This is the first ever “NSFW” blog post I’ve penned, but after witnessing the “Occupy Toronto” protests this weekend, I can’t help myself.
I’ve never seen such a collection of lazy, ignorant, uninformed people who have no clue how the world works…
This is also likely the first f-bomb I’ve dropped in a blog post, but I just couldn’t hold back.
I often do 2-3 takes when I shoot a blog video, but I wanted to get out of this park as soon as possible.
I could have been a little more cohesive with my thoughts, but my mind was all over the place.
I understand the importance of free speech, the right to protest, and a contrarian viewpoint, but most of the people at this so-called “protest” had no clue what they were doing there.
As I tried to explain in the video, I don’t think these people understand economics.
Protestors say things like ,”Down with big business!” What does that mean to them?
Does that mean a company like, say, Rogers, shouldn’t be able to operate? Would they rather that company not exist? What about the 28,000 full-time and 10,000 contract workers that rely on Rogers for employment? Do the protestors realize if a “big business” like Rogers didn’t exist, then these 38,000 people wouldn’t have jobs, wouldn’t have money, and wouldn’t be able to feed their families?
Do the protestors have the intelligence to follow the dominoes as they fall? If these 38,000 people have no jobs and no money, then they can’t buy consumer goods and services, and thus those industries and associated employees suffer. If these 38,000 people can’t spend money on food, clothing, housing, cell phones, restaurants, cars, daycare, and anything else for sale, then all of those industries are affected as well, and then the employees of those industries suffer the same fate. And it goes on, and on, and on.
I was too frazzled to clearly articulate this in the video, but I honestly don’t think that these protestors understand economics, democracy, and capitalism. If you tried to explain it to them, they’d likely respond with, “Fuck that and fuck you, man!”
No, I think that these people just wanted to “be a part of something.”
I think that when you’re so bored that smoking weed no longer makes life interesting, you look for an event like this to get your jollies.
I think that these people are all in search of the next Woodstock – a historic event that raises eyebrows when a person can claim, “I was there.”
St. James Park on Saturday was just a forum to complain about anything.
There were signs ranging from corporate greed, to oil, to native rights, to the ozone layer, to whaling, to battered wives, and more.
I was close to making a sign that read, “My air conditioner doesn’t work,” but my pen ran out of ink.
The most telling sign, metaphoric and literal, was the one that read, “Shit is Fucked Up And Bullshit.” Perhaps the sign was intentionally vague as her way of saying, “I really don’t care what’s going on – I’m just here to be here,” but I don’t think it was. I think that is the most intelligent argument that the girl, who was standing around smoking a joint and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, could come up with.
I know how this must all sound, coming from a real estate agent who sarcastically says, “I guess I’m part of that 1%.”
It might sound like I’m a just a typical yuppie, well-off, greedy, who has no time for the “little people.”
But that’s not me. Not even close.
I’m just a normal guy whose goal in life is to have a wife and kids one day and be happy and healthy. That’s it.
I want to provide for my family – not to give my 16-year-olds their own Mercedes’, but rather to teach them the value of a dollar and encourage them to work for minimum wage so they can afford to buy things they want. Then get an education, then work hard, then build their own lives.
Is that so wrong?
I have worked my ass off for the last eight years, and the “protestors” act as if this is a bad thing. They act as if anybody that wears a suit to work is a bad person. They act as if anybody who doesn’t grow their own vegetables is being ignorant and killing the earth.
But they don’t have an agenda, and even if they did, they’re not intelligent enough to understand that what they “want” could never work.
You can’t just shut down the world economy and expect to survive.
Yes, the richest 1% in America could pay more taxes. Let’s not get into that debate.
Yes, the corporate tax rate could be raised to pre-George-Bush levels, the way it always should have been. But let’s not open that door either.
These are identifiable issues with merit, but the protestors are taking a macro perspective and simply saying, “Fuck the rich, screw the suits, and down with capitalism.”
Herman Cain said, “If you don’t have a job, and you’re not rich, blame yourself.”
What would the protestors say in response? Probably something non-sensical and rhetorical.
