Here's a transcription, in case the pic is too hard to read:
I am a young mother, about to celebrate 5 years of marriage completely debt free.
We pay for all of our living expenses with my husband's non-profit job and my part-time job caring for another family's child.
I chose to stay home with our two, soon to be three children, and from their births, we have done what we can to save for their future.
My husband works hard, and has been fortunate enough to keep his job throughout the economic crisis, allowing me to continue to nurture our children from home.
I currently have a 3.8 GPA in potty-training. (I had a 4.0 in grad school, but potty-training is much harder.)
We live comfortably in a two-bedroom apartment, spending the bulk of our income on healthy food for our family, and knowing that we can't have everything we want. We do not have an Ipod or smart phone. I don't even have a cell phone and I am perfectly okay with that, knowing that if someone wants to reach me badly enough, they'll leave a message rather than interrupting my walk to the playground with the kids. We do have a used eight-passenger station wagon, which spends most of its time parked on our street, while we bike our butts off for transportation. (Yes, you can do groceries with two kids and one bike.)
If I did have a debt, I would not blame Wall Street, but would check my pride at the door and avail myself of the Food Bank to feed our family if things came to that. In the meantime, I am more troubled that our family makes over 400 times what that of the average Somalian family does than I am that some CEO makes over 400 times what we do. I do what I can to participate in projects for international relief.
I am currently thankful to consider myself part of the 20% of the world's richest people. Yes, it would be nice if “the 1%” felt as strongly as I do about Somalian families, though I doubt “occupying” their turf is going to convince them to give their money away, so I'll spend my time and energy attempting to decrease my own consumption instead. I expect nothing to be handed to me, but try to be as open-handed as I can with everything I have.
That's how altruism is supposed to work.
I will NOT waste my time whining about being part of the 99%, and whether or not you do is YOUR decision.
Here's the original FB photo, and an example of a critical reply:
(N.B.: Just realized that the student's "Not the 99%" note is a take-off on similar personal accounts, taken from the "We Are the 99 Percent" website: http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com.)
ah, such a relief to read this. I have insane school debt for my three degrees in the humanities. Even if I wanted to get a job, there's no way I could get anything that would reasonably pay off my school debt. I DO blame myself. We've cut down on everything possible to try to pay off debt more quickly (I do have a cellphone, but it's a go-phone). Obviously, I had no idea the economy would take the turn that it did, and I also planned on being a poor single person. I have a friend who is on the OWS page with her note about being a mom and having a MA in Women's Studies and having to rely on food stamps and WIC. I wanted to tell her that the system is working for her. She has food enough for her and her son, she gave birth at a hospital and didn't pay for it. Sure, the system needs help and greed is good for no one, but nobody made us take out loans to get less-than useful degrees.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy. It's not that my heart doesn't go out to those in serious debt. There but for the grace of God go I... That said, personally responsibility and concern for those even worse-off than ourselves is key.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0v
ReplyDeleteOWS/Occupy is personal responsibility as a democratic citizen-just like voting, and is concern for those even worse off than ourselves.
You really think the system is working when a person needs to rely on WIC and food stamps? You don't wonder if anyone profits from those programs? ie "Dairy industry fights changes to WIC-Dairy industry representatives said dairy products had fallen victim to a new emphasis on fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Both industry groups said they would rally their memberships to participate in USDA'S comment period." http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3301/is_9_107/ai_n26998611/
.. less than useful degrees- we tell people they should do what they love, yet forget about being an artist or anything undervalued and considered not "useful". Can you really be annoyed with someone for getting an education when that is what they are all told to do... plus even in education is savage marketing, I was just reading http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/14/goldman-sachs-for-profit-college_n_997409.html but you just want to say they all should have known better?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEwnG5UVA4&feature=related
Stop judging those who have put their lives on hold to take a stand on all our behalf. http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152747/how_the_right's_lame_attack_on_occupy_wall_st._shows_the_poverty_of_conservative_ideology
Thanks for your post, Vaalea. I was hoping that someone who disagreed would care enough to post a reply, and yours is a good one. The mixed messages sent by our culture are confusing. Also, you're right: my tone was more judgmental than it should have been. I guess my main objection to the OWS is its apparent focus on the decline of the North American standard of living, and its apparent forgetfulness that we still have it very, very good here, globally speaking. It has been pointed out to me that fighting for global objectives and local objectives can be perfectly compatible with the OWS movement, and I applaud those who are doing so.
