More Than Just a Game

I don’t care what your feelings are on soccer. It does not matter if this is your favorite sport, like it is for me, or if you find it “more boring than watching paint dry.” This posting has nothing to do with the aesthetic elements of the sport. I don’t care if you think that soccer players are the toughest players in the world (which I can argue, but on a different day), or if you consider them “sissies and gays”. Soccer is so much bigger than just a mere sport. It is so much more than just a mere game. And yes, I understand that I can make this claim for all sports. But with soccer, this claim becomes magnified, it becomes unique, and if you read on you will soon find out why. Whether you love soccer or hate it, even if you dislike sports in general, take the time to appreciate and respect how much the sport impacts the world…how it has roots in nationalistic, cultural, and political conflicts, yet manages to unify a diverse world, bring fans together, and establish new friendships.

In order to truly appreciate the importance of soccer to so much of the world, it is first necessary to understand why it is so popular in the first place. Unlike American football, which is almost exclusively only played within our borders, hockey, which is only played in North America and in the coldest pockets of Europe, baseball, which is mostly played here, in the Americas, and in Japan, or basketball, which requires a hoop, cement and a ball that actually bounces properly, soccer requires so little equipment to play. Just get a ball, or a soda can, or a rolled-up sock, and make a goal…a sneaker, a t-shirt, a book bag will do. Starving children in Africa and Asia play it to escape from their daily poverty and hopeless situations. Suburban rich American kids, driven by their “soccer moms” play it, for fun, to socialize, and to stay active. Working-class kids from the streets of South America and Europe play it, to gain street-wide cred and respect, with dreams of one day going pro. Individuals from every nationality, religious faith, ethnicity, and political belief play it. Soccer is literally the most universal event in the world. People literally of all stripes follow the sport, from Queen Elizabeth to Osama Bin Laden, from Rupert Murdoch to Michael Moore, from Shakira to Spike Lee, from Chad Ochocinco to Kobe Bryant.The official international soccer body, the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) currently has more members on it than does the United Nations. The 2006 World Cup, alone, was watched by over a BILLION people…an amazing feat, considering that over 50% of humans in this world do not even own a television set.

Here is something pretty awesome about soccer…it can literally be applied to study historical cultural and political conflicts. Soccer supremacy transcends past history, military power, or economic influence because countries that lack these can at least apply soccer a major cornerstone of national pride. The United States is arguably the most powerful nation in the world, yet it is unable to beat a developing country like Ghana, from where it perhaps one day stole citizens and enslaved them. France, winners of the World Cup in 1998, lost to a third world country, Senegal, which it occupied only as recently as 50 years ago. At every international competition, Brazil is so proud to show off its soccer skills, its partying, and its beautiful women to the rest of the world. This trend extends to the clubs, as well. Barcelona is known as a club of Catalans, a proud people who have their own language and culture, and prefer to practice their traditions, if not outright secede from Spain, which they are a part of. Their fierce rivals, Real Madrid, have been historically supported by Spanish governments, including Francisco Franco, the fascist-leaning dictator who was a fan of the team and who banned the Catalans from speaking their own language or practicing their own culture. Consider the rivalry between the two Roman clubs, Lazio and Roma. Lazio is a club with many fascist supporters, including Benito Mussolini once, and now his daughter, Alessandra; Roma fans are historically liberal, and some are even pro-Socialist. The two Scottish clubs, Celtic and Rangers, are fierce opponents, where Celtic supporters are Catholic and Rangers supporters are Protestant, a soccer-like illustration of the tension between the two religions in Scotland. Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem’s fans are rightist, pro-Settler supporters, may of them racist, who unfortunately and illegally go so far as to demand all of their players to be Jewish; their primary rivals, Maccabbee Tel Aviv contains fans who are more  progressive, liberal, and tolerant of Arabs and other minorities. AC Milan is supported by supporters of Benito Mussolini, who also happens to own the team; their rivals, Inter Milan are composed of an uncomfortable motley of the party’s opponents, including Communists and Fascists, among others. Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax, who have large Jewish fan bases, have been historically taunted by opponents as a “Jewish club”, complete with anti-Semitic slurs….so in a show of solidarity, and to fight back, these two clubs started calling themselves “Jews” or the “Yid Army”…waving Israeli flags, wearing Star of David necklaces, and even getting Jewish tattoos. What other sport in the world can be utilized as a study of the cultural, ethnic, and political differences between cultures and even regions? I’m not even kidding, you could probably make a whole college class on this; I’d volunteer to be the professor.