I think this so-called “protest” did more harm than good to the cause of the anti-capitalism movement. I think these people demonstrated just how stupid they are, and more importantly, they showed why there will always be rich and poor in any society.
So after, say, two weeks living in a tent in St. James Park, and foregoing $1,000 in potential employment income, will these people acknowledge that they are the authors of their own misfortune? Or will they find somebody else to blame?
How is this for a start to your Monday morning?
I welcome your thoughts – both those in agreement and those opposed…
Joe Q.
at 9:07 am
I would tend to agree with you that a lot of the people involved in these protests are pretty divorced from the “real world”. But in their defence, I don’t think they’re targetting companies like Rogers (who actually provide a service, no matter how overpriced) but rather the “finanical services industry” where reckless behaviour and catastrophic losses go unpunished. In that narrow sense I’m sympathetic to their cause, but I think that they are about three years too late in their protests (again, divorced from the “real world”).
Sarah
at 9:17 am
I’m always concerned about large protests because, as you describe, many of them really do turn into incoherant groups and there’s always a “legalize marijuana” contingent present destroying any hope of credibility (whatever your thoughts are on marijuana, pro pot rallies need to stop piggybacking on everything else) so “Occupy Bay Street” was not the way I spent my Saturday.
I will point out, however, that there is plenty of room in the life of the average 9-5er (people with “real” jobs) to spend a Saturday expressing their freedom of speech without jeopardizing their earning potential. The protest day was not on a Wednesday, but a weekend day. I’m sure the “unwashed hippies” you saw included plenty of people who put their suit back on on Monday morning.
Yes, the whole situation is much more complicated than chants can describe, but, personally, Hermann Cain’s words horrified me when I heard them as I was driving from my office a couple of weeks ago. They do make it clear how out of touch he is with the situation and with how much many people struggle these days.
To place sole blame on the unemployed for their unemployment is to be in denial about the factors beyond his control that had an impact on Cain’s personal success. We would all love to believe that we live in a pure meritocracy where we work hard and are rewarded, but the reality is that chance/fate (believe as you choose), and good timing have a factor in the success or failure of all of us.
When I finished my Master’s, it took six months to find a job in my field, and I was one of the lucky ones.
Plenty of other people in my program struggled for a couple of years to find work they had trained hard for – and many gave up and took one of those “fake” jobs in retail or a call centre. These people were not lazy. They were as smart and qualified as me (some more so) and as willing to work, but they could not get hired because the jobs simply were not there. We were fighting for underpaid positions that received literally hundreds of applications.
We all do the best with what we get, but some of us are better positioned to drive opportunity than others.
Now, this admission that luck and fortunate opportunity had a role to play in my success does not cancel out my hard work. I worked d*mn hard to get where I am, and I always resent any implication otherwise, but in these days where “real” jobs are in short supply, to declare that anyone can be rich if they just work hard like Hermann Cain did, is to ignore reality.
I would suggest Mr. Cain re-read John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and see the parallels between Steinbeck’s portrayal of hardworking farmers who lost everything in the Great Depression and what’s going on in the States today. People like Cain told those people the same thing then.
Jeremy
at 9:26 am
David, the fact that you constantly fail to realize that this blog is not the appropriate vehicle for your political views (assuming you are hoping to further your professional goals) is kind of shocking. You constantly rail against the smallest of staging errors by sellers, yet you stage your professional “house” with a giant steaming turd in the living room.
Your post is almost as jingoistic and rhetorical as you complain the protests are but lets address a couple of quick points.
“What would the protestors say in response? Probably something non-sensical and rhetorical. ”
What? Something like, “If you don’t have a job, and you’re not rich, blame yourself.”
“Yes, the richest 1% in America could pay more taxes. Let’s not get into that debate.”
“Yes, the corporate tax rate could be raised to pre-George-Bush levels, the way it always should have been. But let’s not open that door either.”
Let’s not discuss the legitimate questions and focus on the lunatic fringe?
How about we talk about the number of companies that are cutting back on benefits, or relying on part time employees to cut costs so its harder for people to make ends meet just by “working hard”? Or the rise in “credentialism” that means many jobs now require a bachelor’s degree instead of providing on the job training that our parents generation received.
