5 ways "we" ruined the occupy wall street generation

bump for a good read

 

Aaaaand somebody gets it.

Good read. A lot more serious than people realize. Especially when 20 years from now all those people throwing McDonald's applications on protesters are going to be sitting in 2nd-run nursing homes because they people who were supposed to be paying for their Social Security got McDonalds applications dumped on them instead of decent-paying jobs.

 

not sure what you mean by this?

if I'm out of work and the only place thats hiring is McDonalds you bet your ass I will be working at mcdonalds to help support my family. Granted I would still be looking for a better job every day until I got one...Do what you gotta do man.

 

I think you missed the point of the article completely, then.

Millons of people are out of work because the people who control the financial operations of the country undertook extremely risky and in some cases illegal practices. Millions have lost their homes. The average wage in America is essentially the same as it was in 1950 (accounting for inflation). And you don't think that people have a right to be pissed?

And my second statement was in reference to the quickly evaporating Social Security scenario. If this many people are unemployed (or under-employed) for very much longer, Social Security is going to dry up that much faster. So, when the people tossing McDonalds applications while shaking their fists screaming "get a job, hippie," eventually get old and retire and come looking for their benefits, there won't be any.

 

gotcha. I guess I was just misreading what you had wrote.

 

if the working middle class was as educated on the matter as the unemployed "educated" middle class we wouldn't be peacefully protesting. we would be kickin in doors and mudafi'in people. unfortunately, working like slaves and being distracted by survival..... and facebook, forums and building fancy trucks has its benefits.....for who and until when im not sure. everyone turning into zombies is a metaphor in case you were wondering.

 

x2

 

No worries. And yeah, if working at McDonalds is the only way to put food on my family's table, you better believe I'm right there with you.

It's just that it shouldn't have to come to that -- especially when people have taken on mountains of student loan debt because the were instructed that with an education and hard work they'll always have a decent job.

 

My response to that is simple, everything in life is based on personal choices. People need to understand that there are consequences to the choices they make.

They chose to take out massive student loan debt rather than going to community college and get the same degree for 50% cheaper.

Blaming other people for choices YOU made isn't going to fix the underlying problem. At the end of the day YOU are the person who controls your outcome in life. NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU.

I'm about $40k upside down on my house now because of the fallen real estate market. Does it suck? Yes. Am I going to cry about it and expect someone else to forgive my underwater debt on my house because of a choice I made? HELL NO, I SIGNED ON THE DOTTED LINE agreeing I would pay back that money so I'm going to do whatever it takes to payoff that money. I was willing to accept the risk.

Personally, I think these occupiers need to get off their ass and do something to fix THEIR problems and not wait for someone else to do it for them. Our society has completely forgotten about individual responsibility.

 

i literally got to watch a bus load of those bastards get arrested while i was eating dinner on sunday...it was quite entertaining

 

That was awesome, sadly I am part of the Occupy generation but I learned how to do manual labor and actually think for myself rather than follow the crowd through my raising as a child.

 

Hey, I'm underwater on my house, too. I haven't missed a payment and I don't plan too.

I'm not talking about lazy, shitless, witless assclowns who just want a handout. I'm talking about people who have a legitimate beef.

Personal responsibility is all well and good until someone uses those traits to make immoral or illegal practices in order to capitalize on them. That's where there needs to be a reckoning. If a person majors in psychology and can't find a job, that's one thing -- a bad personal choice.

But when corporations artificially inflate assets and engage in risky practices like credit-default swaps -- when the rug gets pulled out from ordinary people who are just trying to play by the rules in order to have a decent life -- you better believe they have the right to get pissed.

Lastly, it is not all about personal choice. It has been statistically proven that it is exponentially harder for people coming from a middle-class background to pull themselves up to an upper-class one than for the upper-class to slip, no matter their "personal choices." It's even HARDER for lower-class backgrounds to pull up to middle-class. Now I'm not blaming things on the wealthy -- the wealthy serve as a beacon light for people to strive to achieve -- but there aren't a lot of "personal choices" necessary to be born into a trust fund, pay for your grades, then take over daddy's company when he retires.

 

Want more reasons to be mad at "The Establishment?"

Fannie, Freddie executives score $100M payday post bailout

 

I think that mom's wet wipe's and breast feeding till age 32 has something to do with it...Little Tommy and Sally are so special.. The world owes them something just for being here... Jim

 

Yeah, but little Tommy and Sally were also the ones that got passed along through school because they have ADD, or their teachers were bad or standardized testing is unfair or anything that made it so it wasn't mommy & daddy's responsibility that their children were stupid and unprepared for the world.

That knife cuts both ways, Jimbo. By the way, how's the trolling been?

 

Trolling is easy on TW,,,,, hows it for you? Turn in all your guns for new shoes yet???

 

Nope. Still got the only 2 I need.

 

See, I don't entirely buy that. It's a cop-out IMO. Is it easier for someone with a trust fund to make it? Sure. However the number of people who make it in the world because they have a trust fund is a very small percentage. Most "Rich" people are "rich" because of hard work and sacrifice, Many of them own their own businesses and put in long hours and sacrifice a lot to better their businesses. The great thing about our country is through hard work and discipline, and the will to take a little risk, anyone can do anything they want. As soon as you start buying into the "Bobby-Joe has it is easier than me and I'm just a measly middle class person" you're only setting yourself up for failure.

A friend of my boss for example, just bought the most expensive home in the state of GA http://www.ballerhouse.com/2008/03/21/le-reve-47000-sq-ft-georgia-chateau-w-private-golf-course/ he paid $13 million cash for the house, no mortgage.
He grew up as an orphan jumping from foster family to foster family, had no money, no trust fund, nothing. He worked hard and eventually opened up a medical supply company and made a name for himself and a nice fortune. He also employs a lot of people who work for him.

Sorry, I just have no sympathy for people who come up with excuses as to why they can't do something.

 

i think he's a bit harsh on Motley Crue. wft?

what i am learning from all of this is that the middle class should probably be more interested in social capital models these days - it's not just for minorities. bursting bubbles push the entire population back in status.

 

The rich treat our country and economy like a giant casino... Unfortunately we cant get up and walk out. They forget some of us live over by the blackjack table. TheY gamble with our hard work, our ingenuity, our labor in order to make a buck... Then when they lose their shirts at the roulette table they expect us to give them some of our money. The middle class is the backbone of this country and I for one am tired of insuring their losses with my money and my hide (being in military and all)