Open: Occupy Wall Street
...the streets, the doors, and your eyes
The unifying idea of the Occupy Wall Street protests is in one, minimalist word: OPEN. In both the literal and figurative sense of the word, OPEN needs to happen to help people help themselves. In recent years, more and more businesses, services and opportunities have closed down, creating a chain reaction of misfortune as a result of unemployment, underemployment, foreclosure, people going hungry, homelessness, bankruptcy, lack of medical care, loss of life savings, loss of educational opportunities, insurmountable debt, and, perhaps as bad as anything, loss of hope. The protesters are demanding the kinds of change that make it possible to reopen opportunities for a better life. Those who see the protesters as whining for entitlements, the “1%” or those sympathetic with that rarified group, have blinded themselves to the very real suffering that is happening, or else have no compassion.
Minimalists are big on reducing needs, winnowing things down to sustainable levels, so that a modest income can cover our basics without resorting to credit card debt or becoming slaves to work we hate. Personal Responsibility means getting real with spending habits, and determining if one really needs those “needs.” And that’s great. Eliminating debt, downsizing to smaller homes, to one or no cars, cooking at home, ditching cable TV, and not falling prey to advertising that says we need new wardrobes, laptops, cellphones, gadgets, etc., are within the grasp of anyone who chooses to put their minds to it. The rewards are immense, on both a financial and personal level. This kind of fiscal mindfulness cannot be compared to the experience of those who are forced into deprivation, but in some lucky cases it was a preemptive strike.
Occupy Wall Street is about a set of problems much greater than consumer debt. It is a common misconception that the economy’s woes are the direct result of credit card debt and people buying more house than they can afford. The credit and mortgage crises are actually a symptom, the result of a lack of regulation and accountability for both financial institutions and corporations. Our own culpability comes in not demanding that our government apply the previously mentioned sense of Personal Responsibility in the form of regulating the flow of our money. Of course, if we aren’t awake enough to apply it to ourselves, we are not likely to be awake enough to force the government to do the same. Nonetheless, capitalism’s drive for profit has been left unchecked by the very institutions that had once been in place to restrain it for the common good.
Let’s consider paying down debt: at the very least, you need a job, one well above minimum wage. At this time there are 4.3 unemployed people for every job available in this country. Most of these jobs, as well as the ones already taken, are minimum wage and have no health insurance. Many are part-time. Paying down credit card debt, let alone paying down a mortgage, is not going to happen for an awful lot of people no matter how badly they want to do it. When the debt is the result of a perfect storm of unregulated finance charges, loss of equity because the housing market crashed, and loss of employment, insurance, and savings, telling these people it’s their own fault is tantamount to telling those who have no bread to eat cake. It’s cruel, it’s wrong, and incredibly insensitive. And it will foment rebellion, if not the guillotine, the historically inevitable end to any 1%.
Nothing is wrong with making lots of money, but something is wrong with stealing it and then tossing it back and forth to each other like ball while the rightful owners are trying to leap up and get it back. The money is recirculating among the people who need it the least; it’s buying political clout, it’s sending good jobs overseas, it’s not paying its fair share of taxes that support collectively-enjoyed benefits such as infrastructure, social security and disability, police and fire departments, and other public safety personnel such as food inspectors, air traffic controllers, the Coast Guard, environmental monitors, etc.
We of the 99% can indeed vote with our dollars and boycott sociopathic companies and financial institutions. But it won’t fix lack of regulations, proper taxation, and accountability, the elements that can affect our whole quality of life. It’s too late for change through boycotts alone, because we were lulled into a stupor by consumerism, believing anything that’s advertised–that’s why companies like BP can have the unmitigated gall to run a commercial saying how nice it is to vacation in the gulf, because test-marketing has shown we’ll buy anything if it’s presented in a “we care” way. The distribution of money is now so skewed that even the elimination of all personal and corporate debt will not change things for the better, if the way it is distributed doesn’t change. This is why it is now necessary for us to take to the streets and to support those who go in any way possible, to demand this fundamental change in the way things work.
