Whenever a democratic movement comes about it usually attracts a contrarian view and the Occupy Wall Street critics have presented theirs. They are not unique and so far they are not particularly clever either.
Take for instance this cute letter a self-described “college senior” put on the web to become a viral hero to contrarians and anti-protesters. Put aside that the author’s actual existence hasn’t been verified, and many think it’s an orchestrated stunt from a public relations firm hired by the likes of billionaire Koch brothers who are well known for plotting fakes.
What we can know about this piece is that the author – if real – has little or no grasp of the issue at hand. Protesters are not looking for handouts, as the writer claims. Protesters are railing against the salaries of corporate executives that are constantly going up at a public expense, while jobs aren’t being created and working class wages are regularly going down. This is something even corporate-friendly Fox News acknowledges as a problem, but this author fails to understand.
What we also know of the writer, if this person exists, is that he is quite proud of his personal mediocrity.
For instance, he claims to have chosen “a moderately priced, in-state public
university.” Sure, why target a reputable school when you can attend Backwoods U? It’s cheaper and that should be the only criteria for education, not quality, so you might get a job “making barely above minimum wage” as the author does. Ah, the charmed life.
It’s commendable that this supposed student started saving for school “at age 17” (just before university) and received “2 scholarships which cover 90% of (his) tuition.” The author could have done a great service by revealing the name of this incredibly generous and affordable U.S. public university, but he didn’t because it probably doesn’t exist.
I imagine the PR firm that wrote this diatribe struggled quite a bit here. After its interns failed to find a moderate, in-state public school (in at least 47 of 50 states) with the resources to dole out 90% tuition to students, the firm just half-assed the idea. They didn’t even mention the subject this pretend student is studying to earn a “3.8 GPA” in his make-believe institution. That might’ve led to more questions and contrarians are happier not to challenge irregularities that support their camp. Let’s assume he is majoring in wizardry because this school sounds magical.
The aggressive mediocrity then takes an intimate turn as the author(s) invite the reader into his tiny, cheap apartment. He says he doesn’t have a credit card. Pause there. Unless this fantasy tale also includes landlords that enjoy renting apartments to students who don’t have a credit rating or a decent income, he likely had a co-signer on his lease.
Something about no credit and low pay contradicts the “I expect nothing to be handed to me” line, while begging the question if his apartment’s co-signer wrote her full name on the signature line, or simply scrawled “mommy” before forking over first and last month’s rent so her little sunshine could play smug grown-up on the Internet.
It’s also stated that the author doesn’t have a new car, cable television, a smart phone and never – “even once a month” – eats out. The PR firm simply surrenders here by making him a hermit that doesn’t participate in the economy. At least many of the protesters are consumers. Wall Street would rather you bought something, commie.
While I’m convinced this viral hit was a stunt, if it does prove to be written by a single wizard, who exists as an academic genius, anonymously living under a rock without any modern comforts, it still doesn’t excuse the fact that this lecture is from a person with a poor grasp of issues, who admittedly doesn’t have many bills to pay – not because he is smart (but) – because he is too young to have various expenses that inevitably comes with age.
The author is only right about one thing, that he is not a part of the 99-percent. Most 99-percenters have a story that doesn’t require fabrication.
Tags: 99 percent, 99%, Occupy Wall Street, Wall Street, Wall Street protests
