patrick.net

[Kid in the back raising his hand]

If these folks are pissed off unemployed people, then where are they getting the resources to spend weeks in the America's most expensive City?

Throw a Jamband in the mix, and these same folks would be at a Music festival, instead of a leaderless direction lacking protest.

These are people pissed off because they are unemployed or underemployed. They spend a bunch of money going to college, and even went intio debt to get their degree, despite all the obvious evidence that it was a dumb idea to do that.

I also wonder how many of these protestors drive a Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota, etc. Just saying...

So if one owns a nice car, they have no right to protest corporate corruption? Owning anything from a corporation absolves all corporations of any form of corruption?

What about the numerous gainfully employed protesters? What are they protesting about? Perhaps since they have decent jobs, they should shut up? The true unemployment rate is the highest since the depression. I suppose the unemployed should just work hard? Wealth inequality is the highest ever and billions have been siphoned upward. I suppose the poor just have to work harder in spite of the fact that it's become statistically less possible for many to move upward. America is becoming a third world country and when we become one, I suppose the masses of poor who are starving just need to work harder right?

http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152647/occupy_wall_street%3A_the_most_important_thing_in_the_world_now/

The GOP says

If these folks are pissed off unemployed people, then where are they getting the resources to spend weeks in the America's most expensive City?

zzyzzx says

These are people pissed off because they are unemployed or underemployed. They spend a bunch of money going to college, and even went intio debt to get their degree, despite all the obvious evidence that it was a dumb idea to do that.

Clearly, you're both right to be concerned about this.

Frustration with the bail outs, status quo, corporate corruption of our government... which outsources American jobs, while Federal Reserve inflates the currency into funny money.

Throw in Endless and pointless wars, and huge unemployment, and false promises by administration which so many believed... throw all that into the pile and see the results.

FortWayne says

Frustration with the bail outs, status quo, corporate corruption of our government... which outsources American jobs, while Federal Reserve inflates the currency into funny money.

Throw in Endless and pointless wars, and huge unemployment, and false promises by administration which so many believed... throw all that into the pile and see the results.

Quality Auto Repair Since 1979

Nah, they're just lazy and need to get a job. That will solve all our problems.

BobbyS says

So if one owns a nice car, they have no right to protest corporate corruption?

I was saying that if one owns a foreign built car, or even a car made in the US by a foreign company (which does still put a lot of Americans out fo work), one has no right to complain about being unemployed.

zzyzzx says

I was saying that if one owns a foreign built car, or even a car made in the US by a foreign company (which does still put a lot of Americans out fo work), one has no right to complain about being unemployed.

Dude, you need to update your perspective. Much as I support buying American, the issue of buying an American vehicle to support American jobs is moot:

Even the ford f-150, the #1 ranked vehicle on the American Made index, is now only 60% made in the USA... the #2 vehicle, the Toyota Camry, is now 80% made in the USA!!!

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=ami&story=amMade0707

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/page?id=13795239

So it's solely the people's fault for buying foreign made things for the high level of unemployment? And if a person just buys one item made in another country, they automatically have no right to complain about being unemployed? In essence, if a person is not an isolationist who believes one should only buy American made things, then they are to blame for their unemployment and have no right to complain about it? If all corporations decided to offshore all manufacturing, then a person must live in the middle of nowhere and become a hunter/gatherer in order to have the right to complain about being unemployed?

BobbyS says

And if a person just buys one item made in another country, they have automatically have no right to complain about being unemployed?

Yes, exactly. What the fuck is wrong with all of you people? Why can't you just figure out how to grow your own iPods from seed, like our parents did???

It's because you're too damn lazy. That's the problem here. You all expect Saint Steve Jobs to slide down from heaven on a ray of light and hand you the next generation of iPhone, which you will then charge to your foreign-owned bank credit card, before returning to your carefree, government-funded 'vacation' known as unemployment. You all make me sick. Why don't you learn a useful trade, like beet pickling or machining or shoe repair, so that you can become self-sufficient AND employed?

The most succinct summation I've heard (maybe on Patrick.net?) is this: in the past, productivity gains were shared with the workers; this is no longer the case. There's a myriad of reasons why this no longer happens (globalization being one of the main culprits), but it does have me scratching my head on how to address the root problem as stated above. Bringing healthcare to the masses is a start (or maybe just a balm to establish acceptable baseline poverty) , but I otherwise tend to balk at massive redistribution schemes.
I do think the Wall Street protesters could use an injection of pithy signs from the patnet crowd. What would your sign say? Mine might be: RTC II and Cut police and fire pay. Something for everyone.

EBGuy says

I do think the Wall Street protesters could use an injection of pithy signs from the patnet crowd. What would your sign say?

terriDeaner says

EBGuy says

I do think the Wall Street protesters could use an injection of pithy signs from the patnet crowd. What would your sign say?

I would enjoy another bailout. I see we already got four of your five fingers. Although I don't have much use for it, I will take your last finger. Stubbly stumped underclass look funny and make me laugh. I do enjoy asking fingerless cripples to "give me five".

I learned how to sign "What? I can't hear you" so I could communicate with the
deaf n' dumb. I'm still working on "clean the wax out of your ears, idiot."

zzyzzx says

I also wonder how many of these protestors drive a Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, Toyota, etc. Just saying...

This is an ignorant comment, and you've made it more than once now. I've explained it already:

http://patrick.net/?p=1081559#comment-770542

zzyzzx says

I was saying that if one owns a foreign built car, or even a car made in the US by a foreign company (which does still put a lot of Americans out fo work), one has no right to complain about being unemployed.

And now you're complaining about a foreign company outsourcing to the US. That seems incongruous.

zzyzzx says

These are people pissed off because they are unemployed or underemployed. They spend a bunch of money going to college, and even went intio debt to get their degree, despite all the obvious evidence that it was a dumb idea to do that.

Pretty naive attitude. When the teabaggers make similar complaints to Occupy Wall Street, you cheer them on, but now you deride them. Hypocrite.

Huntington Moneyworth III, Esq says

Although I don't have much use for it, I will take your last finger.

Then you'll have to pry my last finger from my cold, dead hands... oh, wait... I guess that's the point...