So, OPEN the streets to nonviolent protests and demonstrations. OPEN the media to report on things as they really are. OPEN the political process to human voices, not dollar bills. OPEN the factories and local businesses and OPEN their hiring offices. OPEN access to medical care by bringing costs into line. OPEN the spigots of income again by restoring taxes for millionaires. OPEN the dialogue between lenders and homeowners. OPEN the access to affordable education again. OPEN government information about our environment and international affairs. OPEN the path to clean energy and freedom from the oil companies. OPEN the opportunity for a third of our country’s people to get back on their feet. OPEN your minds to educate yourself about the power of money on this scale, and IMAGINE a better quality of life for the average person.
Most of all, OPEN YOUR EYES, and see the corporations and Wall Street for what they really are, see advertising for what it really is, and remember what happens when we don’t exercise our larger Personal Responsibility to speak out, protest, vote with our dollars, and demand accountability from the get-go.
47 Responses to “Open: Occupy Wall Street”
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So poignantly perfect! Thank you for this! We try to vote with our dollars, but still it doesn’t seem to get us too far (especially when I get a lot of virtual backlash for how I spend my money even though we are “poor” and utilize one small gov’t funded program). Thank you for using your voice (er…computer) to say speak for us all in such a rational way!
Megyn @ Minimalist Mommi recently posted..That One’s TOO Big!
Thanks, Megyn–our dollar “votes” are often forced because we can’t afford to “vote” another way, such as for more wholesome food. And the “votes” that nobody can choose otherwise are when we purchase anything electronic, as almost none of it is made by our workers, and far too much of it is made in an environmentally destructive manner. Yet another reason the way things are done has to change.
WOW Meg! Powerful piece, and absolutely right on. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Karen. Yet so much more can be said, and I hope everyone finds their own way to speak out.
Thank you Meg. I haven’t read a better analysis of the problems (and solutions) needed.
You’re welcome, Robin. I edited out a large chunk of examples of protester’s stories in the hopes that my line of thinking wouldn’t get swallowed up by the emotional side of things. But it’s hard not to feel the anger and frustration.
This is fantastic Meg. You articulated my thoughts perfectly — in a way I couldn’t. Thank you for the smartest review of OWS I’ve read to date.
Jenny @ exconsumer recently posted..Emergency Fund Savings Update – September
Hi Jenny–wow, that’s a serious compliment, because you are very articulate about the machinations of the economy and marketing. Glad I was able to contribute.
Well said!
Juhli recently posted..Sometimes frugal just happens
Thanks, Juhli!
So many good points in this post. Thank you. One thing: the stupor of consumerism is more complex, no? For a while, it was cheaper to consume than to produce, right? And we’ve learned how to consume while also un-learning how to produce. That is one more reason why boycott is insufficient: we, as a people, have lost many of the skills necessary to produce and maintain our goods and at the same time, we have lost the community that nurtured production and maintenance. So most folks *have* to purchase items that feed this same corporate greed. Not disagreeing with you at all, and I plan to share this post with others. Just adding to the conversation.
Hi Philosophotarian–yes, you are quite right about the stupor of consumerism (great phrase, by the way)–it is the very essence of our culture, and has pervaded other cultures, as well. The other trap is an economic one–the less money there is available, the less anyone can afford quality custom-made goods. “They” have us where they want us, I guess. Thanks for chiming in, much appreciated
I can’t help but like a post that uses “unmitigated gall.” It’s always a winner
I seem to remember some people’s heads getting cut off in the past for this kind of wild mis-distribution of wealth. This country baffles me, we’re big, we’re powerful, and we seem to be in a stupor. At least some of us are waking up!
Terra@TheSimplePoppy recently posted..A Few Disjointed Thoughts…
Hi Terra–you crack me up ;D Yep, I couldn’t help but think of the French Revolution and the “let them eat cake” mentality of so many who deride the OWS effort. I hope enough of us are waking up–and staying awake from here on out!
Beautifully said, Meg, beautifully said.
“The distribution of money is now so skewed that even the elimination of all personal and corporate debt will not change things for the better, if the way it is distributed doesn’t change. This is why it is now necessary for us to take to the streets and to support those who go in any way possible, to demand this fundamental change in the way things work.”
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..99% and The Lost Art of Being Gentle With Yourself
Thanks, Tanja. I hope everyone here goes and reads your own heart-wrenching post on this topic. We all need to speak out for what is right.
You hit up the logical side of things with your post Meg, and I went straight for the heart.
