The Wall Street protest has piqued my curiosity. On the one hand, I am relieved to see people finally taking to the streets to say, “Enough is enough.” On the other hand, I am not sure what is being protested other than the bleak state of our country and our economy in general. It would have made sense to me if the protests had begun after Bank of America announced last week that it would initiate charging $5 per month per customer for use of an ATM card. If the masses had taken to the streets at that point and decried the decision and the greed it represents, I would have understood it! Apparently, though, the Wall Street protest was already in its second week when the decision was announced. Surely Bank of America added to the numbers joining in the protests all around the country, but it has taken some time for the protests to spread.
Have you taken to the streets yet in protest? Are you thinking about it? I am still sitting comfortably at home and in my office at the church and reading about the protests with interest. Why am I not out there with the others who are just as outraged as I am about the growing gulf between the rich and the poor, about the continued assault on our planet and ignorance about global warming, about the lack of good and affordable health care, about the complete ineffectiveness of our system of government, about the way money has infiltrated government at every level so governing is no longer about the people but about the money? What will it take to get me to cancel everything I am doing to join those who are outraged? I keep wondering if those who are protesting are primarily people who are unemployed or retired. If not, are people risking their jobs at a time like this to engage in this protest?
My first march was in 1988 when I went to Washington, D.C. for the 25th anniversary of the march on Washington. It was absolutely exhilarating and though the crush of people was a tad overwhelming, I felt as though history and the present were converging in one momentous day. At that moment I understood the power of marches or protests. The second time I participated in a march was when Bush declared war on Iraq. From the Embarcadero to the Civic Center in San Francisco, we marched and sang and held up signs of protest with tens of thousands of others. The third march was in the exact same location with fewer people to protest what was happening with our immigration laws. In each of those marches, I felt strongly about the issue.
Again, I wonder why I am not yet out on the streets. I suppose there is a part of me that thinks some of why people are expressing their outrage is that capitalism is no longer working for them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no longer working for me, either. I am honest enough, though, to admit that I was okay with it when it was working for me. You see, I am in that middle category of people. I am not wealthy or anywhere close to it, but I was able to benefit in some ways from the crazy economy we had going a few years ago. I was not one of those people who refused to play because of the damage it was doing to the poorest of the poor. In retrospect, I wish I had refused. To be clear, I didn’t benefit much although I was able to buy a house way beyond my means. Maybe I feel guilty for participating all along and now being unhappy because it’s no longer working for those of us in the middle. The truth is I still have a job and I still live in my house. What would I be protesting right now? Why didn’t we all take to the streets when the Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to elect and defeat candidates? That was an obvious tear to the fabric of democracy and justice. Where we were then? If the people out there protesting are losing their jobs, is it accomplishing what it was supposed to accomplish?
As I continue to watch and read with interest, I will continue to do my own self-reflection and confession regarding my part in what is going on in our country. Who knows? Maybe I won’t do my blog next week because I will be out on the streets joining in the protest.