You would think that such fervent nationalism, created by soccer, would lead to division, rioting, and chaos. Yes, in some instances this is indeed, unfortunately, true. Yes, there are some racist chants and songs, there are riots and hooliganism, and there remain enmity, intolerance, and disrespect, prevalent in some countries more than in others. Yet more often than not, soccer has been utilized as the ultimate tool to unify the peoples of the world. In many instances, soccer has managed to unify opposing parties, where the politicians and diplomats failed to do so. Anyone who follows league or international soccer matches even mildly can appreciate the mutual respect between players from varied countries, races, religions, or political affiliations. Whatever one’s differences are, watching a soccer match can bridge distinct groups together. If Iran, coached by an Iranian American no less, plays against the United States in the World Cup, if Palestinian Arabs score goals for the Israeli National Team during key World Cup qualification races, if North Korea comes out of isolation to play in the World Cup, if Turkish prime minister Tayyep Erdrogan enjoys a match in Armenia, if Ireland plays against England, if Iraqi Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds all play on the same team to contribute to their prolonged and unexpected run to finish in fourth place in the Summer Olympics, then we have truly  come a long way in unifying people through the love of the “beautiful game”. Soccer even has the ability to temporary stop wars! During Christmas Eve in World War II, the French, the Brits, and the Germans laid down their arms and played a match of soccer. As a result, this experience created such a stirring effect on the enemy’s humanity, that it took generals from both sides weeks to instill a fighting spirit back into their troops to motivate them to continue fighting and killing each other. More recently, in 2006, the Ivory Coast declared a truce in their Civil War between Northern Muslims and Southern Christians to unite together behind their country’s fortunes at the World Cup. Perhaps this is why so many soccer stars, like Didier Drogba of Chelsea and the Ivory Coast, Kaka of Real Madrid and Brazil, David Beckham of the LA Galaxy and England, and numerous others are ambassadors to international goodwill organizations.

Perhaps the unfortunate Hillsborough disaster experienced by Liverpool fans best examplifies how soccer is more than just a game, how just like the Muskateers, a tragedy for all affects one, and a tragedy for one affects all. In a game between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest, many more fans showed up than could fit inside the stadium, and they all attempted to cram in for an important game. Unluckily, there was a crush in the stands, killing 94 fans. The response to this tragedy by the club’s management, fans, and players, is truly inspirational, and I have yet to see something similar with any sport. Liverpool FC not only built a memorial on their own field, but created a crest, to be worn on their jerseys…not just for one season, but as a permanent part of their jerseys. They created a song about always remembering the victims, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, which they sing at matches, much like Red Sox fans sing “Sweet Caroline”. Many of Liverpool’s players personally attended as many funerals for the victims as they could. Resident celebrities such as Paul McCartney organized whole concerts to benefit the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy. The club refuses to play any matches on April 15^th, the day of the catastrophe.

Additionally, the reaction by other clubs truly shows the spirit of soccer, and how it unifies players and fans. Bradford City A.F.C. and Lincoln City F.C. held a friendly to benefit the victims of Hillsborough. As a result of the disaster, Liverpool's game against Arsenal was delayed to the end of the season; the Arsenal players brought flowers onto the pitch and presented them to the Liverpool fans around the stadium before the game; the winner of the match, by the way, would become the league champion.  On  April 19^th 1989, the Wednesday after the disaster, a European Cup semi-final between AC Milan and Real Madrid was played. The referee blew his whistle 3:06 minutes into the game to stop play and hold a moment’s silence for the Hillsborough victims. Half way through the minute's silence, the A.C. Milan fans sang Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone", as a sign of respect.