I hope to hear more people’s perspectives, even if they disagree with the entire ows concept. Open dialogue is one of the first steps for any changes, and I can only hope more people decide to turn off the tv and have a conversation about ows instead. I’m glad to see a conversation starting about it here.
Thank you for sharing such a lucid and compelling piece on the subject Meg.
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..Occupy Daytona Florida: Raise Your Voice
This piece should be in every newspaper in the country. Amazing! Thank you, Meg.
And thank you, PJ, for reading it
Sorry. Can’t join in the lovefest over this post. You included several inaccuracies, at least one giant leap of logic, and a faulty premise to reach your conclusion.
I have no desire to debate but what I will take an opportunity to make 2 quick points.
1) the unemployed. Terrible, yes. Difficult, absolutely. But one of the big reasons that no one wants to talk about is the lack of qualified persons to fill positions that are sorely needed and that also pay well. Americans are no longer equipped to do math or science. We’ve known this for decades and chose to keep throwing cash into educational systems rather than reform the system. As a result we have hoards of high school graduates who go on to get useless degrees and then complain that they can’t get jobs. I am personally aware of dozens of positions that are in need of even a marginally qualified candidate. They keep getting resumes but the candidates aren’t remotely qualified. So the business doesn’t grow, in fact can’t grow.
2) it is still beyond me how people can continue to blame the lender for people defaulting on loans. Two words. Personal Responsibilty. Don’t borrow what you can’t repay. Don’t buy more house than you can afford. My husband and I were responsible and purchased a modest home which we could pay off in 15 years. We chose to forego the showpiece home on the hill. It is not our responsibility to bail out those who “went for it” when they shouldn’t have.
Let me also add that when you are angry at Wall Street, who do you think will get hurt? It is the middle class person who’s retirement hopes are bound to 401k performance. And how do 401k plans prosper? When a company turns a profit. And when a CEO is skilled enough to turn a profit which will help my husband and I retire, I don’t mind him making a LOT of money. He is helping me. The middle class. One of the 99% who is not looking for a hand out or someone to blame for my choices.
Americans don’t even know what a bootstrap is anymore, let alone have the gumption to pull themselves up by one.
Obviously we do not agree, but I wish you well. Unfortunately, the problems with Wall Street are the biggest threat to your 401k, as all too many others who have carefully planned have learned to their detriment.
Hello Kim,
I’d like to respectfully address your first point with a follow-up thought. Perhaps workers could be given on the job training for these positions. If the workers find themselves unable to afford an education that will provide them with the training they need, maybe it is time for businesses to create more robust on the job training programs.
What I said here isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s the beginning of a conversation.
With respect,
Tanja
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..Occupy Daytona Florida: Raise Your Voice
It seems most of the people at the top of the financial ladder have lost their moral compasses somewhere along the way. This country is becoming a place that I am embarrassed and almost ashamed to be a citizen of. The rich get richer upon the backs of the poor, and the government, whose job it is (or should be) is to protect the less fortunate is all bought and paid for by the rich, so it does their bidding. The greedy continue to hoard wealth while others lose jobs, lose homes, go hungry, and go without health care.
Thanks for writing this, Meg.
Mike | Homeless On Wheels recently posted..Exploring RV Living – Staying Connected
Hi Mike–it has become a moral issue, there’s no doubt about it. When I read what other countries have managed to put into place for the typical citizen, I feel like we’re stuck in a Charles Dickens novel. One unfortunate event in the lives of any one person can set off a chain reaction leading to disastrous consequences. Very sad.
wow kim. don’t beat around the bush, tell us how you really feel!
i’m a widow. i live minimally and quite happily on a retirement pension and my husband’s social security widow’s benefits. i stayed with a job i did not particularly like for over 20 years. i paid into a retirement fund, matched by the employer. now i (supposedly) do not have to worry. but my needs are few. i am very content. i live in a small cottage that the bank and i own for many years yet to come. and no, it wasn’t expensive. it just is what it is.
the gap between the very very rich and the middle (are there any in the middle anymore?) and the poor seems to be widening rapidly now. thanks to madison avenue and the telly, everybody is discontent unless they have what they see the “have’s” already have. it’s a constant drip of selling them more, more, more.
