Monday, October 17, 2011

Encouragement


I decided today that I really like my Sociology class.  I only talk to two people – very atypical for who I am –and the rest of the class seems to be motivated in working towards one ultimate goal: making a difference in our broken society.  Now, the word “broken” comes with different definitions depending on the person you ask there.  To some, it means a broken family, to others it means a broken judicial system, and yet others define our entire world broken without God.  It’s a wonder that our country has decided to join forces towards fixing this problem that vexes us all.  As I write this, people are stepping out of their comfort zones to sleep, eat, and live on the streets of their public squares to get the attention of those who run their big businesses. Americans are sick of people who find loopholes in every regulation in an effort to gain more and more money while the rest of the country suffers from unemployment, a crumbling economic system, and a cost of living that is through the roof.  How did we come to this? And what exactly are we going to do differently this time to make it stop? 
In talking with my mom the other night, I got upset about the financial situation my own family is in and how we’ve never been able to get a break from it.  Philosophers have claimed that there’s always got to be someone at the bottom, otherwise, who would we see at the top if everyone is there?  It is times like these that I consider Communism, or even more loosely, Socialism would be a better way out of our crisis.  Unfortunately, the greed in America does not stop in America.  No matter where one can go to in the world, there will always be that sin that has trickled down through the centuries and has become more infectious as it has spread.  So no matter what, there will always be a broken system where the ones on top will continue to move further up while the rest of the society will continue to crumble at the hands of those who have the ascribed privilege of wealth.  
This calls to question within myself if there really is anything that we can do to stop this inequality. Something my professor shared with us is that she sends emails almost daily to our congressmen and to our senators.  Each response she gets is the same; they send her an email stating their policy and so on and so forth.  The thing is, she doesn’t like their policies, hence the reason she’s emailing them to complain.  When she listens to their public speeches or reads about new plans they have, she sees that they are clearly not even reading her emails.  If our leaders locally are not listening to the voice of someone who has a doctorate’s degree of any sort, and is probably more qualified for their position than they are, what is supposed to make me think that they really care about what my voice has to say, nonetheless anybody else’s?  politics in our country specifically is no longer about what is best for the people or the voice of the people being heard.  It is about who is on top, who can pay the most for campaigning, and who these politicians actually trying to please: themselves and fellow politicians.  No wonder we have such a broken system! 
Even the courts in this place are worthless, the judge doesn’t care about the truth, this isn’t a case of being fair or just, it is a case of using common sense.  If someone is guilty, don’t let them keep getting away with it and letting the responsible innocent party pay the price!  Do what the law is supposed to do and stopping showing mercy to the one who is bringing the rest of the community down!!!  Punish the one who can’t make the better decisions and quit letting them get away with their obvious crimes!  Teach them a lesson and hope that it will get them back on track!  THAT is what is best for the community, THAT is what the voice of the people are saying.  But our politicians are most focused on who they would rather please; therefore, our country suffers at the hand of Big Businessmen who want more and more money and get away with it because they know they can pay the Cochran.  I have little hope that whatever changes come in the near future will really make a difference for very long; big business will always find a “legal” way through what is right to get what they want and no one will say anything about it. 

But I was encouraged by my professor, as she sat on the desk at the front of the class, and told that historically college students were the ones who made things happen.  College students are smart and are willing to do what it takes to achieve higher for the greater good.  College students have been willing to take the greater risk, with everything to lose, and go for the plummet into a self-centered nation in order to get the voice of the people heard.  Why does it have to take so much effort?  If “we the people” should be listened to and taken into consideration, why are we still trying to fight those who hold us down?  The Constitution means nothing if it doesn’t protect who it was originally intended for.  I pray and hope that some things will take new flight in the coming months, and praise God if they do!  But how long do we think that will last?



©2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Occupying A Part of History




  In its fourth week of protesting, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread now from coast to coast and even to areas outside of the U.S. ringing out with protests declaring that the “the 99%” should have more control over what the government is doing with tax payer money.  The voices come from the mouths of the generations suffering in the first years after the greatest recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s.  Young and old are coming together in the streets of cities, like New York and Washington, to get the attention of major bankers and politicians. 

  The issue is with the “1%” of the nation who is ruling the money in the country; as the economy gets worse and worse, the rich get richer and richer, and the tax payers pay more and more.   This is the typical premise of the protests sprouts from the structural functional theory, giving the idea that this is the norm of a capitalist country, and this is the way banks, like JP Morgan Chase, want it to stay.  Who is this group?  Occupy Wall Street started as a group in Zuccotti Park in New York, protesting social and economic inequality.  Those involved are concerned about the job market for themselves, and their children, and are disgusted by the misuse of distribution among the powerful hands in the government and big business.  As one who agreed in a comment over a CNN report on the movement, activists have noticed that “When the GOP is willing to shut down USA over private jet tax breaks, I'd have to say the top 1% holds a little too much sway over our govt,” and other xenocentrists on issue declare, “Down with Capitalism!!!! The rest of the world has it better!” and the common ground of the American people is coming together over what is seen as a largely peaceful movement across the United States to get the attention of politicians who are not listening to the voices of the very people our Constitution defends.  One man, Jesse LaGreca, assumes the position of fronting the movement as he makes his debut on the FOX news network  to shell out the thoughts of many too consumed by society to speak and announces in front of the world the inequality of distribution in our nation.  Who is this man?  He's an everyday Joe, run of the mill, like the supposed 99% who can't take any longer the misrepresentation of the will of the people due to the hand of the wealthy that covers those who run our everyday lives.  He speaks out against, not only the rulers of our democracy and those who have great influence over what happens with our money, but also calls out the media for focusing on those of the middle-class whose representation give the 99% a look of how we cannot handle ourselves without CEO's of these big businesses. 

  It's about time somebody has decided to stand out against this corporate greed and start pursuing a change in the country whose economy is crumbling with every second.  


©2011