While other clubs stepped up to show their support, one of the largest British papers, the Sun, despicably took advantage of the tragedy to sell papers by smearing Liverpool’s fans by claiming that. “Some fans picked pockets of victims", "Some fans urinated on the brave cops" and "Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life". Following The Sun's report, the newspaper was boycotted by most residents in Liverpool, with large numbers of readers not only cancelling their subscriptiond, but refusing to buy from shops that stocked it. A TV segment by the BBC showed comedian Alexei Sayle with a newsagent attempting to give away copies of The Sun for free in Liverpool; every single customer declined. Today, even 23 years after the incident, the overwhelming majority of Liverpoolians continue to reject buying The Sun. It is the only major newspaper not to have articles published on Liverpool's official website. As of 2004, the average daily circulation of The Sun in Liverpool was just 12,000 copies a day.
Only a couple of days ago, another tragedy struck the soccer world. Bolton’s player, Fabrice Muamba, collapsed on the field during the game, with an unknown heart condition. The fans of the opposing team started chanting his name. When his heart could not be revived on the field, the game was cancelled…despite the fact that Bolton is a mere point above relegation and that their opponent, Tottenham Hotspur, is in a close fight for qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Bolton’s manager went into the ambulance and into his hospital with his injuired player. Boltom’s next game was postponed indefinetely, with the permission of their next scheduled opponent, Aston Villa. Reaction around the soccer community was remarkable. One player for Juventus, Andres Pirlo dedicated the goal that he scored for Muamba. Another, Gary Cahill, revealed a shirt that said “Pray for Muamba” after scoring a goal; although taking off shirts is an automatic yellow card, the referee did not issue one. Real Madrid’s whole team wore jerseys, half of which said “Get Well Soon, Muamba”, and the other half saying “Animo [get well] Abidal” (Abidal plays for FC Barcelona, the bitter rival of real Madrid, and he is getting a liver transplant).
Think about what I just wrote in those last four paragraphs for a second. Tell me, In what sport has something similar ever happened before? Where are the tributes to the KHL (Russian hockey) team that died in a plane crash last year, by the NHL? Where are the emblems memorializing the Marshall football team, that died in a plane crash; does Marshall play games on the day of the tragedy? This season, two Celtics players are dealing with enlarged heart conditions…did any of the players or fans from the other teams wish them well? When Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett paralyzed his spine, or when Steve Moore broke three collarbones fromTodd Bertuzzi’s vicious punch, did either of the coaches go to the emergency room with their injured players? Did the referees cancel the game? The games were not only not postponed in these incidents, but even in the 1972 Olympic Games, after terrorists murdered 11 Israeli athletes and coaches…yet the games went on. The soccer community would agree with 1972 American Olympic runner Kenny Moore, “You give a party, and someone is killed (or injured!) at the party, you don't continue the party.” How can you help but not feel inspired by the responses of the soccer community to help overcome and recover from  tragedies, regardless of who they affect?

Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination." When talking about soccer, bigots cannot say that somebody is more intelligent, or more aggressive, or is greedy, during a soccer match because the evidence is right there on the field, to be judged on how technical your dribbling ability is, how crisp your passes are, how clean are your slide tackles appear, how accurate and strong is your shot is. Soccer  patches up our differences by admiring and respecting an individual for his or her soccer skills. Indeed, some of the major organizations against racism are led by soccer players. Barcelona and French National Team striker has teamed up with Nike to start “Stand Up, Speak Up” an organization against racism. At the semifinals of Euro 2008, each team captain spoke out against racism. England has worn bands against racism during some of its matches, Holland, Portugal and Russia have recently given up their team colors for a match and instead wore black and white jerseys to highlight their resistance to bigotry. What other sport does so much to fight bigotry? What sport take such public stands against hatred, universally supported by the majority of not only clubs and countries, but players?

At the Brookline High school, I met the majority of my friends through playing soccer. Every afternoon during lunch breaks, after school, or on weekends, we would gather at the high school’s field and shoot the ball around or play pickup games. We all played together… Israeli Jews and Iranian and Pakistani Muslims, Japanese and Chinese immigrants, Africans, Americans, and African Americans, Catholics and Protestants, Americans dating back generations and foreigners here on temporary visas. What started out as just a game grew into an instant friendship. We did so much more than just watch soccer matches together. We would play Texas Hold’em at each others’ houses, watch movies and sporting events together, play paintball, help each other with homework, and go out to eat. Our motley group defined the meaning of soccer…it is not just the adrenaline of faking out your opponent or the thrill of scoring a goal… it is so much more….a fraternity of fans. It is not just a game; it is a form of respect, which opens doors to mutual friendships. It is not just a game; it is a lesson in diversity and against xenophobia. It is not just a game; it is a lesson in diplomacy. It is not just a game; it is contributing to your community and to your society. It is not just a game; it is an example of how to treat all humans with compassion and respect. It is not just a game; it is a lesson in life. Even someone who dislikes the sport itself, or even all sports in general should be able to appreciate and respect that…or perhaps even try following or playing the game…you never know, you may just start enjoying it!

How to Fix a Broken College Football System

There are two things that I love the most about college football. One of them is the passion of the fans. Soccer is by far the best sport in terms of fan support, but of all of the sports out there, only college football, with its loud, boisterous, and crunked student body, its tailgating, and its body painting, comes even comes close in this area (along with BU hockey). The other thing? How each game is relevant. One loss can make or break where a college team ends up in the standings, and the level of respect for it. Every weekend matters. Every play matters. There is a reason to watch every time. It’s must-see TV…what will happen next? Who is the next domino to fall?

