Topic: An alternate opinion on what OWS is all about

[BMG]

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/2011/10/31/a-marxist-take-on-ows/

An analysis of the Occupy Wall Street movement not as a truly populist movement, but as a revolt among the elites: an expression of resentment by relatively privileged people who thought they were on the fast track to elite status who accurately sense downward mobility, and who are freaking out because of it.

I thought this was an interesting take on the OWS mobs.

[Predator Don]

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/2011/10/31/a-marxist-take-on-ows/

An analysis of the Occupy Wall Street movement not as a truly populist movement, but as a revolt among the elites: an expression of resentment by relatively privileged people who thought they were on the fast track to elite status who accurately sense downward mobility, and who are freaking out because of it.

I thought this was an interesting take on the OWS mobs.

I could understand some trust fund babies protesting......they have nothing better to do. No, these are idiots who are freaking out because they spent (borrowed) large sums of money to get that valuable English lit degree and can't find employment, while watching their classmates, who garnered a degree of value, find work.

[Pandora]

In social theory, OWS is best understood not as a populist movement against the bankers, but instead as the breakdown of the New Class into its two increasingly disconnected parts.  The upper tier, the bankers-government bankers-super credentialed elites.  But also the lower tier, those who saw themselves entitled to a white collar job in the Virtue Industries of government and non-profits — the helping professions, the culture industry, the virtueocracies, the industries of therapeutic social control, as Christopher Lasch pointed out in his final book, The Revolt of the Elites.

IOW, OWS people who create nothing, but live off the productive; have jobs, but do not work; leeches.  The only difference between them and the professionally jobless bums are the briefcases and professions.

"The helping professions" ......           ::SNORT!::

[Libertas]

These people are just pissed that they haven't been brought into the elitist fold...they thought degrees in art history, philosophy, music therapy, dance, and crap like that would gain them instant entrance into high-paying jobs as...I dunno what...!

 

 

[charlesoakwood]

What they don't understand is that in order for there to be
jobs in these eclectic fields there must be a flush economy.
And a flush economy requires the very people they are railing
against to be running 100%.

[Alphabet Soup]

In social theory, OWS is best understood not as a populist movement against the bankers, but instead as the breakdown of the New Class into its two increasingly disconnected parts.  The upper tier, the bankers-government bankers-super credentialed elites.  But also the lower tier, those who saw themselves entitled to a white collar job in the Virtue Industries of government and non-profits — the helping professions, the culture industry, the virtueocracies, the industries of therapeutic social control, as Christopher Lasch pointed out in his final book, The Revolt of the Elites.

IOW, OWS people who create nothing, but live off the productive; have jobs, but do not work; leeches.  The only difference between them and the professionally jobless bums are the briefcases and professions.

"The helping professions" ......           ::SNORT!::

OK, the first part was spot on and pithy, but the snort at the end almost made me spurt beer out my nose...

[Pandora]

Aw rats, almost don't count!   

[Glock32]

These people are just pissed that they haven't been brought into the elitist fold...they thought degrees in art history, philosophy, music therapy, dance, and crap like that would gain them instant entrance into high-paying jobs as...I dunno what...!

 

 

Pretty much what Rush was saying on his show. For at least a few generations of teen/20/30-somethings now, people have had it drummed into their minds since elementary school that there is a very particular path to success and it is absolutely anchored around college. I recall it myself, in junior high and high school the message was basically "unless you want a life long career flipping burgers, you must follow our roadmap". These people have a basic frustration stemming from the unrealistic, but common and constantly-reinforced, belief that because they did what they were told they should now want for nothing, they should be junior members of the cultural/intellectual elite. But then the hard reality of economic utility intrudes, and reminds them that degrees in Literature aren't exactly in demand by anyone willing to trade money for the particular knowledge represented by one.  I think these temper tantrums are motivated primarily by a sense of indignation, a sense that they were cheated. And in a sense, they were cheated indeed. They're just blaming the wrong targets.

[Pandora]

These people are just pissed that they haven't been brought into the elitist fold...they thought degrees in art history, philosophy, music therapy, dance, and crap like that would gain them instant entrance into high-paying jobs as...I dunno what...!

