I'm so grateful that you're an educator, and you can so well put into words what's going on and give us a deep understand on your perspective. It helps me make decision of my own, and developing my on opinion of real life issues.
This video is great. One important thing to know is that rest of the world is following this. I think culturally the biggest difference between people in Australia and the US is the attitude to wealth. Here politicians try to emulate the working class Australian. The media is always going on about working families and and there's a real attitude that everyone is an ordinary fair dinkum Aussie. I hate the phrase fair dinkum, it means straight up honest.
@genericfirstname Whereas I'm told most US people think they're middle class. The rich should get away with everything because according to the American Dream one day ordinary people can end up like them. As you know with the widening of the class gap the American Dream is becoming harder and harder to obtain. I'm not saying Australia is a perfect society, it definitely isn't, just that it looks like you need a country wide attitude shift to make serious change. Correct me if I'm wrong.
@ProductionsThatFSU Our country was founded on people raising their voice. If America's Founding Fathers didn't 'bitch' about being unfairly taxed, we would probably still be under British rule. Also, I don't think that that every individual's situations can be written off as their own mistake; sure, everyone could have handled things differently, but to not recognize that the problem correlated with the alarming growth rate of the lower-class is just plain ignorance.
@ProductionsThatFSU Speaking of ignorance, I had to push myself to intelligently respond after your use of the word 'fags.' I normally consider the source and don't waste much time on people that use such terms, but instead of writing you off, I figure I'd throw my two cents in. I think it's worth noting however, that if you really want to get a legitimate point across, instead of just ruffle people's feathers, it wouldn't hurt your cause to open a thesaurus.
@DylanSommers lol you have too much time on your hands. your probably one of those protestors, someone who has a lot of time cause you have no job. lol fail at life.
This video was really interesting. I might just ask my history teacher to show it to my class or ask him to make the articles required reading. We were talking about Occupy Wall Street in my class one day and nobody really seemed to understand what was going on. I was trying to defend the movement while some people in my class were trying to tell me that I was unpatriotic.
*spends hours reading the things linked in the doobly-doo*
a very thoughtful video on such an important topic. i don't know what to do about people who aren't patient enough to want to understand what this movement is really about and instead offer knee-jerk reactions on facebook and elsewhere. this is a concise and lovely video for me to share with those people. i totally agree that this is an exciting time to be alive.
On UC Davis - and please forgive me if you've already been informed of this - the students who were pepper sprayed were supposedly protesting the increase in tuition at Davis. They were separate from the Occupy movement, although there was an Occupy movement on campus around the same time. It wasn't until the pepper spray incident that the Occupy protesters joined up with the other protesting group.
(I have a sister/friend who goes to UC Davis, and asked her about it.)
@maculata I got my info from the letter that I linked in the description. "These were protesters who participated in a rally speaking out against tuition increases and police brutality on UC campuses on Tuesday—a rally that I organized, and which was endorsed by the Davis Faculty Association."
I do not condone the police brutality where it was unreasonable. They can't resist arrest and expect nothing. Parks have the right to set reasonable standards. Its private property open to the public. I'm very curious what exactly they want to happen. I saw that list of demands from a few occupiers that doesn't reflect all of them but had $20 min wage on it. being a cashier or fry cook is not worth that much. If I'm the one being unreasonable tell me. Scoffing and ignoring is counterproductive
@AnsemRush Coming from a country with a significantly higher minimum wage, trust me it's easier to live. As for resisting arrest, this movement is huge but there's plenty of evidence of people not at all resisting and being maced in the face. Society needs working class people to run, if you don't pay them enough you develop slums and social unrest. The biggest problem is the widening class gap. Look back at Victorian era London, the only way to fix it is to sort out the distribution of wealth.
@genericfirstname I already noted the police brutality. The gap is widening, yes, but it won't forever. And while the gap is widening, the standard of living is rising as well. The gap could be smaller, pull the wealthy down and you can move poor down along with it. Tightening the gap by moving the rich down brings everyone down a little. The minimum wage will not decrease.Everyone's unsure of the economy so its just hard to find jobs that will pay higher right now. What country btw? related?
@AnsemRush Is there ever a time when 'police brutality' is reasonable? I agree that resisting arrest will no doubt be met with a certain amout of force to subdue the subject, but when it crosses the line into 'brutality,' I just can't make sense out of that.
