You may have heard of Occupy Wall Street. If you have not, never fear! I am here to
quickly inform you of what is going on in the world. The richest 1% of the U.S. population controls roughly 46%
of the money in the U.S. This makes it
ever more difficult for lower and middle income citizens to move up the socio-economic
scale. Professional economists agree that not only did the big corporations on
Wall Street cause a financial crisis in the United States, but they did nothing to
build the economy back up. The 99% symbolizes the rest of the American
population who struggles financially with loans, mortgages, job security,
unemployment, homelessness, and many other negative financial issues. The 1% resembles corporate greed and financial
inequality. Hundreds of thousands of people around the globe are peacefully
assembling and “occupying” cities in protest creating one of the largest global
protests in at least the past decade.
Now being the anthropologist that I am, I love seeing this
kind of stuff. I mean, hey! Who wouldn’t get excited to see such a diverse crowd
cooperate on a community level? The city
I live in, Columbia, South Carolina, started an occupy movement on the 15th
of October. Between 250 and 400 people
showed up for the first day and at least 30 plus people stayed the night on the
statehouse grounds. The effort and
cooperation is phenomenal. Copious
amounts of food and blankets have been donated. This is probably one of the
best things that I have seen here in Columbia since I have moved here 4 years
ago. I recommend learning more about the occupy movement. It really is inspiring. I think we are going
to be seeing some major changes here in the U.S. and in the world very soon.
So, since the main theme of the protest is advocating for
the 99%, I will tell you my story:
I am a full time undergraduate student at a public state university. I have what I would consider decent grades, I work a part time job and I hold an unpaid internship. I work to pay for rent, food, a very basic cellular
phone, and health insurance. I will be
graduating soon with $30,000 in student loans. I do not come with a financially strong family background, but I have always been a hard worker and have always done my best to stay
financially stable. I have gotten
charged with many miscellaneous fees from my bank. Tuition and extra fees at my
school has gone up by $1400 since I started studying at this university. I have been denied extra grant money because
of the declining economy. I recently got
into an accident where I had to go to the emergency room to get 6 stitches in
my face, 7 in my arm, and 3 in my leg. The total amount of medical bills I had
was over $4000. The medical insurance that I have paid an average of $600 per semester for the past 7 semesters through the university covered an almost negligible amount of that bill. I plan on working hard to pay off my debt for as long as I need to. Because of my loans, because of the medical bills, and because of my drive, I am part of the 99%.
What is your story?
How do you feel about the occupy protests? Let me know, and please, learn
more about the cause. Here are a few cool videos that will tell you more:
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