The fact is that we as Canadians are for the most part better off then our equivalents in the US largely because of our “socialist” policies. We believe in supporting a community, such as my taxes that will pay for the many public programs your future kids will use even if I don’t personally use them. Personally I’m pretty happy paying for this stuff since it creates a city and country I want to live in. If people want to change that, well I’ll probably keep a lot more of my paycheck. I’m just tired of “Ford Nation” and the like saying they want to cut all these “wasteful” public services… oh but not the ones that they use of course!
David Fleming
at 9:57 am
@ Jeremy
Normally I take the high road and refrain from responding to junk like this but I have to ask: can you please explain to me how MY blog “should” work? When you have a moment, please let me know.
Jeremy
at 9:44 am
Obviously its your perogative to post whatever you want to your blog. I suppose I presume too much. I assumed that it is your hope that this blog might help generate business for you. I further assumed that it would accomplish this goal better by not alienating the audience you have built with what is generally sound advice and information about the real estate market, by writing poorly informed rants about politics.
Personally I’d like to be told if I am posting something online that might cost my business tens of thousands of dollars.
Anyway, kudos to Martin who provides a more articulate response to your post below without harping on your chosen forum.
David Fleming
at 11:07 am
@ Jeremy
You box me into a corner here by forcing me to explain something that can only make me look like an arrogant, greedy ass.
I don’t think you understand my blog or my business.
There are 200,000 real estate transactions in Toronto every year. If I can do 60-70 transactions, then, well, I’m doing very, very well. Not everybody who reads my blog will like what I have to say. But those that do, use my services, and rave about me. I can’t satisfy everybody – and this is what most Realtors try to do. Most Realtors don’t take sides on any issues. They don’t offer anything but the middle ground. I’m the opposite.
I can’t even begin to explain how great a tool this blog is for business. You just don’t understand. You’re under the impression that I’m chasing the 7,000,000 people in Toronto, and that one obnoxious rant about the protest is going to cost me 3,000,000 potential buyers.
But you also fail to realize that your short essay from yesterday only helps my blog grow. I have 10,000 comments on my blog – more than any real estate website in Toronto. The people that hate me keep reading and keep posting, and they help my blog grow.
Again – you’ve forced me to explain myself, and now I look even more arrogant.
But I can’t stand when people tell me how I “should” conduct myself or what I “should” write on my blog.
For example, if you don’t like me and don’t use my services, that’s fine. But I’ve gained ground with the people who share my thoughts about the protest. You also say that this rant “cost my business tens of thousands of dollars,” when in fact it does the exact opposite. Those that agree will be even more inclined to work with me. I can only work so many hours in a week and I have to pick and choose where and when I work. I don’t work with everybody that contacts me; I don’t have time, and sometimes it’s not a good personality fit. Buying and selling real estate is a very personal experience, and if I’m not on the same page with somebody, then I’m not the right Realtor for them.
I appreciate your readership, and I’ve always maintained that I need a contrarian viewpoint. I don’t want 40 comments from people who all say, “I agree!” That’s not productive. As you’re aware, I like to stimulate conversation and open up debates. Show me another Realtor who puts his ass on the line like this.
If you wan’t a former housewife-turned-Realtor who points out how “lovely” the curtains are, then there are plenty of those in the industry. But that’s not me.
I can guarantee you that whatever business you’re in – you know it better than me. So perhaps you should “presume” that my business is flourishing and I know what I’m doing with this blog.
Jason.George.OCD
at 9:53 am
David, this was hilarious! Everything you said is so true.
The so-called “protesters” either repeat what they’ve been spoon-fed to say (“We’re the 99%”), or they say, “I’m just here because I don’t like ‘how things are’ now” (wow, thanks for clarifying!). I also noticed how many of the “financially struggling” occupiers were holding brand new IPhone4 (aren’t these the pricey new products of a dreadful corporation?), and many had brand-name clothes (Abercrombie, Calvin Klein, other evil business mavens who — gulp — make money) and of course cell phones, IPods, and even laptops (perhaps somebody they connect with on social media will come up with a comprehensible reason for being there?). On CP24 this morning, a reporter was trying his hardest to find out what their “plan” was, but the most he could get was a description of the types of sandwiches people had donated to the “organization tent” (no pun intended). Note to those interested in joining the non-defined non-event: vegan sandwiches are on site (something about saving the animals and environment).