There are more parks that are public property than private.
I think there is nothing more beautiful and dangerous (the two often go hand in hand) than a movement of outraged people; citizens that don't have a clear list of goals (although
@AnsemRush as you noted, there are some). I voted for people to represent me. I trusted this 'great nation' to take care of its citizens and always act responsibly, with their best interests in mind. Clearly this has not been done, as I look around and see almost all of my friends and family being abused by 'the system' and the current financial state of the country. I have no answers, I have no demands. I just have a plea to the leaders, the people that I put into power, to please help. Fix
Before you write me off as someone who has gotten myself into financial trouble, shirked the responsibly for my actions, and is now complaining about my situation, I should clarify that I am not at all in a bad spot (although everything is relative, I suppose). I was pretty bad-off a few years ago, but I worked really hard and now I'm on stable ground. If not for my sympathy/empathy, I would be the perfect poster child for the 'anti-occupiers,'
@AnsemRush the people who dismiss the protests as people who are 'lazy and just bitching instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.' I took responsibility for my situation, my choices that caused it, the number of contributing factors that I had little or nothing to do with, and I pulled myself out of my rut. Instead of pointing at people who are speaking out against the injustice/irresponsibility of the system, and telling them to 'suck it up,' I have lent my voice to their cause.
@AnsemRush The shrinking of the middle-class and the growth of the lower-class is happening at a startling rate. If you think that this will subside, then you must have a much more optimistic take on the world than I. Before I responded to you, I did some quick research to find the decline/growth rates of the middle-/lower-classes. I also looked up the inflation rate vs the federal cost of living increase, and that is equally as startling, if not offensive. It might sound bizarre to offer
@AnsemRush a cashier or fry cook $20 an hour, but looking at the figures/charts from multiple websites (I didn't just find one that lent to my opinion, I was very fair and thorough to ensure the accuracy of my statements) comparing the inflation/cost of living increase vs minimum wage increase, I'd say it's only fair. (Also, I think I should note that on a microcosmic level, I find the practice of putting a dollar amount on someone's time to be one of the most unfair things of all).
@AnsemRush Everything happens in waves, yes; the severity of the economic situation will fluctuate, it might look a little better, things might look a little worse at times, but these charts and essays from political scientists, all point to your statement about the gap "widening... but it won't forever." to be overly optimistic, if not a borderline fairy-tale ending.
If you truly believe that on our current path, we will reverse this trend permanently, please share with me how you think this
@AnsemRush come to pass. Again, I am like the occupiers, I feel betrayed and I have no real answers. The same way you are "I'm very curious what exactly they want to happen." I am anxious to hear your solution... or perhaps you put the same amount of blind faith in our government I have for years.
I guess time will tell, but while others sit on the sidelines with apathy or despairing remarks, I will be raising my voice alongside my brothers and sisters who have given up on 'The American Dream,'
I'm not a fan of the bailouts either but they need to get demands together, not pitch tents in a park indefinitely. it would be different if it was hey, do this and we'll go..zero organization, cancerous in a way. Don't defecate near businesses in public, there have been numerous rapes reported. I like that the kid said he's not part of the 99%, maybe he is but I wouldn't want to be linked to this kind of behavior either.
@thepappytube Thank you! I tried to get it as short as I could, but I didn't feel I could cut any more out. And I've sat through a bunch of 8 or 9 minute videos on the topic, so I figured it was alright.
First off. Seriously. You're looking amazing these days. <3 You've always been gorgeous, but you're a babe in this video, amen. Secondly, YES. YES. YES. To everything you said.
I understand the feelings associated with Occupy Wall Street. But I think that the protesters are doing the wrong thing in the wrong place for the wrong reason. The government itself is the problem, not the people on Wall Street who simply reap the benefits of the government's idiocy. No one can honestly expect them to do anything. Bring the protest to the government. But they can't just stand around and flash signs. Propose solutions and force the government to reply. Nicely done video, though.
@TheCoryKid I think that's the next step, and you'll be seeing that soon. You are also considering the corporations and the government as two distinctly separate entities, but I think the specific reason that spot was chosen is because they feel that Wall St has become 'the man behind the curtain' if you will.