ReplyDeleteHello! I posted a response to this on the #OWS board and MMB has kindly given me her blessings to repost it here in the interest of discussion. So here go my three objections to her (your? I'm not familiar with blog etiquette) position.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the system contested by the movement contributes to the misery of all those less fortunate around the world. America is, to say the least, a very large global player, and the health of it's institutions and democracy has deep repercussions around the world. Checking them, in fact, is our very first responsibility towards poorer countries. They have no power to fight the abuses of our corporations and governments. We do. We do not fail them by speaking out, we fail them, as we have for too long, by remaining silent.
Second, it is no reason, because there are worse ills in the world, to accept those at home. It's an entirely false choice : in no way does energy spent making your society better detract from making other societies better. Neither do we say it is acceptable to steal because there are some who murder.
Third, as much as this sort of stoicism may appear virtuous, unquestioning acceptance of his condition by the weak, despite the excesses of the strong, is what makes oppression possible. The glorification of this sort of self-denial is all too often a convenient way to make a virtue of passively enabling the unjust and unfair behavior of those in power.
My post is not an utter condemnation of OWS, but a call for perspective. Although it disturbs me to see those who on a global level would be considered very wealthy indeed demanding an easier life instead of using what resources they have been given to help others, that is not necessarily what OWS is about. I respect those involved in this movement who are working toward global change, especially those who are willing to part with their own wealth, should the kind of restructuring being demanded actually take place. I suspect that most of us here in North America would have to part with some of the resources that we have begun to see as "rights" should that actually happen, but that's merely a hypothetical at this point. I do not think of those protesting as "whiners," but personally I refuse to complain about being in "the 99%." I refuse to point the finger at "the 1%" as the culprits. Why not start with "the 20%"--you know, those of us who have most of the worlds resources at our fingertips? Why not begin by voluntarily relinquishing our own greed? The coffee, bananas and clementines we essentially steal from South America, for instance. And many of those in OWS are choosing to do that, and I respect this. I just can't wholeheartedly endorse the movement as it stands, much as I'd like to. Comments like yours, Nicolas, and some others who have responded to my post give me great hope for it, though.
ReplyDeleteI saw your post coming across as very critical though you say not utter condemnation-reread it and tell me what message you are sending to OWS? The closest you came to say they have a just cause is "good luck fighting corporate greed" which came across as I said, insincere. You could have made your call for perspective much differently.
ReplyDeleteI know I am not perfect ie re:bananas... and you are allowed to agree and disagree with the movement at the same time... their GA-meetings always aim for everyone who disagrees and want to present opposing views to have a say, as a democracy. No movement is perfect-can you say so?
Guess what, you don't like people eating essentially stolen bananas and I think they are hypocrites for eating meat/cheese as I do anyone who says they love animals, or care about justice-equity in the world etc.. Are you waiting for a more perfect movement that you can actually show a little support for? or can you lend your perspective with a positive voice to the movement rather than - I can't support OWS because of all your personal little greediness so no point in going after bankers and corporations=again what is your message here?
Nicolas, that was well written.
My message condensed: fighting our own personal greediness is a worthier cause than fighting the greediness of others. It is also more achievable, I think, though history may prove me wrong, should OWS prove successful in its goals. I sincerely hope that it is successful, by the way, though I sincerely doubt it will be.
ReplyDeleteI also don't think comments on my own little barely-read blog, or even my comments on the OWS site will have an impact one way or another, except perhaps to increase the zeal of those involved. I certainly don't think that many of the goals of the movement are wrong-headed. I just think that people do more good when they work on themselves than when they seek to try and compel others to be good.