Thanks, David.
Darren
at 9:54 am
I couldn’t agree more! I don’t understand why the protestors are allowed to remain there, and hard-working tax-payers have to bare the cost of port-a-poties and pay for the police to supervise their stupid rally.
RPG
at 10:02 am
Great post, David. It’s incredibly over-the-top, but that’s what we’ve come to expect! Your sarcasm is dripping off the page.
I have a feeling you’re in for a long day of reading comments from your opposition. People are so passionate about this protest and even those who disagree with the protestors and their lack of agenda might still come to their defence just because they believe in free-speech.
Great video though! Weren’t you scared at any point?
Kyle
at 10:31 am
I totally agree with this post. And am going to go into a whole bunch of unsubstantiated generalizations here. Most of these ignorant, whiny, protesters are spoiled, well off, subrurban kids and completely clueless to how the world works. Mostly because they’ve never needed to get a clue. They’ve lived off their 1% parents their whole life, and have since discovered that they are now unable to support themselves the way their parents used to. So instead of understanding and working with the system, they want to change it. Here’s the irony, most of the corporatioins, globalization and consumerism that they are railing against, were created to make all the luxuries (SUV’s, housing materials, gaming systems, clothes, toys, shoes, etc)that they grew up with affordable.
Having been born into the poorest 1%, and having worked my way up to the top 1%, i can tell you there is nothing broken about our system. While of course it isn’t perfect. Yes, there’s potential for corporate malfeasance, there’s potential for unfair distibutions of wealth, but for the most part it works. Those that want to improve their lot have many opportunities to do so, if they are willing to put forth the effort. And even those that do not want to put forth the effort, still have opportunities to sit in a park and whine about it.
What’s truly sad aren’t so much the injustices these people claim to support. What’s truly sad, is seeing these occupiers, most of whom were born with far more advantages then i had or a lot of other people have waste those advantages on smoking weed and whining. Maybe they should have occupied the study halls instead of occupying their parents’ basements playing video games. Maybe they should have occupied entry level jobs to gain experience instead of occupying their buddies apartments smoking weed. These people don’t know how lucky they are to be part of Canada’s bottom 99%, they don’t know what really poverty is like. They should try being on the bottom 1%, then they’ll have something to whine about.
Franki
at 10:38 am
Great post David, I have to agree all these people out there in tents need to get a real job! Or least some new hobbies. Who ever has time to stay in tents all day and night do not have normal everyday work lives. Plain and simple, a bunch of hippies trying to be part of something thats all. Get a life, and stop worrying about big corporations, worry about providing for yourself!
Tammy
at 10:47 am
I have no issues whatsoever with people protesting whatever cause they choose to devote their time to, whether I think it’s ludicrous or not. What I do have an issue with is that this bunch of hippie squatters feels they are somehow entitled to indefinitely (illegally I might add) occupy our neighbourhood park and incur costs to the taxpayers to provide them with toilets, pick up their garbage and provide no fewer than a dozen police officers to ensure this gathering doesn’t get out of hand.
Before you lend any legitimacy to what is going on down there, maybe come by for a visit and check it out for yourself. I walk through the lunatic fringe down there a number of times a day and David is 100% correct that the majority of these people have no understanding of economics or even the issues that started the occupy movement. They have signs for every cause under the sun down there and as far as I have witnessed, they are doing little more than holding signs, drinking, smoking various legal and illegal substances and having laughable meetings spending hours trying to agree on what they should do next. It is really just making a joke of some legitimate financial issues being felt far more harshly in other parts of the world.
I am an average educated hard working person, not a rich CEO or a billionaire so I’m not really the 1% they are protesting against but I sure as heck don’t want to be part of the 99% if that means that those are my spokespeople!
Since it’s becoming clear that neither the police nor our mayor are going to force them to leave, I hope mother nature does it for them this week. 50+mm of rain should do a nice job of chasing a good number of them out of there. It’s hard to tolerate being wet and cold when you aren’t really sure why you are there in the first place.