I love you! I need to explore all of these links. I opened up Justin's story. I also need to watch that first documentary that you posted on Facebook a couple of weeks ago but I never got around to watching. I've looked through that issue of AdBusters, but I had no idea it started the movement. I actually had no idea the movement was in direct correlation to the ones earlier in the year. 2011 is definitely a year for uprise, and I think that's incredibly interesting.
Thank you for this video. I have not had time to learn what the Occupy movement because it's my last semester of college. But now I know it's important to know. So thank you :)
Ugh, I love you so much. This was so inspiring and insightful and I already want to join the next Occupy Jacksonville event when I hear about it. Thank you for making this Emily, because you've presented all of the best information about the movement in one video, making it easy for someone who hasn't done their research [me] (other than seeing devastating picture on Tumblr) to learn a thing or two.
I like how you describe the smart phone as weapons that they provided us.hehehe. In this whole occupy movement, I dislike how those who have not educated themselves on whats going on are making quick judgment calls towards the protesters or anybody supporting the movement. By the way its nice to see your lovely face again in video form. Take care...
This is a really great video. My local free transit newspaper did a poll and 42% of people who read it identified themselves as not part of the 99%. Either that paper has a very wealthy demographic, or people are too blissfully misinformed to know better. I think we all know which is true.
@crimsong19 Thanks Jason. I knew I was exaggerating a bit on the muffins, but I figured it wasn't important to get that detail straight, as the fact that they can afford to buy fancy muffins while creating conditions where others can't afford to feed their children is toooo much.
Thank you for vlogging this. I've had conversations on what is coming out of all the protests and people camping and I think the main part is people talking to each other. I know the biggest frustration is exactly how to solve the problem or make an impact on the problem. I agree that most people have to realize the depth of the problem first. Change doesn't happen in a day, maybe not even in a lifetime. It doesn't mean that it's not important to try.
It's not a decision not to be born in the richest 1%, the us' taxes are extreem unfair and only support a downfall separation of the 'working-market'. This is not a stable job-economy.
well said. while i agree with the vast majority of the video, i think there are numerous instances in which acquiring debt through student loans is a bad decision. on the flip-side of that same idea, tuition is artificially inflated because of the ability of students to acquire said loans in larger quantities, so there is an argument to be made against the banks and government there. just the same, there is a degree of responsibility inherent to taking on too much student debt.
@fecklessman "too much" student debt is a qualitative measure. I was pretty fortunate in that I have parents who took out loans and paid much of my tuition, but I still owe $400 a month for the next ten years. It wouldn't be too much at all if I got a job that paid, say, $30,000 a year (which is a low starting teacher's salary) instead of the $12,000 a year, if I'm lucky, I earn subbing and modeling & etc.
@ChateauOfADoubt i think it's a relative measure. while i wasn't specifically talking about your situation [though in my experience conversing with you, i should have known that you would assume so], there are numerous steps that can be taken by students to minimize debt. a lot of people don't take those steps for whatever reason, which i believe is irresponsible. so, like i said, an argument could be made.
i agree that it's unforeseeable, but it's at least moderately predictable.
@ChateauOfADoubt obviously bad luck, market changes, etc. are a factor.
now i'm not saying everyone should be able to predict the future before they head off to college, but a certain degree of research should go into an education plan, and it seems fairly evident that a large number of students are just not giving it that much thought. that's pretty much why i went to community college instead of racking up large amounts of debt on gen. ed. figuring out what i want to do with my life.
@fecklessman I spent a year in community college, but by the time I went in I knew exactly what I wanted to go for and I called the college I was planning on transferring to, and I asked them what to take. Then I took exactly those classes and then transferred. I often heard that districts called up my college asking who was graduating, and they used to say we'd have jobs before we graduated. Most kids I went to HS with haven't gotten jobs with their degrees and it's not like they went for
Where I live, someone died at the protests and the camps have been moved, but besides that and the general lack of solution, I'm all for it. I was talking to someone about the Occupy movement earlier and I realized that the movement is sort of a metaphor for our current state. We know there is a problem, but what we are against has so much more power in our world. It's sometimes difficult to really know what to do, but I'm sure that Occupy is just the beginning.
@ntcssj Beautiful! Exactly. This afternoon I attended a teach-in at Occupy Albany on Participatory Economics. One of the things they were saying was that the movement is now ready for people to offer viable alternatives to the systems we've loudly declared broken. So, I agree, it does seem like the beginning stages.
