I got 99 problems and Wall Street is #1

GUEST BLOGGER: @brigibaby

Unless you live under a rock (or in a small, uber-conservative city where your news might be censored), by now you’ve heard of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. Started back in September, when protesters began to literally occupy Wall Street by camping out on the street, the movement has spread to multiple cities across America. It’s garnered quite a following in Boston, and whether this is because Massachusetts is known for its’ liberal views, or from the masses of young college students eager to be a part of something bigger than they are, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that I’m actually interested in what’s going on, and that is worth noting.

I’m not apathetic; I’m just not political. Politics have never interested me, and I don’t pretend to think otherwise. But “Occupy Wall Street” has been increasingly hard to ignore, especially since my office is in one of the buildings that looms over Dewey Square, where protesters have been camping out for the last few weeks (they’re protesting the Boston Federal Reserve building, not mine, I swear!) So I started reading the signs from the protesters and clicking on the articles about the movement, and I realized something: I’m one of the 99%!

This movement is for everyone who feels that they are underappreciated and overworked. For the single parent who works three jobs just to put food on the table for their kids. For the “traditional” family whose patriarch was laid-up in a work-related injury and can’t pay the medical bills and the mortgage. For the student who worked their ass off to get through college, only to find that the only places hiring offer minimum wage and no shot of making a dent in the mountain of student loan debt they have. Seriously, read this blog and tell me it doesn’t infuriate you.

As someone who served in AmeriCorps for two years, I know a thing or two about struggling to make ends meet. You don’t become a VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) because you want to make the big bucks (did you notice how the title even has the word “volunteer” in it? that should tell you a little bit about the salary). I’ve been on food stamps, applied for heating assistance, and most of my wardrobe is from thrift stores. I don’t live an ostentatious life by any means, and have no problem paying taxes, contributing to my health insurance, or any other of the number of things that come with being considered an “adult” in this country. What I do have a problem with is this “American Dream” that is deteriorating right before my eyes, and the eyes of everyone else in my generation. Of the countless poignant protesters’ signs that have sprung up in this movement, one that resonates with me the most is: “It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”

It’s no secret that this country needs some reform. Don’t think so? Watch any one of Michael Moore’s documentaries and get back to me. I love this country, and am proud to be an American, but we can’t ignore the fact that the past few years have been rough. Somewhere, somehow, we’ve veered off course. Corporations are more concerned with making a quick buck than with defending the rights of their customers. Politicians are more concerned about hiding their sex scandal than getting around to the issues they promised. Employers are more concerned with increasing their bottom line than maintaining morale or creating new jobs. These issues are what sparked the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, and judging from the past few weeks, it’s clear that there’s no shortage of things to protest.

I don’t pretend to know the solution to this mess. Instead of being one of the pioneers in this movement, I’m one of the ones who can only offer help by way of a smile or an encouraging word as I trudge by on my way to work (I have a job; I truly am one of the lucky ones). So I try to do what I can do: read up on it. As corny as it sounded when you were little, the old adage “knowledge is power” has proven true time after time as an adult, so I’m doing my part by being informed. When visitors come into the office and look out the window at the collage of tents below, I launch into my daily update of their progress. It’s comforting to know that Americans haven’t lost their backbone; that the protests of the 60’s and 70’s aren’t just memories of a time when we believed in something. I believe in this movement and these people. And having Suze Orman on my side doesn’t hurt, either.