(no subject)
Someone recently suggested that the following "should be circulated throughout the entire Internet," so I'm going to do my part.
It was something i said in the midst of a discussion about the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Someone else made a throwaway comment about why they weren't supporting the protesters -- "I would gladly be an occupier, but I have a job. If someone wants to pay me to hang out at one of these the bidding starts at $100,000. Let's send a message!"
And this is what I said in response:
I have a job as well, and that's why I'm not there as well. But rather than being all witty and urbane about it, you've made up my mind for me -- I'm going to offer some kind of concrete, constructive help.
One of the brief NPR pieces involved an OWS protestor who'd decided to take advantage of one of the free showers that were being donated by people in the city -- people with apartments and who wanted to support in one small simple way. It sounded like there's some kind of address and appointment system.
I'm effectively between roommates, I've wanted to do something to help, I'm just over the Brooklyn Bridge, and I've got time after work and on weekends to be here to let someone use my shower. And I honestly and sincerely WOULD gladly be an occupier, except since I'm a temp that can't get full time work and am just BARELY treading water after having suffered through THIS recession and the ones BEFORE it, I can't spare the time. I haven't been able to spare the time for anything of my own in ten fucking years, and a large part of that is because the system we have is fundamentally broken, and these people are trying to wave giant flags and say "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT."
Rather than making wisecracks about "who's gonna pay my bills if I'm out there," I'm actually going to SUPPORT them, because they're trying to support ME.
I even have extra soap.
And I have. No one's hit me up for a shower yet, but I'm on that list.
It was something i said in the midst of a discussion about the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Someone else made a throwaway comment about why they weren't supporting the protesters -- "I would gladly be an occupier, but I have a job. If someone wants to pay me to hang out at one of these the bidding starts at $100,000. Let's send a message!"
And this is what I said in response:
I have a job as well, and that's why I'm not there as well. But rather than being all witty and urbane about it, you've made up my mind for me -- I'm going to offer some kind of concrete, constructive help.
One of the brief NPR pieces involved an OWS protestor who'd decided to take advantage of one of the free showers that were being donated by people in the city -- people with apartments and who wanted to support in one small simple way. It sounded like there's some kind of address and appointment system.
I'm effectively between roommates, I've wanted to do something to help, I'm just over the Brooklyn Bridge, and I've got time after work and on weekends to be here to let someone use my shower. And I honestly and sincerely WOULD gladly be an occupier, except since I'm a temp that can't get full time work and am just BARELY treading water after having suffered through THIS recession and the ones BEFORE it, I can't spare the time. I haven't been able to spare the time for anything of my own in ten fucking years, and a large part of that is because the system we have is fundamentally broken, and these people are trying to wave giant flags and say "THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT."
Rather than making wisecracks about "who's gonna pay my bills if I'm out there," I'm actually going to SUPPORT them, because they're trying to support ME.
I even have extra soap.
And I have. No one's hit me up for a shower yet, but I'm on that list.