I feel that going into debt for an education is in fact a mistake. Education should be publicly funded. Of course I would also want to adopt an apprenticeship system. Not everyone needs a full-blown college education.
I am part of the 99%. I am a bleeding-heart, liberal progressive socialist. I want financial equity, social justice and true civil liberties.
Corporate personhood is an abomination.
If conservatives had been around in 1776, we would still be a British colony.
@tetsubo57 haha, fair enough. I've often found myself saying that you don't need to go to college unless what you want to do with your life requires you get a degree. It's been a point of contention over the history of curriculum reform: do we prepare ALL students for college, or do we also offer a vocational track? And of course, few actually imagine THEIR children taking the vocational track, especially those who are making such decisions about curriculum.
And I just feel like they should be using that money to better America. Not just use it for their personal gain. We should be helping in every way we can. This stuff has been steaming my broccoli. Action needs to be taken to benefit America as a whole, not just the rich. Also, I love when you teach me things, and I've enjoyed are talks about this.
YEEEES! IT'S YOU! ugh those $17 muffins STILL piss me off. I follow Barack Obama on twitter and I saw that it tweeted these ornaments that said "Obama 2012" and I really wanted to tweet back and say some snarky comment asking if that's how the debt was being decreased. Also, I completely agree w/ the statement about the rich running the govt, because it's those people donating to the politicians campaigns and putting those people in office. The more money you have the more attention you receive
I recommend viewers enter the Info Basement (under the video) and download Emily's MFA Thesis, which is a very good read.
namlhots 2 months ago
EXCELLENT video. <3
soniccaffeine 2 months ago
I'm so grateful that you're an educator, and you can so well put into words what's going on and give us a deep understand on your perspective. It helps me make decision of my own, and developing my on opinion of real life issues.
keeporjot 2 months ago
You're so pretty. I don't have anything intelligent to say, sorry.
ChristInLimbo 3 months ago
This video is great. One important thing to know is that rest of the world is following this. I think culturally the biggest difference between people in Australia and the US is the attitude to wealth. Here politicians try to emulate the working class Australian. The media is always going on about working families and and there's a real attitude that everyone is an ordinary fair dinkum Aussie. I hate the phrase fair dinkum, it means straight up honest.
genericfirstname 3 months ago
@genericfirstname Whereas I'm told most US people think they're middle class. The rich should get away with everything because according to the American Dream one day ordinary people can end up like them. As you know with the widening of the class gap the American Dream is becoming harder and harder to obtain. I'm not saying Australia is a perfect society, it definitely isn't, just that it looks like you need a country wide attitude shift to make serious change. Correct me if I'm wrong.
genericfirstname 3 months ago
fuck those 99% fags, go get a job and quit bitching for your own mistakes
ProductionsThatFSU 3 months ago
@ProductionsThatFSU I just thought you should know, you're doing a really good job trolling.
ChateauOfADoubt 2 months ago 3
@ChateauOfADoubt fuck those hobos
ProductionsThatFSU 2 months ago
@ProductionsThatFSU Our country was founded on people raising their voice. If America's Founding Fathers didn't 'bitch' about being unfairly taxed, we would probably still be under British rule. Also, I don't think that that every individual's situations can be written off as their own mistake; sure, everyone could have handled things differently, but to not recognize that the problem correlated with the alarming growth rate of the lower-class is just plain ignorance.
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@ProductionsThatFSU Speaking of ignorance, I had to push myself to intelligently respond after your use of the word 'fags.' I normally consider the source and don't waste much time on people that use such terms, but instead of writing you off, I figure I'd throw my two cents in. I think it's worth noting however, that if you really want to get a legitimate point across, instead of just ruffle people's feathers, it wouldn't hurt your cause to open a thesaurus.
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@ProductionsThatFSU Or, if you're not sure what a thesaurus is, you can find all of the information you'll need on this wonderful internets-thing.
Give site a try and you'll be on your way to an expanded vocabulary and a more thoughtful approach to debating in no time:
h t t p : / / t h e s u a r u s . c o m
Have fun, and good luck in life, kid.
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@DylanSommers lol you have too much time on your hands. your probably one of those protestors, someone who has a lot of time cause you have no job. lol fail at life.