George
at 12:14 pm
Hypocrisy. Protesters complain about the greed of others, but in doing so, they reveal their own greed for more wealth. We’re all greedy. Accept it and act accordingly.
Martin
at 12:58 pm
There are many issues to talk about as it relates to the Occupy Movement. I work in the financial services sector and I’m part of the 1%. What many people fail to realize is that the issue is not with the 1%, but with the top 0.1%, which include the ultra high net worth individuals (e.g. CEO of Goldman Sachs). Their wealth is outrageous even to the rest of the 1%. Most people that work at financial institutions are not highly compensated; just average. It’s the top people that are.
I think many observers feel outraged at Occupy Toronto because most of us working downtown are part of the 1% and we don’t feel rich, we don’t feel like we did somethign wrong, we don’t feel like we’re screwing the rest of the population. We all spent significant $$$ going to school and missed out on other interesting uses of our time because we were studying. However, most of us can afford housing, have kids, provide for our kids, have a car, save up a bit for retirement, go on vacation once every few years and that’s it! That’s what being entry level 1% gets you. No trip to Corsica every 3 months or G5 on the tarmac at Pearson.
Also, and this is my main point, what happened in the US is very different than the situation in Europe, which is completely different than our situation in Canada. In the US, the financial services sector basically screwed the entire country so that it could benefit in the short term (annual bonus) by extending mortgages to households knowing full well they we’re going to default in the short- to medium-term (read the Big Short). In Europe, big corporations have NOTHING to do with what is happening. Greece’s government overspent (other PIGS nations as well). Now they have the equivalent of a maxed out credit card that all the other countries have co-signed for. And because the governments in Europe are putting the screws to spending, big corporations have to let people go. That sucks, but its really the PIGS governments’ fault.
Nothing like that happened in Canada. Banks did not screw the people and the government did not spend what belonged to future generations. So if Occupy Toronto is about the growing global imbalance between rich and poor, irresponsible government spending, and just a general social comment that things need to be fixed, fine. But if they are complaining about what’s happening in Canada, and that the banks here are the root of all evil, they have NO IDEA how good it is to live here wheter you’re part of the 99%, the 1% or the 0.1%.
David Fleming
at 1:00 pm
@ Martin
Agreed. I have no clue how anybody living in Canada can complain. We live in the best country in the world, and the taxation “issue” in the United States is not present in Canada.
BUT….do you think the protestors know the difference?
Krupo
at 5:50 pm
The protest in Canada is special, in that it was a Canadian publication, Adbusters, that actually inspired/coordinated Occupy Wall Street in the first place. Just like how Dave had sketchy posters when he was young, I got the magazine, so I keep informed about their comings-and-goings even if I’m not buying it.
Having said that, we do indeed have it much better here than in the US, so I think it’s fair to call this a “sympathy strike (protest)”. And if you want to know what I think when I write that, go back to the “PTA Disbands” episode of the Simpsons where the teachers go on strike, and they announce that “another union has joined us in a sympathy strike: the piano tuners’ Local 412!”.
Effectiveness? Questionable. Comedy or symbolism, depending on your POV? Well it’s there. 🙂
Jeff316
at 3:46 pm
I think that there are critiques to be made of these actions, their purposes, goals and outcomes. But like so many comments on these actions, this post isn’t about that.
I think comments of this nature are more about distancing onceself from the people taking part. Characterizing the participants with sweeping generalizations of unverifiable accuracy is about drawing a line in the sand- those people are this, and I am not that. It helps people disassociated from their fellow citizens. They can’t be like you or me. It’s a form giving one’s self a bit more security. I am not one of them.
The thing is, though, it’s false. It’s a means of jutying the privilidges we’ve had as individuals. Of making us worth the luck we’ve had, instead of admitting to the randomness by which priviledge and good fortune help the lucky few.
We all have much more in common than anyone wants to admit. The people out there aren’t that different than the people posting here and their situations could be flipped easily by a few very random life events. No one ever admits that they’re barely hanging on, financially or otherwise, until they’ve already completely fallen off the cliff, and by then it’s too late.