 

 

Pretty much what Rush was saying on his show. For at least a few generations of teen/20/30-somethings now, people have had it drummed into their minds since elementary school that there is a very particular path to success and it is absolutely anchored around college. I recall it myself, in junior high and high school the message was basically "unless you want a life long career flipping burgers, you must follow our roadmap". These people have a basic frustration stemming from the unrealistic, but common and constantly-reinforced, belief that because they did what they were told they should now want for nothing, they should be junior members of the cultural/intellectual elite. But then the hard reality of economic utility intrudes, and reminds them that degrees in Literature aren't exactly in demand by anyone willing to trade money for the particular knowledge represented by one.  I think these temper tantrums are motivated primarily by a sense of indignation, a sense that they were cheated. And in a sense, they were cheated indeed. They're just blaming the wrong targets.

Yes.  They're blaming the wrong targets.  And if they ever catch on to their error, then we will be treated to occupations of Big Education and Big High School.

[IronDioPriest]

...For at least a few generations of teen/20/30-somethings now, people have had it drummed into their minds since elementary school that there is a very particular path to success and it is absolutely anchored around college...

Compound that truth with "You can be aaaaaaanything YOU want to be Johnny," and then populating the colleges with a culture that says the REAL value in education lies in liberalism and indoctrination into it, and you have this mess we're in. People were led to believe that the perceived intrinsic value of a "Queer Studies" major or even an English major was going to garner a career.

I think there's really something to this. These people were promised a future entirely based on liberal lies.

[Libertas]

Also, some parents (hippy "I wanna be John/Jane's best friend" parents) are also to blame!  But is all comes down to Liberalism and the lies they tell, the hate of all things not Liberal they spread...

Liberalism is all about destruction...of the family, norms, beliefs, traditions, morals, laws...and in it's wake is ruined lives, ruined society and a ruined nation.

All the proponents and appeasers of Liberalism are to blame and I have no compassion for anyone foolish enough to listen to them, and the cheeleaders of this diseased thinking have a date with fate!

[ToddF]

I think Rush hit on it, which is sort of what BMG said.  He highlighted some airhead who graduated with a Classics degree, and thought she automatically qualified for a $200,000 per year salary.

At my company that would be VP level, yet she thought she automatically qualified.  She has no idea of what she would do, to get that salary, applying that Classics degree.

[Glock32]

And part of it is due to the commodification of college degrees -- supply and demand.  Study of the Classics is by no means a worthless endeavor, it's the intellectual foundation of Western Civilization and it is beneficial that academia offers opportunity for "pure" scholasticism of that nature, something that does not have an immediate economic utility attached to it. But, and it's a big but, that was a workable arrangement when it was the domain of a small scholarly fraternity. Think Victor Davis Hanson types. It is not a workable arrangement when generations of students are told they can devote an academic career to something like that, and expect to find a ready market for it in the private economy.

Colleges are now populated with student bodies of whom 75% are there "because". Because that's what they were supposed to do, it was "the next step". It has many negative consequences. It reduces the worth of college degrees in general, promotes the elevation of mediocre phony disciplines, and denies those students the sort of opportunities their parents and grandparents took for granted (i.e. a viable career in the skilled trades, etc).

It's an absolute racket. It's another money laundering operation by the Left just like public sector unions. Federal student aid has become the norm, so academia has no real market pressures against their tuition (it's what happens when you decouple the provider from the consumer, not unlike medical insurance claims). All this federal taxpayer money feeds academia, which in turn churns out doctrinaire liberals.

[Sectionhand]

It only takes one thing to know what they're all about . Their financial arm is the " Alliance for Global Justice " which has been for thirty years and still is a front group for the Nicaraguan Sandinistas . That's right folks ... They're Commies ! They are the donation point for all OWS fund raising .

And that's all you need to know !

[Pandora]

NYC arrest records: Many Occupy Wall Street protesters live in luxury

Another real-life demonstration of cognitive dissonance.

[charlesoakwood]

It fits perfectly with the history of dissident youth and tyrants rise to power.
Were not Marx and Lenin sons of the "well to do"?