ProductionsThatFSU 2 months ago
This video was really interesting. I might just ask my history teacher to show it to my class or ask him to make the articles required reading. We were talking about Occupy Wall Street in my class one day and nobody really seemed to understand what was going on. I was trying to defend the movement while some people in my class were trying to tell me that I was unpatriotic.
Thank you for this video :)
llamaindisguise 3 months ago
@llamaindisguise Thank *you* so much!
ChateauOfADoubt 2 months ago
I was kind of sad I couldn't make it down to occupy albany when I was home for thanksgiving, but glad you found it in good sorts.
great video!
smilenose 3 months ago
*spends hours reading the things linked in the doobly-doo*
a very thoughtful video on such an important topic. i don't know what to do about people who aren't patient enough to want to understand what this movement is really about and instead offer knee-jerk reactions on facebook and elsewhere. this is a concise and lovely video for me to share with those people. i totally agree that this is an exciting time to be alive.
splicegrrl 3 months ago
@splicegrrl I love you, Martha!
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
On UC Davis - and please forgive me if you've already been informed of this - the students who were pepper sprayed were supposedly protesting the increase in tuition at Davis. They were separate from the Occupy movement, although there was an Occupy movement on campus around the same time. It wasn't until the pepper spray incident that the Occupy protesters joined up with the other protesting group.
(I have a sister/friend who goes to UC Davis, and asked her about it.)
maculata 3 months ago
@maculata I got my info from the letter that I linked in the description. "These were protesters who participated in a rally speaking out against tuition increases and police brutality on UC campuses on Tuesday—a rally that I organized, and which was endorsed by the Davis Faculty Association."
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Well said, Emily! We've got an OccupyGlasgow going on up here as well. Amazing to see the movement spread.
And it's so good to see you back on the YouTubes!! :D
Nsnick88 3 months ago
I do not condone the police brutality where it was unreasonable. They can't resist arrest and expect nothing. Parks have the right to set reasonable standards. Its private property open to the public. I'm very curious what exactly they want to happen. I saw that list of demands from a few occupiers that doesn't reflect all of them but had $20 min wage on it. being a cashier or fry cook is not worth that much. If I'm the one being unreasonable tell me. Scoffing and ignoring is counterproductive
AnsemRush 3 months ago
@AnsemRush Coming from a country with a significantly higher minimum wage, trust me it's easier to live. As for resisting arrest, this movement is huge but there's plenty of evidence of people not at all resisting and being maced in the face. Society needs working class people to run, if you don't pay them enough you develop slums and social unrest. The biggest problem is the widening class gap. Look back at Victorian era London, the only way to fix it is to sort out the distribution of wealth.
genericfirstname 3 months ago
@genericfirstname I already noted the police brutality. The gap is widening, yes, but it won't forever. And while the gap is widening, the standard of living is rising as well. The gap could be smaller, pull the wealthy down and you can move poor down along with it. Tightening the gap by moving the rich down brings everyone down a little. The minimum wage will not decrease.Everyone's unsure of the economy so its just hard to find jobs that will pay higher right now. What country btw? related?
AnsemRush 3 months ago
@AnsemRush Is there ever a time when 'police brutality' is reasonable? I agree that resisting arrest will no doubt be met with a certain amout of force to subdue the subject, but when it crosses the line into 'brutality,' I just can't make sense out of that.
There are more parks that are public property than private.
I think there is nothing more beautiful and dangerous (the two often go hand in hand) than a movement of outraged people; citizens that don't have a clear list of goals (although
DylanSommers 2 months ago
Comment removed
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush as you noted, there are some). I voted for people to represent me. I trusted this 'great nation' to take care of its citizens and always act responsibly, with their best interests in mind. Clearly this has not been done, as I look around and see almost all of my friends and family being abused by 'the system' and the current financial state of the country. I have no answers, I have no demands. I just have a plea to the leaders, the people that I put into power, to please help. Fix
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush something. Do something. Please. Help.
Before you write me off as someone who has gotten myself into financial trouble, shirked the responsibly for my actions, and is now complaining about my situation, I should clarify that I am not at all in a bad spot (although everything is relative, I suppose). I was pretty bad-off a few years ago, but I worked really hard and now I'm on stable ground. If not for my sympathy/empathy, I would be the perfect poster child for the 'anti-occupiers,'
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush the people who dismiss the protests as people who are 'lazy and just bitching instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.' I took responsibility for my situation, my choices that caused it, the number of contributing factors that I had little or nothing to do with, and I pulled myself out of my rut. Instead of pointing at people who are speaking out against the injustice/irresponsibility of the system, and telling them to 'suck it up,' I have lent my voice to their cause.