Unfortunately, college football also has a major flaw, one that is so large that it almost makes me want to boycott the games, and only the passion of the fans and the importance of every game make me keep coming back. The way that a national team is selected is a complete joke. One team with an identical record as another one, which may have scored  more points while giving up less, even, goes to a better bowl game than the other team, because of complicated computer formulas and because of the strengths of the teams in its conference, that it can’t control, for the most part. It’s kind of disgusting, actually. Are we sure that Alabama better than Oklahoma State or Stanford this season? Why are 10-2 Arkansas and 11-2 Oregon ranked higher than 11-1 Boise State So How is Houston, with its 12-1 record, ranked lower than 9-3 Nebraska or 10-3 Michigan State? So what is the solution, you may ask? I have a pretty radical, but neat one, actually. Please hear me out, and then let me know what you think.

First of all, beginning next season, I would make a whole new conference…The “Top 26 Conference”, composed of, you guessed it, the Top 26 teams (you’ll see why 26 instead of the original 25 in a sec), by ranking this season. I shall get back to the other 93 teams a little later (there are 119 teams in Division IA football) in a couple of paragraphs, but here is what would happen to the Top 25 ones. Conferences would be eliminated altogether. Instead, there would still be 12 games, but each of the Top 25 teams would play ALL OF THEM against a ranked opponent. Teams ranked evenly would play all evenly ranked teams; teams ranked oddly would play against all odd ones. So the school that is ranked #5 would play the schools that are ranked: #1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25, not necessarily in that order. Likewise, the school ranked #18 would play the teams ranked: #2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 22, and 24, and 26 (see why 26 now? So that each team could play 12 games!). Imagine such a system! No more meaningless blowouts by a ranked contender against a school with no skill. Think about it. Would you rather watch Boise State play Notre Dame, or UNLV? Michigan State play Wisconsin, or Indiana? LSU play Houston, or Ole Miss? If you answered the first choice for all three, then you understand how much more exciting EACH game of the season would be. Each game would be close. Each game would require showing up. Each game would become that much more relevant. Each game would be the prime time game of the weekend. Pride, a ranking, the chance to prove who belongs in what ranking, would all be at stake.

What would happen if several schools finish with identical records, if the strength of their schedule is so close, you may wonder? Easy. The school that has the largest difference between: (the net points scored –the net points allowed) would be ranked higher. In the unlikely event that they are STILL tied, the affected teams would play an extra game against each other, for their ranking. Or my personal preference, have the cheerleaders go against each other in a game of flag football (hey, a man can dream, right?). Oh and one more thing. For my system to work, the rankings of the beginning of next season MUST be identical to those at the end. Players graduating, new coaches, new systems, etc…all of that stuff should be irrelevant. If the school does not deserve its ranking, we shall find out in a year, when it either drops out of the Top 26, remains there, or moves up to it!

Now, as promised, I’ll get back to the 93 teams. First of all, to evenly have all 12 games for them, it is necessary to have a multiple of 26 teams…so 104 teams…so I suggest that 11 teams in Division I-AA are automatically promoted into the first division. Surely we can find 11 teams from that division willing to make the jump? (If not, I volunteer Boston University to restart their defunct football team, undefeated since 1997, in the top division (once again, a man can dream. Shut up.) So now the 104 teams would be playing out in a second, LOWER division. After their 12 games, the top 5 teams( *#) from the division (using the same differential ranking systems as the “Top 26 Division”) play the #25, 24, 23, 22, and 21 seeds, respectively. In other words, *#1 squares off against #25, *#2 against #24, *#3 against #23, *#4 against #22, and *#5 against #21. The winner moves up or remains in the top division, while the loser remains or is relegated to the second division.

Now, you may notice that there are no bowl games here. This is because there are absolutely no need for them. Bowl games are just…dumb, unless it is in the National Championship, and I usually don’t bother to watch them, anyways. There’s a winner and a loser…who cares! They don’t move up in the rankings because of that game. They have nothing to play for, except pride. Why even play those games? Instead, replace them with the five games that actually mean everything for 10 schools…*#1 against #25, *#2 against #24, *#3 against #23, *#4 against #22, and *#5 against #21. Then I’ll watch…because now it becomes relevant…VERY relevant for the next season!

