hoitycoity:

shana—-elmsford:

rant. possible unfollow bait. whatever.

I understand the need for occupy wall street (even if it is the brainchild of fucking adbusters). Yet every time I read an article or see another white person holding a piece of paper bemoaning the cost of education or the cost of living and breathing in America I can’t help but think now you see how the other 30+% of us live. Sorry no one prepared your privileged ass for reality. Unemployment crisis? What about the fucking life crisis that’s been happening in your own backyard?

I think this is probably why I haven’t posted about this. And because of the lack of media coverage I get certain types of information passed down to me via outraged bloggers and bloggers tend to be privileged. Outlets that usually cover the intersection of race and class have not really cared about this either. I’ve talked about it briefly with people, yeah it’s a shame the media doesn’t care especially when police brutality is involved. But beyond that, I see no organization on the mother website. Besides being loud, though that itself is very important, what are the goals? Where are your voter drives? Where is your group of leaders that can demand time from someone with power? How are you engaging people who aren’t teenagers/twenty-somethings with bongo sets they got on their semester abroad? How are you engaging people not in NY (because outside NY barely anyone cares about NY)? There’s a reason why the rich are publicly comfortable sipping Bollinger above you, they have effectively mobilized a bunch of xenophobic morons to back pro-business candidates. Like Shana says, glad you’re out there but what are you doing exactly?

Why, whenever I see something about this, do I keep reading the same ‘no media coverage’ and ‘my wrists are red from handcuffs’ complaints? That’s awful, but my initial reaction is to point you to the very long and very old line of the underclass (it moves fast though, black men die young or get jailed and new voting laws are disenfranchising more and more). OK, jump ahead in line but don’t whine in earshot of the ones in back about being ignored. Listen to the ones that many politicians have called some version of welfare queens and dangerous black bucks who live to steal your purses so they can afford to make the crack babies. Disappointed in Obama, obnoxious radical liberals who threaten not to vote in 2012 or spend spectacular time and energy complaining about his lack of passing progressive bills? Why don’t you work to get him a Congress that gives a shit? And those of you who are Ron Paul supporters? I don’t know what to say to you besides enjoy your detached from reality racist piece of crap candidate. I wish there was an island we can ship all of your useless asses to reenact the Lord of the Flies. And since police state brutality has become a big issue, there’s plenty out there that goes beyond red marks on wrists and pepper spray, get into it. I’m interested in hearing other perspectives, if you have any to share.

ETA: Those I Am The 99% posts are very moving, and familiar to so many people going back so many years who don’t even have the luxury of having a degree (college debt is a major theme). And It’d be useless to say I hope it changes for everyone because hope has pretty much been exhausted. These stories are very valuable right now. Read them during the next GOP Presidential debate but make sure no heavy, moveable objects are near you at the time because those people are on a race to the bottom of the bootstraps barrel.

(Source: shana--e, via crunkfeministcollective)