DylanSommers 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@AnsemRush The shrinking of the middle-class and the growth of the lower-class is happening at a startling rate. If you think that this will subside, then you must have a much more optimistic take on the world than I. Before I responded to you, I did some quick research to find the decline/growth rates of the middle-/lower-classes. I also looked up the inflation rate vs the federal cost of living increase, and that is equally as startling, if not offensive. It might sound bizarre to offer
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush a cashier or fry cook $20 an hour, but looking at the figures/charts from multiple websites (I didn't just find one that lent to my opinion, I was very fair and thorough to ensure the accuracy of my statements) comparing the inflation/cost of living increase vs minimum wage increase, I'd say it's only fair. (Also, I think I should note that on a microcosmic level, I find the practice of putting a dollar amount on someone's time to be one of the most unfair things of all).
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush Everything happens in waves, yes; the severity of the economic situation will fluctuate, it might look a little better, things might look a little worse at times, but these charts and essays from political scientists, all point to your statement about the gap "widening... but it won't forever." to be overly optimistic, if not a borderline fairy-tale ending.
If you truly believe that on our current path, we will reverse this trend permanently, please share with me how you think this
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush come to pass. Again, I am like the occupiers, I feel betrayed and I have no real answers. The same way you are "I'm very curious what exactly they want to happen." I am anxious to hear your solution... or perhaps you put the same amount of blind faith in our government I have for years.
I guess time will tell, but while others sit on the sidelines with apathy or despairing remarks, I will be raising my voice alongside my brothers and sisters who have given up on 'The American Dream,'
DylanSommers 2 months ago
@AnsemRush but still dare to dream for a better, less-corrupt world.
DylanSommers 2 months ago
I'm not a fan of the bailouts either but they need to get demands together, not pitch tents in a park indefinitely. it would be different if it was hey, do this and we'll go..zero organization, cancerous in a way. Don't defecate near businesses in public, there have been numerous rapes reported. I like that the kid said he's not part of the 99%, maybe he is but I wouldn't want to be linked to this kind of behavior either.
AnsemRush 3 months ago
It's not often I have the patience to watch a nine minute video, but this one seemed important. Which it was. So thanks for educating me :)
thepappytube 3 months ago 2
@thepappytube Thank you! I tried to get it as short as I could, but I didn't feel I could cut any more out. And I've sat through a bunch of 8 or 9 minute videos on the topic, so I figured it was alright.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Even in Plymouth UK there's an encampment outside the university, alot smaller but still showing support.
Telleryn 3 months ago
YOU'RE BACK!!! : )
dandobi 3 months ago
First off. Seriously. You're looking amazing these days. <3 You've always been gorgeous, but you're a babe in this video, amen. Secondly, YES. YES. YES. To everything you said.
losergoescrazy 3 months ago
So well said! I shall spread this :)
Brittanysofficial 3 months ago
Thank you for this video, Emily. I really appreciate it.
alliteration1247 3 months ago
Great video!
I think one big thing you can do if you can't occupy, is just shop locally. Support independent stores and give up on the large chains.
scratchingcat 3 months ago
*inane comment alert* I like your new hair style
cyberwilkz 3 months ago 2
@cyberwilkz haha, thanks. This is just what my hair does when I let it.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
The media blackout speaks volumes doesn't it.
meanwhile, look at you.. you look fantastic!
TabloidJunk 3 months ago
@TabloidJunk indeed! and thank you! :D
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
I understand the feelings associated with Occupy Wall Street. But I think that the protesters are doing the wrong thing in the wrong place for the wrong reason. The government itself is the problem, not the people on Wall Street who simply reap the benefits of the government's idiocy. No one can honestly expect them to do anything. Bring the protest to the government. But they can't just stand around and flash signs. Propose solutions and force the government to reply. Nicely done video, though.
