It’s only going to be a matter of time before the producers go on strike. In some ways, I think, some have.
The OWS folks are protesting some valid stuff; no one wants to bail out Wall Street banks and investment houses. However, their message is getting lost in a mess of non-message nonsense. We live in a society that is the envy of the world. Our poor are richer than most country’s middle class. We have it good.
But they continue to protest and occupy. What they don’t realize is that this is being done only by the “tolerance” of others. At some point, we’re gonna tire of this and they are going to have to leave. In some cases, this is already occurring:
Small business owners and local residents fed up with the “Occupiers” at Zuccotti Park in New York City are planning a counterprotest and news conference of their own Monday, to make clear the crowd has long overstayed its welcome — and that businesses will not survive if the “occupation” continues.
…
In recent days, shopkeepers, restaurant owners and others with small businesses located near Zuccotti Park have been quietly meeting to share stories of the damage they say has been caused by Occupy Wall Street: theft of property, vandalism, threats, violence and even incidents involving the throwing of fecal matter.
The producers are tired. And they’re starting to protest. They are going to weigh in and demand their time. It’s one thing for young impressionable kids to take to the streets for an afternoon to protest some social wrong. It’s who we are and helps build an internal compass that we’ll use as we continue to build life experience. It’s another thing altogether to just sit and be pissed that people aren’t throwing $100k money at’cha for a freakin’ degree in Women’s Studies*.
And it goes further than just the business owners; it’s hitting the people who feel they have a responsibility to deliver:
The flyers were printed out by a 46-year-old unemployed teacher named Leslie who has spearheaded the counterprotest efforts. She asked her last name not be used out of concern the protesters would retaliate against her, and that her involvement in the counterprotest might negatively affect her job search.
“It’s time for them to go,” Leslie said of the Occupiers.
…
Leslie makes no effort to conceal her disgust.
“They say they are the 99 percent. Let me tell you, I’m unemployed and I lost my unemployment benefits after 99 weeks. I had to move in with my mother—I’m a true 99 percenter,” she said.
A police officer who was posted at the perimeter of the park for seven days said he would be attending the Monday event out of uniform, “as a protester and fed-up New Yorker.”
“After speaking with many of them, I realize they are unemployable takers,” he said, asking that his name not be used. “They just want to be able to tell their friends, ‘Hey, I was there.’ There is no leader, no voice. They have money in the bank but can’t agree on using it and no one knows who controls it.
“I’m sick of it. Fed up like everyone else.”
They’re losing the unemployed and the cops. It won’t be long now. John Galt is going to speak up and when he does, this is all over.
By the way, an illustration of the civility and respect these animals have:
These protesters—they’re not even protesters, they don’t know anything—they are horrible. They break things, they steal, I have to close my bathrooms and bring customers downstairs [to employee restrooms],” he said.
“You should see what they have done to my gate, what they do every night when we are closed,” he said, referring to vandalism and damage to the exterior of his restaurant.
One of his employees said the urination and fecal matter in the neighborhood are among the worst of the problems. A construction worker who works nearby said he saw someone defecating into a newspaper, which was then rolled up and thrown across the street.
“What they do is horrible, it is just horrible,” Corstales said.
Classy. Not one time, not ONE time ever, did you hear of a Tea Party protester shit in a newspaper and throw it in the street. Ever.
* Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing WRONG with women’s studies, there isn’t. However, no one hires people because they are a Women’s Studies major. When I hire people, I’m looking for applicable skills to fill the position. And to be honest, I like to see soft science minors or focuses and I’ll even direct significant time of the interview on that. However, that is a component of study that rounds out a candidate, not defines that candidate.
