The REAL 99%

Top 40 Poorest Countries in the World

The headline on the BBC News blog read - "China increases rural poverty limit to $1 a day" ... $1 a day ... If you earned more than $1 a day in rural China you weren't considered to live in poverty. This is up from what the Chinese government previously considered poor (in the countryside) at 55 cents a day.

Take a walk down the street where you live. Go into a Starbucks. What can you buy for $1.00? A cookie? A bottle of water? Maybe, maybe not. Walk into a grocery store. What can you get for $1.00 there? A 500 ml carton of milk? A can of soup? A banana, maybe two? You'd be dead from starvation in less than a month.

Now, of course, I know the cost of living is different in China compared to North America. But, even if you multiplied the daily amount of $1 day tenfold do you think you could survive here? $10.00 a day to live on? Really?

So you want to occupy Wall Street? You want to occupy a park? Go to Somalia to occupy a park. Go to rural China to occupy a park. Go to Ethiopia to occupy a park. Go to Haiti to occupy a park. Because that's where the true 99% live. Not here in our backyards.

Dumb Protesters

Not my photo

I believe some people are confused about how to get sympathy/support for the cause they're fighting for.

In recent years there have been a lot of protests and strikes in and around our fair city. People want support for citizens of their homeland. Or they're unhappy with their working conditions and want them improved. That's all fine and dandy, but I have to say, in most cases, you're going about it the wrong way if you want Joe Public to support you.

For instance... not long ago there was a support workers strike at Ontario colleges. They wanted more pay among other things and possibly more benefits or job security. All I can say is, buddy, in this day and time you're lucky to have a job.

But, I digress... sure, you have the right to strike. You have the right to picket. But, if you think you're going to garner support for your cause by inconveniencing students on their first day back to classes by blocking the roads leading to their campuses you have another thing coming. If you think you're going to gain their sympathies by not processing their loans so that some of them might have to drop out because they can't afford to study any longer, you must be dreaming. If you think the public will support you when you stage a protest march during rush hour in the downtown core, I have to say you're delusional. No one will support your cause. In fact all you're doing is making enemies. People with loathe you and you will get sympathy from no one.

To me this doesn't seem that hard to understand. I don't know why these clowns can't figure it out either. If you want people to like you you do nice things for them instead of pissing them off. Try baking everyone cookies why don't you? Maybe instead of people giving you the finger as they drive by they'll say a kind word of encouragement.

Personally, the activities of this particular group hasn't affected me. But, I've seen long lines of agitated people trying to drive onto campus and heard (on the radio) angry, frustrated students stuck in those lines already late for their classes. I sympathize with them, not the greedy, inconsiderate people who disrupt the lives of others trying to further their cause.