TheCoryKid 3 months ago
@TheCoryKid I think that's the next step, and you'll be seeing that soon. You are also considering the corporations and the government as two distinctly separate entities, but I think the specific reason that spot was chosen is because they feel that Wall St has become 'the man behind the curtain' if you will.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
I love you! I need to explore all of these links. I opened up Justin's story. I also need to watch that first documentary that you posted on Facebook a couple of weeks ago but I never got around to watching. I've looked through that issue of AdBusters, but I had no idea it started the movement. I actually had no idea the movement was in direct correlation to the ones earlier in the year. 2011 is definitely a year for uprise, and I think that's incredibly interesting.
emmfan09 3 months ago
@emmfan09 The documentary about the lightbulb conspiracy and planned obsolescence? That one was so so good.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Thank you for this video. I have not had time to learn what the Occupy movement because it's my last semester of college. But now I know it's important to know. So thank you :)
owlsongs 3 months ago
@owlsongs Thank you for letting me know how significant it was that I made this, and good luck with your last semester!
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@ChateauOfADoubt Thanks! I've got a little over a week left. :)
owlsongs 3 months ago
Emily, I love you
HatticusRex 3 months ago
@HatticusRex <3
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Ugh, I love you so much. This was so inspiring and insightful and I already want to join the next Occupy Jacksonville event when I hear about it. Thank you for making this Emily, because you've presented all of the best information about the movement in one video, making it easy for someone who hasn't done their research [me] (other than seeing devastating picture on Tumblr) to learn a thing or two.
LizzieRadio 3 months ago
@LizzieRadio That is so so good to hear! All of it. Be sure to document your experience so you can share it with me and or whoever.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
I like how you describe the smart phone as weapons that they provided us.hehehe. In this whole occupy movement, I dislike how those who have not educated themselves on whats going on are making quick judgment calls towards the protesters or anybody supporting the movement. By the way its nice to see your lovely face again in video form. Take care...
Myfkduplilworld 3 months ago
@Myfkduplilworld I dislike that too! I wonder if you see more of it in Texas?
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
This is a really great video. My local free transit newspaper did a poll and 42% of people who read it identified themselves as not part of the 99%. Either that paper has a very wealthy demographic, or people are too blissfully misinformed to know better. I think we all know which is true.
SpeedyReedyTV 3 months ago
Yeah, the $17 dollar muffin was blown out of proportion. I don't remember the exact amount, but the muffins were way less.
Excellent comprehensive video, Emily, with some touches of your opinion. Nothing to disagree with here. Keep on going!
P.S. Cool earrings!
- Jason
crimsong19 3 months ago
@crimsong19 Thanks Jason. I knew I was exaggerating a bit on the muffins, but I figured it wasn't important to get that detail straight, as the fact that they can afford to buy fancy muffins while creating conditions where others can't afford to feed their children is toooo much.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@ChateauOfADoubt Well, if those muffins were worth it, they could probably feed a whole lot more than one person.
crimsong19 3 months ago
I missed you so much, Emily!
Shayneismyname 3 months ago
@Shayneismyname aw, thank you. It's not often that I have enough to say to warrant a video, but I do more regularly make comics!
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Amazing video, I love hearing your thoughts on basically anything, especially important stuff. (also, awesome accessories are awesome).
AlannahSH 3 months ago
@AlannahSH Thank you so much!
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Thank you for vlogging this. I've had conversations on what is coming out of all the protests and people camping and I think the main part is people talking to each other. I know the biggest frustration is exactly how to solve the problem or make an impact on the problem. I agree that most people have to realize the depth of the problem first. Change doesn't happen in a day, maybe not even in a lifetime. It doesn't mean that it's not important to try.
kimberkali77 3 months ago
@kimberkali77 YES.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
It's not a decision not to be born in the richest 1%, the us' taxes are extreem unfair and only support a downfall separation of the 'working-market'. This is not a stable job-economy.
Great to hear this from you!
(oh and nice earings)
Greetings from Belgium!
maankindj 3 months ago
@maankindj Agreeeeed! And thank you :D
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
Im so glad you made this video
RussTheBusker 3 months ago
well said. while i agree with the vast majority of the video, i think there are numerous instances in which acquiring debt through student loans is a bad decision. on the flip-side of that same idea, tuition is artificially inflated because of the ability of students to acquire said loans in larger quantities, so there is an argument to be made against the banks and government there. just the same, there is a degree of responsibility inherent to taking on too much student debt.
