Do the 99% in America who are protesting against the 1%?

Question

Need to take a step back and look at themselves?

Because they are already the 1% of the world?

I'm poor in America, but know that I have every opportunity to move up and be successful. However, there are millions in the world who can't even dream of living in a first world country. Those protesters are not:

1) Anonymously wasting away in the Yodok concentration camp of North Korea.
2) In Syria forced to keep their mouths shut for fear of death
3) Someone dying from an easily treatable illness, but no hospital in sight.
4) Or not even the countless others who almost kill themselves working all day only to come home and find out that their starving family will not be around much longer.

Nevertheless, I do know it may be an injustice that 1% of the population in America possesses most of the wealth, but is the 99% movement really justified? Should they be complaining about this when we have a democratic government, with an open market, and can live semi-decent lives with only a fraction of the effort most people in the world put forth? (Not to mention how many people already live off of wellfare...)

So what are your thoughts? There are alot of people supporting the 99% at my college and I just want to understand the issue more. Can you clear this up for me? Thanks.

Answer 1

There are those of us who measure economic progress by the rise in the standard of living of working people. I think our numbers are growing these days. Our economy has grown more than 500% in the last 30 years but the middle class, the bottom 99%, has seen none of that increase. It's all gone to the top 1%



I'm not anticapitalist. But if by 'capitalism' you mean a system where 95% of people must face a steady, slow decline in their standard of living so that 1% can double their wealth and their share of ownership every 10 years, then I think we're just doing it wrong.



Yes it could be worse. I could have a heart attack. You could have an incurable cancer. Thank God things aren't worse than they are. But the situation is still unacceptable, and this is a democracy were The People can make changes if enough of us get together.

Answer 2

Its not just america..its a global issue...French Banks sneeze and america catches a cold...Ur missing the point...99% or lets just say middle class to working poor too poor...Have little savings or wealth and control nothing...the something they did have has been squeezed harder than a tit of cow on a Amish morning...don't understand..example..in the 70s my Grandfather brought a new car every 2 years..owned his house and 3 rental properties while putting 5 kids thru catholic school on 22k salary. while his wife stayed home....which would be equivalent to about 65k now..catholic school now 7-10k a year..new car 40k 3 rental properties up keep...20k a year....that equates to about 150k....my personal example..outta of HS in 1984 making $14 a hour in a factory...$725 a week plus overtime...30 years later after that same job closed the plant, scared the workers..opened it back up at half salary...$18 a hour....the 1% of this world are raping this planet cause they can..

Answer 3

I share your sentiments, because when people say we have it hard, I always asked compared to what, relatively speaking Americans as a whole have a lot more than 99% of the world, our "poor" have computers, internet, available education, video games, homes, etc.



I see it as a disconnect from what is real in regards to where we place in the world. We have become accustomed to certain items and facts that we take it for granted.



If the issue is that there are a very small few that have a lot more money, then I think of society falls into the bell curve, that within a free society some will be able to do better.

Answer 4

The 99%ers who defend the 1% should get treatment for the Stockholm Syndrome they suffer.



What the heck are you talking about a "fraction of the effort" ?

Americans work more hours than Europe by far !

Whens the last time you got a month off with pay ?



Open market ? How much Facebook stock did you get at the IPO ?

It tanked anyway,but the vast majority was held in reserve for accounts over $250k.

MAY be an injustice ? Really how open minded of you.

Are you trying to tell me Ivanka Trump is really so much smarter and works so much harder than 99% of the population ? Paris Hilton ? These trust fund babies are born better off than 99% will ever be.

That's fine, just don't tell me the hard work will get you there story.

Don't tell it to a West Virginia coal miner, Cop in Detroit, Nurse on an Indian Reservation,bridge painter or mason either.



Don't think people die of treatable diseases in America ? Go to a city hospital ER.

Theres nobody in America that has to choose between medicine, rent or food ?

Theres nobody who's "rights" are being violated right now by the courts for lack of resources to defend themselves or being gunned down by the cops having done NOTHING ?



God bless you, you're in college thinking about things,trying to understand things.

Some body's baby is in Afghanistan so deep in the sh*t they can't get up to go piss.

His family may be on welfare back home. That figured into his reason to leave home.

One less mouth to feed and a way to send a check home.



Life is so much more complex for so many people than slogans and talking points.

The 99% pays the cost in blood and treasure in a way the 1% never would.

Taxes are at a 65 year LOW ! The 1% got bailed out for their mistakes by the 99% and now what do they want ? To drive the ability to make a living wage go away and crush the ability of workers to organize !

Answer 5

People want what they consider to be a good quality of life.



Sure, I'm certain there's some truly starving African child out there whose mother is beaten nightly by his crazy diseased father, assuming both of them are even still alive, and he would consider just being able to have food to be a vast improvement.



However, in America, we have it rammed down our throats straight from the crib that we are expected to do certain things: Go to college, live on our own, buy a car, buy a house, buy a second house, retire at age 60. We're supposed to be the BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!! and that means that everyone here is literate and healthy and has a bright future.



The truth is that most Americans in the 99% are starting to figure out that unless you're riding on Daddy's coattails, you can't afford college. You have 0 chance of living on your own comfortably and being able to save enough at the same time to claw your way out of the hole. You don't get a car, and if you do, it's because someone scammed you into it and it costs more to fix and run than it does to buy. You have no hope of owning your own home until you're middle-aged, and now, even true middle-classers are finding that you simply cannot afford to take a yearly vacation or retire anymore.



