Everything Wrong with Today's Youth

As the 2011 year comes to a close, and I step one foot closer to the end of my six month grace period for my student loans, now is the time to look at our year in review. Journalist and news sites are already claiming that the Occupy moment takes the cake for quote of the year. Their slogan, “I am the 99%” doesn’t only sound like an ad for STD awareness, but also sounds like the spirit of America, according to some.

Now, I’ll let my judgments rest for now about the movement and what it stands for. They have gotten quite organized. Ron Paul is apparently the political face of the movement, which makes it anything but democratic.

Atlanta's Woodruff Park

I actually like Ron Paul. He’s smart, honest (unlike most Washington fat cats) and he’s a doer. Not big on rhetoric or fancy speeches and stuff. My problem with this Occupy movement is a silly little issue. I live in Atlanta and work Downtown near Woodruff Park and Peachtree and Pine (where Occupy Atlanta lives). Everyday I pass dozens of homeless men and women, accompanied by Georgia State and Tech students protesting the big corporations and fighting the good fight. The rallies look dull and sort of cult-ish. I am sure you’ve seen video’s like this:

To me, it is laughable that they actually call this a revolution. In the 1960′s, anti-war and anti-jim crow protesters didn’t sound like they were at a Jim Jones sermon. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m down for the cause. I hate the 1% just like the other 50% of Americans who have now realized that the American Dream lives no more. See, I knew that the American Dream was dead once we elected Obama. That is the white man’s strategy. [joke]And not that I am comparing movements (which I clearly am), but I just don’t see where  Occupying parks and city streets can change how people feel and spend their money (especially the top 1%).

I want to beleive that this is the beginning of something powerful, because the issue they are addressing is the new civil rights issue of our time. But when the Movement is almost a year in stride, has no leader(s) and no clear alternative to how things are, besides making every-fucking-thing free (which wouldn’t be that bad, I guess) it makes me wonder how successful it can be.

I guess quote of the year is a good start, but now where do they go from here? In Atlanta it has already lost its fired and even though they are located in cities throughout the United States, I wonder how many people are ready to take control, and how many are simple-minded hipsters trying to be a part of a game they don’t fully understand.