Occupy Wall Street*

Sean, Catherine and I have been closely following the protest all week. I hope it never ends. Seriously, this stuff is pure comedic gold. Who knew that a bunch of stupid unemployed hipsters (sorry--freelance photographers/artists/graphic designers/film-makers) could be so entertaining. They don't even have any coherent message or agenda.

For a quick primer, read this article Sean sent us today:



Consider the case of Erin Larkins, "a Columbia University graduate student who says she and her boyfriend have significant student loan debt." Ms. Larkins is one of the hundreds of protesters who "sleep on air mattresses, use Mac laptops and play drums." (Is it fair to say that anyone with a Macbook has no business complaining about their life of poverty?) Those same protesters regularly "march down to Wall Street, yelling, 'This is what democracy looks like!'"



According to Ms. Larkins, "I don't think we're asking for much, just to wake up every morning not worrying whether we can pay the rent, or whether our next meal will be rice and beans again** . . . No one is expecting immediate change. I think everyone is just hopeful that people will wake up a bit and realize that the more we speak up, the more the people that do have the authority to make changes in this world listen."



Or, as Sean summarizes it: "Like, I'm smart, I go to Columbia...someone as important as myself is above having to face the realities of life. Like, I think the government should re-pay me for the years that I have lived off the money that wasn't mine...because, I'm like smart and...you know, I go to Columbia."

I'd love to know what she's studying. Maybe she should have thought twice before "investing" in an overpriced graduate degree.



Anyways, read through these profiles of the protesters and tell me if you think I'm being unfair.



EDIT: Catherine points out this article, which isn't as "mean" to the protesters. Which is not to say it does their cause any favors. Watch the video. The big problem problem with this "movement" is that every time these people open their mouths, you end up wanting to punch someone. (My favorite is the guy running around in a mask and bandanna [pictured above]. He apparently thinks he's actively seeking employment, and he seems to wonder why no one is hiring him.)

* The pictures are from the New York Observer article I linked to.

** I don't get what she's complaining about. Catherine and I eat rice and beans all the time, and we like it.