i thought this post was well written. and yet i agree with some of what you say kim as to the education quotient of the problem. germany does not believe that every single person should go to college and therefore puts much value on the “trades” or technical aspect of education. in this country, you are urged to go into massive debt to receive a degree that guarantees nothing. and you stand there knowing little, with your paper in hand, and often have not enough common sense to come in out of the rain.
we are broken. and the fixes are going to be hard and take a long time. but it has to start somewhere and if the ows is a beginning… i say bring it on!
tammy j
Thanks for your counter-comment, Tammy, and for sharing your situation. The educational issue is a problem. It is unfair to blame those who went through the system that was already in place for being ill-suited for what good jobs are out there, and fixing this problem will take a tremendous amount of time and effort–and money, of course. Lots and lots of money from–what else?–income taxes. Seems fairer than ever to ask the millionaires to pay their fair share of taxes to help create a workforce suitable for their industries, doesn’t it? Bring it on, indeed!
Gutsy piece Meg. So many good points brought out in your piece and in comments!
Personal responsibility is a HUGE factor (in my opinion) in all aspects of the financial mess the U.S is experiencing. People buying to much house (and in many cases, knowing full well they were in over their heads to begin with) and our gluttony for ‘things’ has us in deep do-do.
When I bought my first house in 1979, we were required to put a minimum of 20% down and our mortgage, taxes, and insurance could not exceed 30% of our income. After building my second home and going through a divorce, I bought out my ex with a ‘no doc’ loan. The mortgage company had no business giving me that loan. Luckily, I had a lot of equity and the house was unique enough it sold for a great price even when the market was tanking. Either way it went, I never would have taken the stance that it was anyone elses responsibility but my own.
I strive to be empathetic but I tend to agree with Kim’s thought that, “Americans don’t even know what a bootstrap is anymore, let alone have the gumption to pull themselves up by one.” However, the thought that we should all go into (sometimes) overwhelming debt to earn a college degree in math or science so that we are qualified for higher paying jobs leaves me cold. Perhaps focusing on the simpler things in life like clean air, clean water, simple housing, and more time spent with family will get us back on track. Maybe a more content population won’t stuff themselves with garbage food, the latest most up-to-date gadgets, designer pets, and brand new cars. Maybe if we all spent more time in the out-of-doors, growing our own food, helping less fortunate people in our communities, working to clean up our environment, and rescuing homeless animals, we’d be happier, less self-centered, unhappy humans. Maybe.
Darris recently posted..Bodega Bay Surfers . . .
Hi Darris–Personal Responsibility is one of the shared values among minimalists and simple living advocates, and a lot of us have embraced it after first-hand experience with the rabbit hole of debt. Pulling oneself up out of debt by the bootstraps is exactly how it is done–hunker down and eliminate all expenses except food, utilities, housing, etc., and put every spare dime toward paying off the credit cards and loans.
To do this you need to be employed full-time, or to hold down two or more part-time jobs. The job has to pay more than minimum wage in almost every instance. To keep the job you need to stay healthy, particularly if there is no health insurance coverage. To get and stay out of debt you cannot incur any more debts, such as medical bills or major car or home repair bills. And you cannot burn out, or make waves by standing up for yourself, because jobs are scarce and the employer has you by the balls.
That’s one scenario. Now, let’s consider the scenario where you’ve done everything right: got a degree in the “right” field, and without incurring crippling debt (I guess that leaves out teachers), got a good-paying job with a solid company, complete with medical, 401k, and acceptable working conditions, and kept your major expenditures conservative, with modest home and car, all very commendable, and you can look forward to a comfortable retirement with the satisfaction of having played your cards exactly right. Then something happens:
You become seriously ill or hurt in a car accident, or your child does, and your employer can’t give you any more time off, or you have a special-needs child and the expenses are not covered by your insurance, or your house is wiped out in a natural or mad-made disaster and compensation is so slow in coming you take out loans, or your company finds itself on the wrong end of a class-action lawsuit and puts you on the wrong end of cutbacks, or your company is bought by another company and suddenly your job is at risk unless you’re willing to put in more hours for less pay because your seniority is seen as an unnecessary expense, or, heaven forbid, companies that are “too big to fail” create a situation that wipes out your retirement fund two years before you’re set to retire.
