Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock since September has heard of Occupy Wall Street. It’s the grassroots movement trying to tell the top 1 percent of the country, which controls 42 percent of the nation’s wealth, that the bottom 99 percent is tired of being taken advantage of.
It’s a complex issue, and we don’t claim to be experts, but as Occupy Wall Street is one of the topics that will most affect our generation, we found it important to try.
Whether or not we’re super organized, or have all the answers, we’re trying. As members of a generation that is often attacked for being lazy or giving in because we don’t get our way, we’re trying to put up a fight. As part of the up-and-coming 99 percent, we are entering a job market in which fair wages are no longer guaranteed. We are entering a housing market that’s been proven unsustainable. America is broken, and nobody knows how to fix it — but somebody has to try.
There are plenty of examples of how society is broken. The wage gap is greater now than it has ever been. It is so bad that it compares to countries such as Cameroon, Madagascar, Rwanda, Uganda and Ecuador. This data is using the Gini coefficient, something used by the Central Intelligence Agency. What’s more disturbing than countries with equivalent income gaps are those that are more equal. China, Russia and India are among the countries more equal than us.
We’re arguing that nobody should be too big to fail. Wall Street took a second chance from the pockets of Americans, and we’re standing here, waiting desolately for the trickle-down theory to take effect. But it won’t. One percent can only purchase so much without throwing money into more money-making accounts, making its own sector wealthier.
It’s been argued the poor in America have modern amenities such as television, air conditioning, refrigerators and microwaves. Before you attack these as amenities, try going without them for six months.
The 99 percent is not fighting to get rid of the 1 percent. They simply want the 1 percent to join them. Without the 1 percent giving up even a little bit, the 99 percent will never gain more. Equality is give and take.
America was built upon the idea of meritocracy: the belief one can move forward based on skill and hard work, not current class status. Unfortunately, conglomerate corporations have made meritocracy a myth and stolen the American dream.
Mom-and-pop shops are being driven out of business by larger companies that can outsource and under-price items until their competitors are out of business. Students are graduating after years of working for a degree without a plethora of job openings. Members of the lower class are working unrealistic hours and underpaying jobs without seeing their ends meet.
There isn’t too much we can do. Wall Street doesn’t care to hear what we have to say. The brokers of Wall Street are not opening angry letters from consumers while they vacation in Malibu.
The importance of corporations in America should not be downplayed, but the level-headed people in this occupation are not calling for total anarchy and the downfall of corporations. They are calling for regulation. They are asking for the abuse of the American people to stop.
The Wall Street occupation is a symbolic way to get the point across. With national pull, hopefully more people start listening.
Occupy COMO and Occupy Mizzou have the power to teach Columbia and MU about these issues. These groups can raise awareness for Missouri’s flagship university, a group of people that will hopefully one day grow to be influential leaders. To keep from fragmenting and weakening the message, the groups should work together when possible.
For those community members who aren’t able to protest, or give their time, they can be involved in other ways. Occupy COMO protesters said the community support was meaningful to them. The donation of simple items such as food and coats makes the protest possible.
Attention is one of the hottest commodities in America today. Giving our attention, following the issues and learning about them show support, too. Follow the groups on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/#!/OccupyCOMO) and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/OccupyCOMO?sk=wall). Stop by once in a while and attempt to understand why people are protesting.
To make a difference in the future, we must invest the work now. Make a point to understand people of different backgrounds and different class perspectives. Make a point to understand the financial needs of our country and how they can be solved. Make a point to stop being apathetic. This affects you. This affects everyone.
This is one of the most defining moments of our era and should be treated as such.