When it comes to food and health -- our food is terrible and everyone else looks at us and shakes their head when they see our health system. Our education system, touted as the best in the world, is over-extended, expensive, and isn't worth the cost.

Answer 6

No one can operate at a peak 1% top performance 100% of the time.



99% of us do not make billions when we do operate at peak.



And just because the 1% rate of consumption raise the average of the total population does not mean that they have improved the quality of life.



If you remove the top 1% and look at the gap between developed poor, and the rest of the worlds poor, it is still not as big as the gap between the rich and the poor.



So just because 1% consumption is so high it raises the average, does not mean there is actually an increase in standards of living.

Answer 7

You're right that even the very poor in America have it better than a lot of people. However, this is no reason not to protest at injustice in American society. Just because someone else has it worse doesn't mean things shouldn't be improved for you; that's a logical fallacy.



If there is a huge gap in opportunities and benefits for rich people and poor people, it makes sense to be upset with that and protest that. The fact that there are other problems in society and the world says nothing about the validity of *this* problem.

Answer 8

Our average standard of living is the highest, but that doesn't mean the median is. The wealth disparity in America is 95%. That means that the top 5% live better than anyone else in the world. The bottom 25% live worse than the bottom 25% in Greece, and much worse than the lower 25% in France. They have the #1 health care system (ours is 16) and 8 weeks of paid vacation. At least every American is ten times better off than Haiti. But if trends continue and we cut our benefits, instead of cutting our military, which is already far bigger and more expensive than we need to defend ourselves, our middle class might become worse off than Mexico's in your lifetime.



A poor person in America is five times more likely to die poor than a European, because they provide more assistance to children (Germany pays every family about 200 euros per month per child and it is not means tested) and free education for everyone smart enough to pass some very difficult entrance exams rather than saddle them with massive student loans. Students in Quebec are rioting over tuitions that still make their education cost a tenth of our own.

Answer 9

The Occupy Movement took place in 82 countries and even the American protests were never JUST about America. They were protesting global monetary policies and global wealth inequality just as much as they were protesting domestic monetary policies and whatnot.



Besides, the poor in the U.S are not better of than most developed countries, it's pretty average compared to somewhere like France with much bigger social safety nets.

Answer 10

You have the right idea. The 99% claim to be protesting corporate greed--but I think they are being greedy by wasting time on their demonstrations. Everyone has the chance to succeed--but it takes effort. It's a matter of personal responsibility to take those opportunities seriously and WORK. Go to school--get a job--get TWO jobs if necessary. At least we have the chance to do this without fear of being shot because we're the wrong gender/race/religion. It's a shame, but I think alot of people who are protesting are just people who did not take those opportunities seriously enough--it slipped through their fingers like water and they find protesting the rich easier than trying harder in life. Your college friends who support the movement are either brainwashed by their propaganda or are too intellectually lazy to consider the consequences of an all-powerful government that punishes anyone who seizes those opportunites and gets ahead.

Answer 11

If your argument is really that Americans should tolerate injustice, exploitation, and economic vandalism because - hey! - at least we're not in North Korea, right? - then there'll never be any hope for political and social progress. You can always find people who are worse off than yourself, but that's not a good argument for failing to strive towards progressive reform.



Economic and political justice within America is certainly not opposed to economic and political justice in the world at large. Indeed, in many cases it is the same global economic factors that are creating massive and destructive inequality within America and between the global rich and the global poor.

Answer 12

Its not 99% of America protesting. Its 1% of the 99% that are protesting.

Answer 13

simple envy,they are too stupid realize everybody cannot have everything,rather than going out and working hard and earning it they want the government to take from others and give it to them.They hate the wealthy but refuse to see that they are the ones who provide places to work and cover payrolls and build business and enterprise so that others can also make a living and succeed if they realy and truly try,the freedoms given to us in this nation allow us to be whoever we want to be if we actually work hard and try.They need to stop whining and bitching and go out and actually try to succeed on their own rather than waiting for someone else or the government to do it for them,stop acting liked spoiled children and get out from under your mamas skirts(government) and put forth some effort and stop waiting for everyone else to do it for you.And no I am not rich but I do want to make it on my own merit and I do not blame everyone else for any failures or setbacks I may have,life is what you make it not what others make it for you,try some personal responsibility and effort for once.

Answer 14

"99%" is a hyperbole coined by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. It doesn't actually mean that 99% of America's population is against the remaining wealthiest 1%.

Answer 15

You can be grateful for what you have and still protest over life's inequalities.

Answer 16

Being part of the 1% doesn't necessarily mean you are evil...

I do lots of charity work and I am blessed with lots of business as well...

I don't do it to claim charity on my tax revenue, I do it to genuinely help people out of my heart...

Just recently I took a trip to Africa. It feels good to help specially when you have the money.

Answer 17

people should not settle for less since others have it worse, we must all strive to make things better. we cant sit like sheep and say well, i dont have it that bad, so i wont have any ambition...change is the essence of progress.

Answer 18

You are either an under educated Republican sheep or a Liar .

Answer 19

The earth isn't one country, idiot



We are protesting in America