Occupy Nonsense Street

Everyone's angry these days. I guess it's the economy. Or stress. I don't know. But people are mad, especially these "Occupy Whatever" people. I don't like them much.

I've been watching them on the news and reading about them on the Internet and watching their interviews on the Sunday morning talk shows this past weekend, and I have to say that no one involved in this movement really seems to have the slightest idea what the movement is about. People interviewed say things like, "We need to protest to let Wall Street know that we're angry, and that we know what Wall Street is really all about. And it's the government, too. We're not getting our fair share."

All of that is hogwash. What is it that these people have finally figured out? That corporations don't care about them and are out to make money? How did they not ALREADY know that? What, then? They're mad that the banks almost drove the economy into the ground, and then the government bailed them all out? I'm mad about that, too, but what can we do? The alternative was to NOT bail the banks out and have the economy grind to an absolute halt. It almost happened anyway (Remember when gas prices plummeted to $1.40 a gallon because NO ONE was buying oil?).

And these comments about the 99% not getting their fair share is also a load of nonsense. I want to grab these people and shout, "Did a terrorist kill anyone you know today? Were the borders of your country invaded? Did you drive past a highway construction project? Did your children go to school today? If your house catches on fire, will some guys in red trucks come and put it out? Dude, you ARE getting your fair share!"

These people are saying nothing new. If you want further proof that history is cyclical, go and rent the 1976 movie NETWORK. The film, which also came out a few years after an economic downturn and a major stock market "correction," could just as easily have been released in 2011. The scene below perfectly captures the attitudes of the people protesting on Wall Street. Someone should go play the scene for them and then tell them that this has already been done, and they should all either get back to work or get back to looking for work.

(I can't see the video.)