The View From Occupy

I went to an Occupy movement this weekend. I can’t speak for the movements in other places, but the people I saw were not primarily the homeless (who are sometimes discarded mental patients or troubled veterans—a whole other issue—in addition to the millions displaced by corporate neo-feudalism) or the supposed “weirdos” that the corporatized media seems to try to find to “represent” the movement. What I found were pretty articulate citizens—of all ages—with social consciences disturbed to a point of protest. They are upset and want change in a system they see as sick and corrupted to its core. Their immediate goal is not anything specific or short-term (and so not potentially easily twistable or bought off, and in any case, it’s not as if our forefathers drew up a Constitution before they started protesting the British). Their general goal is to first raise awareness, to get the majority that are in denial or delusion to wake up to the reality of the common plight of the 99%. Sure, they have all sorts of various things they want to see: community gardens and filling unused space with food growing; health care that does not focus on pills, surgery, or chemical cell killing; more of communities and mutual support and less of stressful individualism; placing relationships ahead of other things in life; more social justice and less consumerism and materialism; universal right of non-violent assembly; rescinding laws that are restricting the middle class in so many things; re-implementation of Glass-Steagall; more regulators of Wall Street; repeal of Citizens United; returning corporations to mere business entities with little or no legal exclusions or influence over politics; stopping endless outsourcing and bringing back jobs to America instead, etc., just to name a few that I wrote down. And they consider Democrats PART of the problem. They are also aware of how they are perceived. A middle-aged fellow was holding up a sign that said “Took a bath, got a job, still pissed”—an obviously reply to the right-wing talk radio jab.

With middle class wages stagnant or falling for so long, and with jobs outlook so bleak, they want people to see that more of the past 30-40 years is only going to drag us into the abyss. If tax cuts for the rich are the path to prosperity, why hasn’t it happened? Because “tax cuts bring prosperity” is an ideological mantra, a continuous brainwashing barrage that our very own eyes and experiences show us is not true—actually worse than that, it has had the opposite effect. The Occupy protesters just want us to disconnect from the dysfunctionality of it all.

Yes, yes, I know, it's more complicated than just that. One piece at a time.

Bagged Out

If your prospective girlfriend (this could apply toward boyfriends too increasingly!) has more mental/emotional baggage than she has hands, you’re about to be burdened. Don’t think your charm and attention are going to get rid of that baggage, either (and certainly not fast). Some other guy may have loaded up some of the contents of those bags, but there’s usually reasons that have little to do with dating males (and that dating males can’t fix).

Don’t get your baseball cap’s shadow in your eyes and the fog in your thinking, either. If she says she isn’t high maintenance, or clingy, or mental…she probably is at least one of those.

MSN solicited comments from men about what scoots them away from commitment, or even from continuing a new relationship. Here’s a sample:

"You got a bunch of luggage from previous relationships you want me to help you unpack."

"If you're more interested in being involved with other people’s lives instead of living your own."

"If you don't like when I'm hanging with my friends."

Time and again we see repeated the problems of jealousy, insecurity, control, manipulation, drama, shallowness, etc.

We males aren’t exactly bright bulbs, though. We see the probs and somehow rationalize them away (in direct proportion to the physical attractiveness of the female—a bet against the odds, given that the chances and severity of aforementioned probs go up with the greater attractiveness level). Would make a great bar shirt: “Hormones and biology: Bringing the genders together (for one night at least) despite their alien natures for hundreds of thousands of years.” LOL

Not all is dysfunctional. We’ll be discussing (but not in linear or sequential fashion!) what the genders get right (or right enough, often enough) in future posts.

Is It Shame?

Yes, another pause. :)

A recent poll indicated that 63% of those making a million or more dollars a year are in favor of increasing their taxes to stabilize government financing and help the country. Does that mean shame is having an effect? I don’t know.

Peter Peterson, the Nebraska billionaire, says that BOTH spending reductions and tax increases should be on the table (must be something about Nebraska—Buffet’s from there too—that gives people common sense). Tom Coburn, Repub Senator from OK, said something like the same thing, although he later qualified his statement a bit.

Peterson: “I believe the well-off like me can afford to shoulder higher taxes and reduced benefits. We have a duty to give back to the country that helped us achieve the American Dream, by passing on a healthy economy which ensures that all Americans have the resources and opportunities to pursue their own success.”

In Peterson’s case, he said these things BEFORE all the hoopla of the Occupy movements.

MAYBE it’s a start. Way too early to tell.

Return to the Genders

I rarely have a “writer’s block” problem. Mostly I have the need to “block out” problem. Block out the time and block out all the many subjects and information that crowd around and hit the clamor button for attention.

It’s a good problem to have. :)

I won’t put off to another week resuming the discussion on genders. Even though there is SO MUCH to say on SO MANY OTHER subjects! :)

This week’s topic is on the world’s, or at least the mortals who inhabit that world’s, or at least the American part of that world’s (There! Enough qualifiers? Lol) most precious commodity: time.

How many relationships are short-circuited because of that?

A friend of mine is really interested in a girl, and she seems really interested in him. Yet their work schedules (she works 2 jobs; he works one long one) are nearly polar opposite. He confided in me yesterday that he is so bummed out and tired of being alone when he doesn’t have to be and doesn’t want to be, that he will probably throw in the towel on the relationship. It’s worthless drivel to say, “find other jobs,” when the market isn’t serving up many, or sometimes any.

Time claims another budding relationship.

Sure, the couple should “find a way,” or “if it was really THE relationship, they would work it out.” Easy to say for those who have a relationship. Go back to being 25 and single, or even 35, 45, or 55, and try to carry out your words. Not nearly as remediable as heady words might make it sound.

Our society is over—overscheduled, overexploited, overdone. And that doesn’t even count another over—the overindulgence in so much, from games, to sports, to entertainment, to shopping, to virtual relationships, etc., all of which sap time and energy on things other than real relationships.

Native Americans have said for many hundreds of years that this culture values nearly everything else ahead of relationships.

It shows.

“What you spend your time, treasure, and talent on, there your heart will be,” goes the modern version of an old saying.

If that’s the case, our hearts are up the butt of materialism, slavishness, pettiness, shallowness, and ego. And that can’t be good—for relationships or society.