful person.
Indeed, we are more privileged if you compare us to the Developing countries but I wouldn’t go as far as saying we’re all “rich”.
I’m no fan of your usual stuff, but there is a good point made here…And amongst all the debate and opinion within the comments, all that remains is the simple point:
Perspective.
It’s true the fat cats are exploiting the lives of the working, and so we fight for fairness, equality, justice. But at the same time, it’s important to keep in mind …that what we DO have..is already so much more than what the MAJORITY have.
It’s fine to fight for equity. It’s not fine to become greedy and forget out position in the world. The distinction can blurry at times. But with anything sociological, change must start somewhere…even in the most unnecessary of places.
I rarely agree with you Dan, but today I concur wholeheartedly. I recced this, liked it, and posted it to my Facebook. I am so tired of the whiners.
You’re a fucking retard, and a Faux News brainwashed moron. And that’s putting it nicely.
Amen…that’s all I have to say.
I haven’t really cared to really figure out with this whole occupy thing is about. I’m happy where I am with what I have.
And how do you know that some people here aren’t homeless right now, living in a tent somewhere, washing in the river and having to take shits behind the trees, or that their only internet access is at a library?
If it weren’t for my grandmother opening her home to me, I’d be in that position RIGHT NOW. So unless you know what it’s truly like to struggle, you can shut the fuck up about being “privileged.”
What is the point? What has where you poop got to do with anything? Sear&Roebuck Catalog was my ass wipe in my childhood but that was when we could trust our bankers and there was a more equable distribution of resources in the USA. I support the worldwide protests!
I may be part of the 1% but I stand with the 99%. The economy is fucked up and no matter what my socioeconomic status is, I still believe in making things right.
While I don’t really disagree with this post, I do want to say one thing: nothing is this simple.
It’s not “you have it all” vs. “you have nothing.” There are gray areas and complexities, just like with everything else in life.
You’re displaying a lot of black and white thinking, and black and white thinking is rarely relevant or correct.
I’m not into the ‘occupy’ movement, and I’ve never once protested. I think that there are injustices. I’m not against businesses or corporations inherently, but there are some which abuse their power and control, and I don’t think that is right.
However, at the same time, I think that we still have to be grateful for what we DO have. If you do have a lot of the things mentioned in this post (running water, food, internet, etc.), you should take a moment and be happy with what you DO have. Yes, maybe you are being screwed over in some way, and I think that’s unfair, but I am getting tired of all of the complaining. Standing in your city’s downtown area with a homemade sign isn’t going to do anything. Be happy with and grateful for what you do have.
If you have the luxury to stand outside with a sign for this ‘occupy’ movement and you can afford the time to do that, I think that you should consider yourself pretty lucky.
@bryangoodrich - Well, yes, that’s rather obvious. Dan’s not known for his intellect. So, this one is perhaps *more* moronic than his average fare, but it should really surprise no one.
The Occupy Wall Street movement is working. Your posting about it is proof. Everyday more and more people are discussing it. They are expressing their views and attempting to define what is happening. It is the first great movement of the masses in the computer age that will change our world forever. Computers are changing society exponentially more than the invention of the printing press did. It’s a good thing.
Corporate greed, political corruption, and environmental destruction have gone unchecked for too long. This coming together of the masses is about sustainability to ensure future generations have the luxuries you mentioned above.
~Truth & Knowledge~
@the_rocking_of_socks - He’s trolling you guys.
I love finding the 1% of blogs on the front page worth clicking on.
If I were a rec whore, I’d be doing it right now.
even the 1 percent are still 98 percent chimpanzee
It is sad that even post of opinion and observation can bring forth contemptuous attitudes like the one voiced by EpsilonCassiopeiae. Is there such a demand to open wounds and incite class warfare that no one can speak what they feel anymore? Have we as a nation sunk to such a hideous low that we can browbeat the freedom of speech out of the constitution? As a dear friend in Pennsylvania, who although a staunch liberal, would put it, FERFUKKSSAKE people, get a LIFE.
AMEN!
Well you know, 1% isn’t that small. It’s 1 out of 100 people.
This post made all of my worries go away. Thank you.
@bloggicus_maximus - Trolling or not, this is the kind of bullshit that makes my blood boil.
I get it. Despite living in a wooden shack for the majority of my life, drinking muddy water, and living off of saltine crackers, I get it that in comparison I am still rich. That, however, is on a world-wide scale. I know, I know, and I want to help the world too…. America has spent so much time focusing on other nations. Despite our heroic need to help everyone in every other country, we can’t, not really. And despite the fact that many Americans may be rich in comparison to those in other counties, we still have our own poor. We have children starving on our streets. We have men and women eating out of the garbage. We have Americans and illegal immigrants living together in the backwoods of the South in trailers that should have been burned down because they are too dangerous to live in. We have people that can’t get an education because even after Grants and scholarships, someone has to take a loan. We have a great amount of poverty in our country that people want to ignore and say is acceptable because even our poor has it better off than Africa, or China, or the Middle East’s poor. Quite frankly, THAT IS BULLSHIT. Poverty is poverty, and poverty in each nation is horrible. People want to help the poor in other countries tremendously, but you can’t give what you don’t have. And that is money. :p
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@mycontinuity - Thanks for the reply, but I was merely pointing out the disorienting abruptness of the second sentence I quoted from the entry.