Po' folks are too busy working to think up that crap.

[Glock32]

Yes, most of the leading Bolsheviks were children of privilege. IIRC Lenin was a lawyer and the son of a well-off civil servant. Marx and Engels depended on Engels' wealth as the son of a successful industrial family. He was the original trust fund commie.

[RickZ]

These people are just pissed that they haven't been brought into the elitist fold...they thought degrees in art history, philosophy, music therapy, dance, and crap like that would gain them instant entrance into high-paying jobs as...I dunno what...!

 

 

Pretty much what Rush was saying on his show. For at least a few generations of teen/20/30-somethings now, people have had it drummed into their minds since elementary school that there is a very particular path to success and it is absolutely anchored around college. I recall it myself, in junior high and high school the message was basically "unless you want a life long career flipping burgers, you must follow our roadmap". These people have a basic frustration stemming from the unrealistic, but common and constantly-reinforced, belief that because they did what they were told they should now want for nothing, they should be junior members of the cultural/intellectual elite. But then the hard reality of economic utility intrudes, and reminds them that degrees in Literature aren't exactly in demand by anyone willing to trade money for the particular knowledge represented by one.  I think these temper tantrums are motivated primarily by a sense of indignation, a sense that they were cheated. And in a sense, they were cheated indeed. They're just blaming the wrong targets.

By pushing everyone to get college degrees, keeping one in the indoctrination education system longer, it cheapens the degrees themselves.  The standards have been lowered to accommodate the lowest common denominator of incoming freshmen, and that's been readily proven in study/testing after study/testing.  Now a college degree is worth less than a high school degree from the '40's was worth (relative to the value society placed upon it).  The difference being the high school degree in the '40's was free, while the worthless college degree in Gender Studies costs upwards of one hundred thousand dollars.

Yes, I can see why they are a bit miffed.  But they've been so indoctrinated they have no idea of who actually to blame.  So they hop on the Hope 'N Change Train, making revolutionary stops along the way.

I was thinking about these #OWS protests, and the thing I see is Russia, 1905.  In Germany in the '30's, Hitler already had power; it's closer to Munich in 1923.  No, what I see is the beginning of a revolution, a push to 'make something happen', to get that great soundbite.  To create violent chaos.  The push for progressivism/communism may not work now but, unless crushed, it will be back, stronger and more determined.  History has too many examples to show otherwise.  While by no means all of us, it's just that we as a Nation have lost any sense of Morality, of praising the Good and the Virtuous while calling out Evil, of individual self-worth over the 'everybody gets a trophy' collective.

Yes, most of the leading Bolsheviks were children of privilege. IIRC Lenin was a lawyer and the son of a well-off civil servant. Marx and Engels depended on Engels' wealth as the son of a successful industrial family. He was the original trust fund commie.

Now that's funny right there -- because it's true.  I'll never be able to think about ol' Karl again without thinking of him being the first trust fund commie (living off the fruits of his coauthor's family's labors).  Excellent.

[Libertas]

Damn good post RickZ!

 

[Predator Don]

I met my first occupy wall street ( nashville) protestor. There are a few dozen camping downtown. Nice girl. She has a degree in psychology ( from Vanderbilt, not cheap) and surprise, couldn't find a job.

I asked her why she chose this field....of course, she wanted to help people. I asked what her field normally pays, I have no clue and neither did she, but was of the opinion a 6 figure job would magically appear, but Vanderbilt wasn't doing a good job ( pardon the pun) assisting her with her find......So far, her only job offer close to what she wants was in the mid 30's.

We chit chatted for another minute, asked what I do and what advise I may have for her, which gave me the opening I wanted to set her straight.

First, helping people is a noble cause, you should be commended, I help people every day, but as you are learning, it does not pay the bills so whoever sold you on the idea a psychology degree was your ticket to the 1% of which you are protesting, led you astray. This should have been your MINOR, not your major.

2nd, you need to learn a valuable lesson. Your protest is not here, it is not aimed to those who caused your frustration...only you know who those people are, but make sure you look at yourself. And protesting is not going to solve your financial issue.

At that point she left the conversion, bewildered.