Labelling the participants the way many have done here is more a comment on the commenter’s insecurities than the people taking part.
David Fleming
at 8:42 pm
@ Jeff
Great point – “admitting to the randomness by which priviledge and good fortune help the lucky few.”
We’re all lucky we were born in Canada and not in a third world country.
Some of us are even luckier that we came from middle-class families and had good upbringings.
It truly is a random draw.
Karl
at 3:52 pm
This post is spot on. I came to Canada when I was 2, i’m 24 now and I am very grateful to be here. I work full time and put in another 30 hours a week on top of that and will finally break six figures this year. The opportunities in this country are amazing if you work hard. Everyone I know that is making it out there works very hard and deserves all of it. If you watch TV, play video games and waste your weekends getting drubk/high who will pay you for that? What are you contributing to society?
Matt
at 4:44 pm
David, you state that ‘if only the people understood basic economics’.
Guess what the current situation in Europe is. The ‘recapitalization’ of the banking system is basically a situation where Bond holders have been the ones bailed out. This means that Bond holders have incurred less risk on their Bond purchases than the guy on the street who doesn’t even know what a frigging Bond is.
With this in mind, I would argue that even though ‘they’ on the street might not know what the true economic situation is, I do. And as a fiscal conservative I’m angry as well. I don’t buy Bonds with the thought that if the buck breaks I should be bailed out by the masses. Same would go with any financial transaction including purchases of real estate.
What is happening here is that after years of preaching the virtues of unregulated capitalism, the major financial institutions and their very very rich Bond holders are now in favour of socializing their losses; losses that have come about due to bad judgment and reckless deregulation.
Martin
at 11:04 pm
That is not what these people are protesting about and I question how much you really know about this subject judging from your comments and your condescending tone.
Very rich bond holders!? Anyone that has a pension (including little old ladies) owns bonds, not necessarily George Soros. BTW, the bondholders holding Greek debt aren’t getting bailed out. And why do you feel the need to use a capital B for bond?
JG
at 4:45 pm
Not that anyone of the protestors could articulate an argument as
thoroughly as this individual, but this will give a better
understanding on a higher level of what the protest is truly (or
suppose to be) about.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MAhHPIuTQ5k
michael
at 5:10 pm
so really? all you folks who say you’re part of the 1%? you make more than $593,000 (US) per year? that’s amazing.
Kyle
at 9:12 pm
Listen 1-fact wonder. This may be hard for you to comprehend, but income is not the sole measure of how rich someone is.
Heather Reisman , CEO of Indigo Books and Music made $400,000 last year. Are you telling me she is not in the 1%?
David Thomson, chair of Woodbridge (which owns 55% of Thomson Reuters made $600,000. Are you telling me he barely makes the 1% cut?
McBloggert
at 10:19 pm
First let me preface this by saying I think that the majority of the people protesting would gravitate to any “cause” that allows them the excuse to chant and satisfy their half baked sense of what they think is right based on little life experience and a cursory google search marked down as actual research. The occupy toronto movement is a weak parody of other protests – this is NOT the arab spring and this is the US or europe.
BUT – I do agree with Michael about the definition of who the 1% are. The 1% are the super wealthy, not the people pulling down $250K-$400K with a nice house and some good investments.
Yes these people may fall into the comfortable category, but they are not the ones who have the type of power and influence that is being debated by this ruse of a movement. I’d be inclined to draw the line somewhere in the net worth north of $20M, but we’re really talking about those with wealth pushing into the hundreds of millions if we’re casting our net to include a global perspective.
David Fleming
at 11:19 pm
@ McBloggert
Somebody made a good point earlier about the “super-wealthy” being the 0.01%.
I think the 1% are being confused with the 0.01%.
The protestors are complaining about the 1% when they should be complaining about the 0.01%, who in the United States, don’t really pay any taxes, but could end the economic plight by paying 3-4% more in personal income taxes each year.
McBloggert
at 7:33 am
@DavidFleming
Just came across this blog post in the Washington Post where they look at exactly who the 1% are, based off a quick are dirty lit review of papers on this subject over that past few years – in an effort to see what professions make up the 1%.