This is a joke, right?
@the_rocking_of_socks - That’s kind of the point.
you know, I’ve been thinking a lot about the occupy wall street crowd. There’s a lot of precident when it comes to public outcry in the u.s., about injustices. We are lucky to live in one of the few countries that allows it. That said, the occupy wall street” guys are barking down the wrong tree when they seek to blame corporate america and the financial industry, and they haven’t a clue when it comes to what policy changes might actually be effective in changing the growing inequities in income distribution and quality of life in the united states. However, the issues they are harping on are as “bang on” as those in the 20′s when workers weren’t treated fairly, when working conditions were dispicable, and when there was a tremendous amount of power and money in the hands of the few. Frankly, a lot of the occupy wall street crowd’s complaints have been addressed already — and they are so stupid they don’t even know it, nor do they know the potential damage those legislative changes might bring. But there are other complaints that still can be addressed. And I’m proud to live in an America where people are free to voice their complaints. It may be that we can get out of the “hole” through a return to growth, or a democracy that actually works together to initiate change — be it in tax policy or some other route — that will rectify some of the real complaints that are being voiced.
So, what did they use before toilet paper?
You can’t compare a one of the world’s super-power countries to a third-world one. Our poor people here are 300 lbs, no shit we “have it better” than a malaria-infested, starving hellhole. The reason people are getting mad is because 1% of American people hold half of the United States’ wealth. It is something to get pissed about, “the American dream” is definitely becoming more and more something of the past.
er..I’m not complaining and found this post a bit annoying.
This honestly was a beautiful post. Good job!
you sound like a greedy, selfish asshole. and your comparisons suck. if you ever ran the country, america would crash and burn, and the whole world would rejoice.
God forbid we want something better
@phantomFive - because children and youth is sorely underfunded. The children in our country have it the worse. The shortest end of the stick. Somebody else SHOULD be taking care of her, but people have called and they won’t/can’t help her.
@FallingSafely - Yeap. I know your type. Always want someone else to do something.
@EpsilonCassiopeiae - *like*.. Haha.. I definitley agree with you there!
I may have a working toilet, I guess you could say “clean” water (even though its undrinkable) but I am pretty poor.. My fridge is NOT full, it barly has anything in it tbh.. But I am working, my boyfriend is working… Hm…..
@hollowhopes - I really do believe I am blessed. I am thankful for what I have and really do not miss what I don’t. I agree with you, when jobs are hard to find you do what you need to do to put food on the table and keep yourself clean. I work as a front desk clerk at an Inn. I do it because I like the hours and am in charge of myself and the Inn. I am not stupid, I have an education, and never assume that someone who works at a desk of any kind is less than I am. People who help at stores are some of the smartest people, and some are average, but everyone one should be treated as thought they are important. Never Assume, cause you just make an ass out of you and me! Much respect for you honey!
This movement is just merely ponting out. That the 1% percent mostly the banks and wallstreet that got bailouts off the back of the middle class. Now refuses for the most part to lend to small bussinesses or create jobs. They also are not paying their fair share of the taxes to run this country. These people are secretly running this country through their lobbyists who control congress and the white house. Being a citizen I think we all have the right to say to every politician” that we are not asleep at the wheel anymore”!
Thanks for this reminder!
I agree with alot of your post. Maybe it’s because I’m in Canada and I don’t have to worry about my medical (no one in Canada needs to). I don’t have to worry about losing my home, because things work differently here with mortgages. It’s harder to get a home than in the US, but MUCH harder to lose it.
In every country there are poor people. According to statistics, we are low income. However we live within our means. And in honesty, I didnt try to go to University, I don’t care much that I just work part time. My life is simple, we arent starving. We have heat and hot water, a roof over our heads, food to eat. (if we didnt have food, there are food banks and churches that help out, but we are not in need of those services) We have internet (no cable though, by choice) I have a smart phone. A laptop.It is places like in third world countries, and drought ridden Africa that I see the real injustice. I see dying children that I can’t help. A corrupt government and militia that makes aid almost impossible… maybe if America straightens themselves out, they will be in a better position to reach other countries. Maybe if America works on fixing what’s wrong inside, starting with this ‘occupy’ movement that is taking off (which incidentally was kickstarted by some Canadians, go figure!) , they can better help those who are dying of starvation by the thousands. Global change can only occur one step at a time.I can’t afford what many people can, but I can afford to sit in front of my laptop, with a cup of hot coffee and read this post. My life really isn’t bad at all.