Bodhipaksa's Blog, page 83

We are the 99%

The Occupy Wall Street campaign has been widely seen in the media as a coalition of flakes, unsure of why they're actually there, without any clear message. And while there may be a grain of truth in that there is no one clear leader articulating demands, as Glenn Greenwald said,

Does anyone really not know what the basic message is of this protest: that Wall Street is oozing corruption and criminality and its unrestrained political power—in the form of crony capitalism and ownership of political institutions—is destroying financial security for everyone else?

I admire Glenn's passion, and while he's right, I think he's articulating the wrong emotional message. He's articulating disgust ("oozing," "corruption," "crony"). The problem with this is that disgust isn't an attractive quality. It's offputting. People aren't generally inspired by disgust. And when they are inspired by disgust the effects generally aren't very positive. All racism has an element of distaste and disgust within it. Disgust isn't the way to go with Occupy Wall Street, and the bigger challenge of facing up to our current problems.

The message that needs to be evoked is, I believe, compassion. And I think that the message of compassion has arrived.

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein "got it" and today published a column highlighting the "We Are The 99%" website. We Are The 99% is a simple evocation of the fear and suffering that ordinary Americans are experiencing — at the same time as bankers take home millions in bonuses, businesses sit on record piles of cash, and politicians argue about which of the most vulnerable to impose suffering on next.

These are simple stories: photographs of people holding up a sign explaining what they're going through right now. They're heartbreaking, Here's just one:

I am 22. My husband and I have lived apart for 3 years. When we were 19, he joined the Navy so we wouldn't end up on the street. He was stationed out west, and I am stuck in the east. The military does not pay for your family to move if it is your first duty station after joining, and we cannot afford to move me, our animals, or our belongings.

We never wanted this. We are the 99%.

These are not primarily messages of anger. They can lead to anger, but they start with the engagement of compassion. These people (we) are hurting. It's impossible not to feel that and to be moved by it (well, I'm sure there are many right-wingers and libertarians who will play "blame the victim). But for most people — most of the 99% of us who aren't doing well, and who are experiencing fear and distress and financial difficulty — compassion reminds us we're not alone. It reminds us we have responsibilities to each other.

The message we need to get out there is a compassionate one. This should be the message, loud and clear, at Occupy Wall Street and in the world as a whole:

We are the 99%. We are suffering. We want an economy that works for everyone, not just the few.

Don't take the 99% figure too literally. As Ezra Klein noted, "If you're in the 85th percentile, for instance, your household is making more than $100,000, and you're probably doing okay." The 99% figure is a symbol. It's a symbol of the growing inequity in our society. The richest are taking everything. Their greed is rampant. They either don't know or don't care about how much the rest of us are struggling. We need to let them know, in no uncertain terms.

I am one of the 99%. I run a small publishing business. Until the crash of 2008 I made a reasonable living. Then sales plummeted and my income fell. I had to cancel my health insurance. My wife had to cancel her health insurance. We had to put the kids on a state health insurance program. That was humiliating and scary. Pressure from the health insurance industry means that kids have to be without health insurance for a month before they can be considered for a state health insurance plan. Both of our kids have health problems. That was a long month. Fortunately neither of them got sick in that month, for it could have bankrupted us. I live in fear of bankruptcy right now. If I get seriously ill, or if my wife gets seriously ill, we'd lose our house. A week in hospital would financially destroy my family. I don't want that hanging over my children.

We're lucky. We have a house (although it's a struggle to pay the mortgage). I have a job (even though I just scrape by financially), My wife has work (although it's part time and doesn't come with benefits. But we're the 99%. We're the part of the majority that is one bill away from financial ruin.

That's my story.

This post and the image below (I've made this image my profile picture on Google+) is my contribution. Please feel free to repost, and to bring people's attention to We Are The 99%.

Facebook it. Blog it. Tweet it. Plus one it. Do it. Now.

Related posts:Twitter Updates for 2010-07-02
Health "care" in the US
Poverty in America

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