They describe the 1% as: “You’d be in the top 1 percent of U.S. households if your income in 2010 was at least $516,633. Your net worth in 2007 was $8,232,000 or more, and your average income this year is $1,530,773.”
These numbers come from a few of the papers they looked at – and I am not going to fact check their methodology! but it does suggest that by any measure the 1% are pretty heavy hitters in the financial department.
@lui – I think you summed it up perfectly
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/how-the-top-1-percent-made-its-money-in-two-charts/2011/10/11/gIQAXL4acL_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein
Martin
at 11:09 pm
1% in Canada is not the same as 1% in the US. The income gap is greater over there.
lui
at 10:45 pm
These people are the G20 rejects.Wall Street protest was a good symbol of how mad the average tax payers are when they are barely holding a job and paying more for less and seeing the lack of leadership around the world to take control of the deepening recession.It has nothing to do with wages but more in line with crooked CEO’s,corrupt insider trading and the climate where “too big too fail” prevails among the elite of society.Its too bad the vision we are seeing on the media is hippies and weed tokers trying to discuss rationally why they are at the protest.In europe they riot,in Canada we whine.
David Fleming
at 11:13 am
Have a look at Margaret Wente’s column today:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/notes-from-the-occupation/article2203901/
My favourite quote from a protestor:
“Why should artists have to work instead of just making art?”
Ponce
at 6:33 pm
I don’t think there’s any question that – even if you support big business and recognize their incredible importance to our economy – you can still be alarmed at how the profits are increasingly being shifted into the pockets of the 1 – 2 individuals at the top of the pyramid. To go back to David’s earlier example, I have no problem with Rogers existing or being profitable, but I would much rather see the people on the lower rungs of the ladder (or the shareholders) getting a better share of the dollars generated by the company.
If those 28,000 employees received slight pay increases, I am sure that a much larger percentage of that money would make it immediately back into the economy in support the businesses providing food, clothing, housing, daycares, restaurants etc. listed in David’s original post.
This is also rewarding people fairly for providing real, honest work that is crucial to the actual financial success of the overall organization.
Handing the lion’s share of the profits to Ted Rogers or Nadir Mohamed is definitely less beneficial to the economy as a whole.
Michael
at 1:13 pm
in all instances of time, there is always a group of elietes controlling the non-elites. THe times have simply changed.
Back then – The minister is escorted via carraige and escort. Likely 20-50 working this task for him.
NOW – the minister is escorted via armored car and police escort + behind the scenes surveillance and coordination officers. likely 20-50 working this task for him.
yet same argument comes up. It’s not fair that an eleite makes 100X more than i do.
Just for the record i am not an elite, but an elite will always exist. If you want to be that elite, there might be a way, but your chances of success are low. Satisfy yourself in a regular life in that case and cease wasting your time/energy and thoughts in something you have no way in influencing
Michael
at 1:08 pm
All i do is look back to pre- 1800 and what the standard of living was like. No Electricity, no plumbing, and early mortality rate, no toilets.
If you had a master that took care of you, you were doing really great. Everyone in that park would have likely been a peasant. However, as peasants they survived and received food and had shelter. fruits and vegetables were truly seasonal and extended to only the elite due to their scarcity. In today’s comparisons, we all live like noblemen and kings in the olden days. Hungry? No problem, whip something up quick in the microwave, or visit your nearby grocery store and pick up something simple. Feel like a banana?
Tour Fort York and learn about the “luxuries” a captain was allowed to enjoy. You’ll see your current standard of living exceeds that of a captain.
Tour Dundurn Castle in Hamilton and learn of how many servants and their jobs it took for sir Allan Macnab to live a life of 1850’s “luxury”. You’ll make note that you are living infinitely better than Allan Macnab with what you essentially received as your birth right in Canada (electricity, pluming, oven, heat, toilets).
peeps need to realize that in North America, we live great. Everyone can basically “live”, even without contributing a single thing…. Although the circumstances of that living might not be favorable (ie: living in a room in a house, reporting to a social worker etc..), you have your freedoms, and if you don’t want to live that way there is a way out, and our government helps you (student loans, assistance, EI, welfare etc…).