| HappySqurriel said: Just saw a great quote from Occupy Toronto that I think needs to be shared: “It’s weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it's time to go, they're still there. I guess that's why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That's the power of greed.” – Jeremy, 38 Jeremy here is on the verge of a breakthrough but is obviously struggling with it. He identifies that these bankers work longer (and potentially harder) than he is willing to, and if you helped him he might even admit that they have been doing it for a long time (working hard through school to get an entry level position at a firm where they work hard to advance their career), but he doesn't see that the bankers motivation to work hard is the same thing that brings them to the protest; the banker wants a better life than sitting around complaining and blaming other people for your problems will provide. |
How many hours a day? I do understand the work hard bit and the need for a realigning of values, but let's say that banker is doing 14+ hour days, day after day after day, and maybe spends an hour or two at home before going to sleep to do it again, and doesn't take a day off. What kind of personal life do you think he has? And, if he is married, and has kids, what kind of family life does he have? You also have people working very low wages, and like 16 hour days spread out among 3 jobs, not getting ahead. If society gets like that, and Americans are noted for working the most hours among industrialized nations, then where is community? Who has time to volunteer for anything? The Hudson Valley area of NY, is noted for people commuting to NYC and back. Since the post-IBM era, civilic involvement is way down. People don't come out for anything at all. Everyone is too tired doing the commute. Malls and dining out are what people do, if anything.
So, I will ask what kind of society is it, if people work extremely long hours to end up getting rich (if they are lucky enough to also have that happen) so they can buy expensive things, and any semblance of civics and community are thrown out as everyone withdraws into their own gated communities and don't even know their neighbors?
And I will also ask: Exactly what value does that banker add to the economy? Putting in long hours to end up doing calculated risks where to move money to, in order to make more money, or getting on the phone to sell a service, and pitch to merely make more money adds how much more goods and services to the market to be bought and sold? And I note you said banker. If the guy were someone actually running a business that sold actual goods and services people paid for, and not just money, then I hold that to a different story. And on that, I would say if Occupy ends up feeding the community, getting public parks used, organizing community events, and providing a hub for people to get together and meet each other, which reduces crime, that will do a LOT more than that investment banker who is a middleman to get cash and brokered a deal that caused more jobs to get outsourced outside the United States.
