A New Jersey Conservative

I’m involved in a great Google+ discussion with Lauren, a 24-year-old former neighbor of mine. I wanted to post the conversation here, because she’s right on the money with a lot of her thoughts.

Lauren – Maybe it’s because I live too far away to “feel the vibe” of the Wall Street protest, but I don’t understand it.

Why Wall Street? The issues these people are raising are better suited for protests in D.C., where people who can change laws actually reside. It frustrates me that our own citizens understand so little about how our country works.

If they want anything to change they should familiarize themselves with a few things:

1) Accounting. Just cause it seems like companies aren’t paying taxes doesn’t make it true. The IRS would definitely notice major companies not paying taxes and in this economy, they take all the money they can get.

2) Coherence. If no one else in the nation can understand what it is exactly you’re protesting, they’re not too likely to support it. You also undermine any good points you may have parading around like a bunch of clueless, disgruntled hippies. Also, a little bit of eloquence (and intelligence) goes a long way.

3) Understanding your own causes. Pretty much all the issues being raised are something that should be carried to your legislature. Wall Street trades stocks. Washington D.C. deals with laws, which brings me to number

4) PLEASE STOP COMPARING YOURSELVES TO THE PROTESTERS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. It is embarrassing and degrading to them. You are not under a dictator; you have more rights than they ever had. If you understood how your own government functions, you would probably have a more effective protest; clearly, the only constitutional right you currently understand is the first amendment. Please familiarize yourself with the rest of them, primarily the right to vote. There have been five amendments (yes, five) to the constitution so that almost every citizen over 18 has the opportunity to vote. People in other countries that have had the pleasure of dealing with an oppressive government actually go out and wait in line for hours to exercise this right because they understand what it is to be without it.

Unlike our friends in the Middle East, you actually have the ability to legally change the government free of risk of tear gas, tanks, being shot at, beaten, tortured, or “disappeared”.

Perhaps you should begin by paying attention to candidates running for office, primarily, your state representatives. These people are the ones that are supposed to represent your views and concerns to the government.

If you really cared about how the country is being run, you’d actually show up and vote every election instead of just camping out on the streets, sitting in drum circles and complaining.

Hassan – You make sense. The one thing that I would say in defense of these protesters is that although they are disorganized on their issues they are bringing to light some of the feelings that Americans have been feeling for a while and that reached their peak with the default deadlock. For this I thank them and hope America will too.

Lauren – Agreed. Plenty of Americans agree with their sentiment, however, this is not an effective movement. It is a knee jerk reaction and about as coordinated as one. If they wanted to have more of an impact, they would be better organized and more logical about their protesting strategies.

Jim (Her Dad!) – Yeah, but just think… All this discontent was the start of the Tea Party, who now holds the Republican party hostage! Expect big things!

Lauren – The only big things that have come from hippies have been Woodstock and Burning Man.

Ouch.

Funny that you mention the Tea Party though, because both their messages are about as clear as mud. I’m not entirely certain however that the Tea Party took the Republican Party hostage, more so the other way around, just as the unions and political parties are trying to use the Wall Street movement as a soapbox for the upcoming elections and publicity.

If they REALLY want to make an impact, they will keep this nonpartisan. Both sides of the aisle need to be held accountable for the responsibilities they signed up for when they were elected to office.

Lauren – P.S. It’s not the protest itself that really strikes a nerve, more the fact that they keep comparing themselves to the protesters in the Middle East. It’s like when Paris Hilton compared herself to Princess Diana: intended to make this protest look better, but instead just makes it seem frivolous.

Hassan – Agreed. No comparison is needed. They were ruled by a government that didn’t acknowledge freedom of assembly and speech.

David (Me) – Great post, Lauren.

I consider myself a TEA Party person in spirit. Although there isn’t one entity that provides a voice for us (much like the OWS crowd), I do see a common thread in the TP “movement” — that 1) government has become too big to be effective, 2) that our taxes are being used (and wasted) to support this bloated machine, and 3) that smaller and less intrusive government will allow our country to regain its momentum and return us to greatness.

True, the GOP has tried to coop the TP. And I suppose some are ok with that because the GOP’s overall values align with ours — but mostly in words, not in actions these days. I think you’d find that many TP people are not happy with any politician at this point, with a few exceptions — Jim DeMint, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, etc.

And yes, the TP is pressuring the people who can do something about this mess we’re in — whether they’re in office or wish to be. But the notion of the TP holding the GOP “hostage” is BS. The truth is that the TP is a conservative movement. Conservatives generally elect Republicans. Therefore, we are the Republicans’ constituency. We’re not going to make any inroads with people like Pelosi, Van Hollen, Wasserman-Schultz, Reid, Frank, Schumer, etc. because we didn’t get them elected, nor will we ever have a chance.

On the other hand, because I align myself with the TP, I may be filtering what I see and hear, making me think that the TP has a clearer message than the OWS people.

I see the OWS situation as the same, only different.

There’s the same level of frustration, but it’s directed at greed, unfairness, injustice, helplessness, etc. — an imprecise target.

They’re marching on Wall Street, but they’re angry at all sources of power — including government — for not doing something about it.

They are younger, with a few old, stinky hippies sprinkled in, much like the TP is mostly older, with a few Alex Keaton-types in the mix.

And just like the TP, a political party is seeing an opportunity to benefit from the movement — in the form of votes, money and power.

In time, they may become the left’s TP. And we may see a polarization in politics — and the nation — that will cause us all to just stop talking to each other.

Then what will happen? That’s even scarier than it is right now…

Finally, I agree with you that comparing OWS to the Arab Spring is wrong and potentially dangerous. Yes, it is an uprising against authority. Yes, it is a demand for the people to be heard. But no, they are not betting their life on the outcome, no matter how dire they think circumstances are.

Of course, people — and videos — like this will do little to help their cause:

Nor articles like this.

Anyway, it’s good to know that there are people like Lauren out there.