What’s Your Tipping Point?

Either you're "getting it" or you're not.

Let’s just come out swinging here. To my fellow citizens from the ages of 30 to 60 criticizing or mocking this new Occupy Wall Street movement: what have your own generations left as a legacy on this country?

Your inaction is disappointing. The snark, unbearably despicable.

If you fall in the age bracket of A) younger than those who protested in the late 1960′s/early 1970′s and B) older than 80′s babies, then this sad state of affairs in the United States happened on your watch.

You haven’t been part of the solution. A quick recap of things your complacency accomplished:

• Repeal of Glass-Steagall Act

• The Great Recession

• That Other Recession…”fixed” By President Reagan

• 1,271 Executions Since 1976 (even by firing squad up until 2010)

• Obscenely Expensive Elections (Crown Jewel: 2008′s $5.8 billion)

• Iraq

• Iraq the Sequel

• Afghanistan

• Bush Tax Cuts (during aforementioned wars)

• Corporate Personhood – definition

• Slashed Capital Gains Tax Rate from 48% to 28%

• Union Busting (Private sector union % in 1970: 29%, in 2004: 7.9%)

• Commodity Futures Modernization Act

• $20 Billion Wall Street Bonuses

• US Educational System Rank: #17

• Average Student Loan Debt: $24,000

• Citizens United case

• Sooooooo many other things

When finally a substantial group of people have started to wake up and organize against these things at the grassroots–and the real grassroots, not a covertly funded movement co-opted by the dysfunctional-but-comfortable establishment…you all chime in with a plethora of complaints and jabs. America! Don’t fall into the trap of reacting only with pessimism and apathy. Stop being so predictable, “The worst of all attitudes is indifference.”

“Psshhh…bongo drums…what a joke.”

“I mean, ugh, what do you expect to get paid with a fine arts degree?”

A Joke

Seriously?! Seriously?! (Catchphrase courtesy of CNN’s Erin Burnett: read more about her awful comedic timing, here and here)

Please, don’t call Occupy Wall Street supporters young or naive or deluded. In fact, those are gross generalizations of a movement that gains a bigger audience and more diversity each day. Many have bachelors, masters and PhD’s. There are families and retirees out protesting. Occupy Wall Street is not just hippies and anarchists. The 99% aren’t just fringe, wackos, druggies, lazy or whatever other names you want to call them. Statistically speaking, you’re probably a member yourself.

And so what if the Occupiers are young? Those “unfocused” “twenty-somethings” being snarked at and discredited in the media have only been able to vote in the last few elections. How many have you had? How many years have you passively elected, or allowed to win, the same Congressperson or Senator in your district? The same ones that have a measly 11% approval rate now?  How many of you have clung tightly to your party lines, even when your options were Shitty and Shittier? Our political structure is completely bought off, our leaders have no backbones and there is gridlock in Washington. You all haven’t exactly been poster children for the ideal democratic process.

Stop reverting to tired criticisms of younger people’s usage of Twitter and Facebook and smartphones. No matter how smugly clever you believe you are being, it’s probably been said before. It’s a stale cliche at this point…and guess what? We’re using these tools to organize, and doing it better than you ever demonstrated in recent history. Middle-aged fake Tea Partiers needed the Koch Brothers‘ conservative funding to get off the ground. Look around, the authentic Tea Party agrees with a few of the Occupy Wall Street viewpoints. They are showing up to Zuccotti Park purely by word of mouth. Average citizens with opposing ideas are finding common ground, as we should have been doing all along. Stop being divisive and stop standing in the way of people making effort. Some American citizens aren’t dead inside just yet.

Admit you don’t yet understand this movement and earnestly educate yourself. How about holding your tongue for a few moments, suspending your judgements and learning about what is going on? Stop being played for a fool and seek out some alternative information to FOX News or CNN or other corporate-owned media. This movement is not exactly kind towards corporations, although that is not to say that everyone involved hates them. However, do you honestly believe you will get an unbiased view from the very same conglomerates that are at the nucleus of the Occupiers grievances? Biggest favor you could do yourself? Find the nearest Occupy Together event to speak face to face to an Occupier. Speak to more than one, there are no official spokespeople for the movement. Find out for yourself what the 99% are saying and what they stand for. They don’t bite.

Occupy Wall Street is growing every day, Oct 5 crowds hit 10,000-15,000

No matter what happens, the statement has already been made. The movement is not a fad. Occupy Wall Street is growing. This generation is not going to roll over. Clearly, our nation’s political, economic and social houses are not in order. People are angry, are trying to come together and are attempting to do something about the unchecked injustices.

On the global level, Americans are late to the show. Our Spanish, Egyptian, Greek, Bahraini, Libyan, Portuguese, Syrian, British and French peers have already been launching forceful campaigns for change. This generation is getting its legs underneath them all over the world. The generations immediately before us haven’t been the best example.

So, Occupy Wall Street:

Is it organized? Yes, but it’s leaderless.

Is it democratic? Yes.

Are there some nutcases mixed in? Of course.

Is there a one demand yet? Not yet, and most people involved are just fine with that.

Will it be a lengthy process? Yes.

Have a lot of people reached their tipping point? Yes. Finally.

So what’s yours? We’re waiting. Indignez-vous!