Among critics, there is a misconception that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are against hard work.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
The protesters don't camp out because they hate the 9-to-5 grind: they are there to occupy space in our cities, conversations and collective imagination. Their tent cities exist as physical reminders of injustice and discontent boiling beneath the American landscape--and the desire for change.
Occupy Wall Street protests taxpayer billions spent bailing out banks "too big to fail!" while millions lose their homes.
They occupy to shine a light on shadowy companies paying exorbitant CEO bonuses with one hand and passing pink slips with the other to employees just months away from collecting pensions.
They protest billion dollar companies that pay zero income tax and the broken political system that allows it to happen.
They protest the fact that the land of bootstraps and equal opportunity has a ruling class: one percent of Americans are millionaires but 46% of congressmen are.
They protest a government that is charged with serving the people but bought, paid for and in the pocket of corporate interests that aren't trickling down jobs let alone wealth.
Occupy Wall Street is not about hating business. There is nothing inherently wrong with capitalism or commerce, but places where corruption and exploitation are business-as-usual must be reformed. What's good for business must not trump the common good. America can do better.
I am the 99, and I stand with Occupy Wall Street.
This is the first installment in a series about the intersection of
faith, justice, consumerism and poverty.
Buy Less, Live More | 6 Practical Ways to Make A Difference With Your Dollar {part 4}
have yourself a mary little christmas {part 5}
have yourself a mary little christmas {part 5}