fecklessman 3 months ago
@fecklessman "too much" student debt is a qualitative measure. I was pretty fortunate in that I have parents who took out loans and paid much of my tuition, but I still owe $400 a month for the next ten years. It wouldn't be too much at all if I got a job that paid, say, $30,000 a year (which is a low starting teacher's salary) instead of the $12,000 a year, if I'm lucky, I earn subbing and modeling & etc.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@fecklessman I guess, it was too much debt to not be able to get a job, which was unforeseeable.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@ChateauOfADoubt i think it's a relative measure. while i wasn't specifically talking about your situation [though in my experience conversing with you, i should have known that you would assume so], there are numerous steps that can be taken by students to minimize debt. a lot of people don't take those steps for whatever reason, which i believe is irresponsible. so, like i said, an argument could be made.
i agree that it's unforeseeable, but it's at least moderately predictable.
fecklessman 3 months ago
@ChateauOfADoubt obviously bad luck, market changes, etc. are a factor.
now i'm not saying everyone should be able to predict the future before they head off to college, but a certain degree of research should go into an education plan, and it seems fairly evident that a large number of students are just not giving it that much thought. that's pretty much why i went to community college instead of racking up large amounts of debt on gen. ed. figuring out what i want to do with my life.
fecklessman 3 months ago
@fecklessman I spent a year in community college, but by the time I went in I knew exactly what I wanted to go for and I called the college I was planning on transferring to, and I asked them what to take. Then I took exactly those classes and then transferred. I often heard that districts called up my college asking who was graduating, and they used to say we'd have jobs before we graduated. Most kids I went to HS with haven't gotten jobs with their degrees and it's not like they went for
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@fecklessman frivolous things. But these days, it seems like the only thing worth going to school for is nursing.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
@ChateauOfADoubt glad to hear you did things sensibly. master's degrees are expensive, no two ways about it. *shrug*
fecklessman 3 months ago
Where I live, someone died at the protests and the camps have been moved, but besides that and the general lack of solution, I'm all for it. I was talking to someone about the Occupy movement earlier and I realized that the movement is sort of a metaphor for our current state. We know there is a problem, but what we are against has so much more power in our world. It's sometimes difficult to really know what to do, but I'm sure that Occupy is just the beginning.
ntcssj 3 months ago
@ntcssj Beautiful! Exactly. This afternoon I attended a teach-in at Occupy Albany on Participatory Economics. One of the things they were saying was that the movement is now ready for people to offer viable alternatives to the systems we've loudly declared broken. So, I agree, it does seem like the beginning stages.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
I feel that going into debt for an education is in fact a mistake. Education should be publicly funded. Of course I would also want to adopt an apprenticeship system. Not everyone needs a full-blown college education.
I am part of the 99%. I am a bleeding-heart, liberal progressive socialist. I want financial equity, social justice and true civil liberties.
Corporate personhood is an abomination.
If conservatives had been around in 1776, we would still be a British colony.
tetsubo57 3 months ago
@tetsubo57 haha, fair enough. I've often found myself saying that you don't need to go to college unless what you want to do with your life requires you get a degree. It's been a point of contention over the history of curriculum reform: do we prepare ALL students for college, or do we also offer a vocational track? And of course, few actually imagine THEIR children taking the vocational track, especially those who are making such decisions about curriculum.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
And I just feel like they should be using that money to better America. Not just use it for their personal gain. We should be helping in every way we can. This stuff has been steaming my broccoli. Action needs to be taken to benefit America as a whole, not just the rich. Also, I love when you teach me things, and I've enjoyed are talks about this.
supersharayah 3 months ago
YEEEES! IT'S YOU! ugh those $17 muffins STILL piss me off. I follow Barack Obama on twitter and I saw that it tweeted these ornaments that said "Obama 2012" and I really wanted to tweet back and say some snarky comment asking if that's how the debt was being decreased. Also, I completely agree w/ the statement about the rich running the govt, because it's those people donating to the politicians campaigns and putting those people in office. The more money you have the more attention you receive
supersharayah 3 months ago
@supersharayah hahaha, seriously --- who earns a profit on those ornaments? ohhh I bet the profit will be used for campaigning.
ChateauOfADoubt 3 months ago
YOU UPLOADED A VIDEO! Very well put. I especially like how addressed the starbucks coffees and smart phones issue. Hadn't thought of it that way.
evmoneyTV 3 months ago
I really appreciate that you are making such an important video in an educated, informed, and diplomatic way.
shaylaluna 3 months ago