We make a lot of our own problems, it is true. But the point I’m trying to make is that there are insufficient regulations in place to protect the people who have done everything right! There aren’t any bootstraps for people in these situations, just a horrendous level of stress and uncertainty, and it’s worse as one approaches retirement age.
Even in the best-case educational scenario, where everyone looking for work was qualified for professional level jobs, there’s still only 1 job for every 4.3 people looking for one. Would the remaining 3.3 be at fault? What should they live on while they wait for more jobs to open up?
History shows us that once an underclass is created, there is almost no way to change it without government intervention. It’s one of the most important functions of government. You and I were lucky that our financial scenarios weren’t worse than they were, and that we had the option of being able to live more frugally to compensate for our mistakes and for the larger economic crisis. My heart is breaking for those who have no options, whose ranks are growing by the day.
I fully agree that we’d be happier humans by connecting with nature, growing our food, and living with compassion, and focusing on a clean sustainable environment. But for that to happen, the government must step in to stop polluters, and establish living wages and family support policies. Very few companies will establish them voluntarily, so it now becomes part of our Personal Responsibility to see that our government does its job.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.
Poignant response . . . just so happens we’re near retirement and have gone through some tough spots the past few years. At this very moment my husband hasn’t been working (self-employed) because of sciatica. I didn’t even know what it was until he was flat on his back in excruciating pain . . .
S$%t happens, that’s why the bumper sticker was so bloody popular. Thanks for giving us good perspective Meg.
Darris recently posted..The End of Summer . . .
Feel a need to respond to the comments about education (as someone who’s worked in that field for 22 years): We’ve been in a process of reform throughout my entire career. High school today may look much like high school when I attended (early 80s), but it is different in fundamental ways. Teaching is a much different job now than it was when I started. Today’s students are expected to know and do far more now than they were when I began teaching.
In my state, beginning this year, students now have to demonstrate the acquisition of essential skills in reading (and next year reading + writing and the year after that reading/writing/math)to graduate from high school. 44 states have signed onto the Common Core standards (a set of national standards developed through an initiative of the National Governors Association); these standards are rigorous and demand far more of students than was ever asked of me in high school.
If it seems that education is failing us (and I know that our system does fail to meet the needs of many students), it is due as much to the changing needs of our world as to our system. Our high school students today never lived in a world without internet, email, cell phones. The pace of change is so rapid, and it has been very difficult for our educational systems to change at the rate we need to change to be effective. We know we need to educate today’s students to thrive in a world that will not look like today’s. How do you do that? A simple question, but one for which there are no simple answers.
Now, place these challenges into the context of what is happening in the world of our students. Many are living in poverty, with all the stressors that creates. They are growing up in and being formed by a culture that tells them they need all kinds of things they see no means of getting. And let’s be honest: Their perception that those things are out of reach is valid. Please don’t tell me that it is if they just work hard (finding those mythical bootstraps) and do well in school. Ask all those young, educated protestors what their education has gotten them. Our students see that education is not a golden ticket to a better future. They see that there just aren’t that many places at the table–because there aren’t.
I agree with those who say that throwing money at schools will not solve our problems. (Although I’d like to point out that we don’t throw money at schools, and we provide far less for our students now than was provided for any of us who are over the age of 35.) But the best way to “fix” schools is to make changes in the world they serve. I don’t know if the OWS movement will make those changes, but I’m glad to see people trying. Perhaps that is what today’s bootstraps look like. (Sorry this is so lengthy, but tired of assumptions that schools are the source of problems because they haven’t changed. I believe they are just a reflection of them.)
Rita recently posted..Going cork: All you really need to know if you’re considering a cork floor
Hi Rita, and thanks so much for the in-depth look at the educational issue. I remember feeling bewildered when seeing how much more my son had to do in high school in the late 90′s as compared to what I had to do in the early 70′s, and it sounds like it is even worse now. Yet there is no way around this dilemma other than, as you say:
“…the best way to “fix” schools is to make changes in the world they serve.”
Things really could be done a lot better, and perhaps Tammy’s suggestion of the German trade-school model is a possibility for many students.
I agree that schools are a reflection of the world’s problems, not the cause!
