Forum Post: A culture of $$: reflections

Over the past couple of weeks, my interpretation and views on the occupy wall street movement have the run the gamut - from incredibly sympathetic and willing to march, to apathetic with a vague sense of community, to anger as to a lack of specific demands which, upon further reflection, I realize is neither appropriate nor relevant at the moment.

What I have realized about this movement over the past couple of days, however, is that rather than being a specific rally with a specific message and specific, concrete demands, which are often the case with strikes and causes to have certain bills passed, it is a nothing short of a bona-fide, amazing and incredibly spirited cultural revolution, long overdue but not too late, as hard economic times and a serious lack of jobs have lent themselves to a sympathy and solidarity over this revolution which would otherwise be impossible in times of tenuous prosperity.

I don't mean a cultural revolution in the sense of overthrowing our democratic institutions, Constitution, capitalist systems, or anything of the kind. Rather, it is a revolution which, in my opinion, emphasizes the human condition and act of helping others over the mere act of making $$, which has become the end all and has resulted in a spiraling up of money to obnoxious levels.

Think about it. Do you think your friends or family would rather you have a job which pays $500,000, but whose work is marginally important in the way of helping others, or a job that pays $45,000, and whose work is incredibly important in terms of substantively improving people's lives?

Stock brokers and corporate men alike are viewed as successful for the sheer reason that they make money. A WWE CEO, for instance, whose job includes overseeing meat-heads acting on a stage and entertaining / distracting millions of people, is considered to be a success story if she makes $10,000,000 a year after taxes and lives comfortably.

Money has become the end all, unfortunately.

"How much does it pay?" "Well, it pays well, which is good." "You might as well stay there, even if you don't like it, since they're going to give you a raise." "Whatever, just stay there for five years, make your money, and go somewhere else."

I see it in law school all the time. People with no student loans to pay feel that it is somehow important - or, rather, the "way of doing things" - to work for a big corporate firm, packed like a sardine in a library on a forgotten floor, working 70-80 hour weeks because that's how things are done. Not thinking, just doing. Feeding into the system, because the paycheck is nice and they don't want to sacrifice a week less of vacation at a smaller firm which will give them valuable, hands-on experience.

Teachers, meanwhile, are looked at with suspicion. "A teacher?" "Hm, okay, okay, what grade?" "High school?" "Okay, you sure?"

"You want to work for the government? You know, you're used to a certain lifestyle..."

And that's the problem. Luxurious / comfortable / complacent is valued over being aggressive / active / standing for causes. Why bother marching when you can get a drink? Why work for an non-governmental organization which helps low-income victims of human rights when you can work in a nice office with AC and go on vacations four weeks out of the year?

It's a culture which feeds into itself, and makes for nice, complacent individuals apathetic to the times, who upon reading about the grave injustices of greedy-infested men merely roll their eyes and consider it an inevitable part of life. "All politicians suck." "What can you do." "Just live life."

Such a revolution will take time. But your planting the seeds, and I like that.