Going back an age or two here, when my mom was growing up in Finland they also had a trade school model. If a students grades were high enough, they continued with a formal education. If the students grades were average or under, they went into trade schools after the 8th grade. A solution? I don’t know, but it is an example of another European country using trade schools. (Finland does have a chronically high unemployment rate, however, their system also appears to take care of workers who can’t find positions.)
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..Occupy Daytona Florida: Raise Your Voice
The last line is the key: “…their system also appears to take care of workers who can’t find positions.”
I think trade schools are great – not everyone needs college. My husband went to a trade school out of high school and even though his job is physically demanding and he’s not in love with it, he will never be out of a job barring a total meltdown of society as we know it. A former boss of mine, a German, began apprenticing when he was twelve to a cabinetmaker, and then an organ builder. He continued with schooling, but learned the trade as well, immigrated to the US and became a very popular organ builder over here.
Terra@TheSimplePoppy recently posted..A Few Disjointed Thoughts…
I have so many thoughts on this subject but the sad reality is there is no easy answer. I think we’re past the point to control it or change it(on a major level) and even if we did there would be a whole lot of new problems to face. Human nature left unchecked just seems to want to hurt and destroy. I am happy to see other minimalists out there trying to spread the good word but the reality is that it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the juggernaut of advertising through tv, magazines, newspapers, the internet, the radio, walking down the street etc. One of the reasons we love getting into the mountains is it’s one of the few places you won’t see a sign advertising something! Even many of the minimalist blogs have in your face advertising and then there’s the keeping up with the joneses effect on top of it all. The irony is that we as a people continue to be unhappy and looking for happiness while doing the very things that make us unhappy. But now I’m preaching to the choir!
Derek recently posted..Test run
Hi Derek–thanks for weighing in! Change always happens–nothing ever stays quite the same. But it does take a certain percentage of collective energy to effect desired change. As far as minimalists and advertising go, some of us started out following blogging advice from other minimalists who were more marketers than philosophers. Over time the wheat separated from the chaff, and most people have reined in the advertising quite a bit.
I’d definitely agree with Meg on that one Derek. I’ve been unlearning marketing concepts for a long time. When that’s what you listen to it’s easy to start doing some stupid stuff. I started with giant blocks of google adsense on my websites so I’ve come a long way.
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..The Intrinsic Connection of Non-Violence and Occupy Wall Street
Thanks for the input, Tanja–you’re a better businesswoman than I am, so it is extra appreciated
I’ve been struggling to find a way to have “right livelihood” ever since I started building my online business Meg. I’ve written 10,000 words on the subject and published none. I’m starting to realize your approach to right livelihood is superior to anything I’ve tried before.
And I’m not that good a business woman. I can’t afford asparagus nearly as often as I want. 
Tanja Minimalist Packrat recently posted..The People Stand in Witness, I Stand in Witness
Interesting and thanks for the replies guys!
Derek recently posted..October 19 Litter Patrol Report
Came across this open letter, Meg, and it struck me as appropriate to share here in the discussion around responsibility. It pretty much sums up why we should all be supporting the 99% even if we have lashings of personal responsibility
http://imgur.com/gallery/kamRX
Terra@TheSimplePoppy recently posted..A Few Disjointed Thoughts…
Terra, this is GREAT! Please, everyone, click on her link and go and read that letter, written by someone who did everything “right.”
One thing I’ve thought about re Personal Responsibility: let’s say you’ve been an idiot and maxed out 20 credit cards and lost your house and your car and maybe even your spouse and kids out of sheer irresponsibility. Shouldn’t you still be given a chance to do it right if you’ve learned your lesson? I mean, look at all the minimalists out there who have paid off all their debts or are documenting the process. Not everyone does the responsible thing right out the gate–so what? Considering our consumerist culture, it’s a wonder the problem isn’t worse. The opportunity to fix a problem–a.k.a. employment at a living wage–is what is in short supply, and that alone is worth protesting about.
Amen!
Right on, sister! ;D
The middle class. It is unfair to blame those who went through the system that was already in place for being ill-suited for what good jobs are out there, and fixing this problem will take a tremendous amount of time and effort–and money, of course. Thank you for sharing such a lucid and compelling piece on the subject Meg. At this very moment my husband hasn’t been working (self-employed) because of sciatica.
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