For those of you who know anything about European soccer, this system is pretty similar to their relegation system. Think about the benefits. The teams actually worth watching will be playing each other every time! The pretenders will go on pretending in their league…and only the Top 5 of them will have the chance to demonstrate that they are actually “contenders” by beating one of the 5 lowest ranked teams in the Top 26. Like I said before, each game matters. Each game is scrutinized that much more closely. Each team wants to make that #1 or #2 ranking…while avoiding falling below #20…and if they do, they literally have a must-win game…to save their next season. Is it a little unfair toward the weaker teams? Sure. But if they are not hungry enough, they don’t deserve it anyways. The USA is capitalist, damn it, let the teams who are the most motivated to work harder to achieve the American Dream of playing with the Big Boys and being relevant! Besides, we will no longer have any more controversies about who deserves to play in the Title Game! 

What I’m Thankful for…and how to Make Others Just a Little More Thankful, too

Thanksgiving is over. The relatives have left. The turkey is all gone. All of the football games are over. My hangover from last night is gone. So what am I doing this Friday? Other than watching the Bruins game and the LSU vs Arkansas game, I’m thinking of what I am thankful for. And damn, do I have to be thankful for.

I’m thankful for my family and friends always being there for me. While I know people who have lost parents or grandparents, or whose parents divorced, my parents live together, and both sets of my grandparents are healthy and living within a 20 minute car ride from me, and I see them on a weekly basis. As a matter of fact, I have been fortunate enough to not even have attended a funeral in my life…yet. I am blessed with having the best friends ever…kind, honest, intelligent individuals who legitimately care about me, who stand up for me, and who comfort me in my failures and celebrate with me during my triumphs. True friends who are there for me in need, whether just to talk to when I’m down, provide advice, or give me rides to interviews when I did not yet have a car, or drive me home at 2 AM on a Saturday night so that I do not blow even more money on a cab or get a DUI.

I am fortunate to be living in the United States, where unlike in other countries, I can state my opinions without fear of being jailed or killed. I do not need to fear concentration camps, like in North Korea just for, saying the wrong thing, or get in trouble for this, like in China or Cuba or Iran or Venezuela. In this country, I am judged for my intelligence, personality and character, rather than my nationality, religion, or color, like my parents and grandparents were in the Soviet Union, or like most of Europe until after World War II. Though at times it appears like the economy here is falling apart, I feel so fortunate to have literally any type of entertainment right at my fingertips. I am lucky to be living in such a diverse society, where I can be exposed to virtually any type of culture. In too many countries, people do not get the opportunity to meet people different from them, and as a result just go by stereotypes that their government or parents or teachers say, making them xenophobic and ignorant. But not here. I am lucky to have friends from Germany to Ghana, from Ecuador to England, from Columbia to Cuba, from India to Israel to Iran. I have white, African, Asian, and Native American friends. I have Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and atheist friends. I can eat falafel from an Arabic eatery for breakfast, enjoy lunch in Chinatown, have a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant, and then go out to an Irish pub, where I can meet Brazilian, Lebanese, Italian, French, Swedish, and gorgeous women from all over the world. The overwhelming majority of the world cannot do these things because they don’t live in the USA. Why do you think that so many people want to live here? Why would the Mexicans risk their lives trying to get in here in 120 degree trucks or Cubans risk drowning in tiny boats just to get here? I am in eternal and irreparable debt for the many opportunities that it has given me the thankful for what this wonderful country has done for me.

I am thankful to be a member of the 21^st century, where technology does amazing things. Just imagine. Only 10 years ago, we didn’t have Facebook or smartphones. Only 20 years ago, we didn’t have cell phones or the Internet, or HD TVs. Only 50 years ago, there were no TVs, and no color or digital cameras. Only 100 years ago, most people did not own cars. Planes could not yet fly across oceans. Look at us now. We can get to anywhere in the world in a single day just by hopping on a plane. We can go skiing or hiking or to the beach just by driving there. We can save hours of research by looking things up on Google or on Wilkepedia. We can share our photos on Facebook, chat with friends about evening plans, and find out where the parties are at. We can tweet about big sports plays while the players are still celebrating them on the field. Only my generation has the ability to be watching 4 soccer games online, while watching the college football game, while studying for the Spanish exam on a Saturday night, while talking to our parents on the phone, as we are texting our friends about evening plans. Each and every us are so fortunate to be alive TODAY!

Most of all, I am thankful that while 40 million Americans, 14% of the country, live below the poverty line, not only do I have a roof over my head and know where my meal is coming from, but have a car, money for entertainment, cable and the Internet. I am blessed to have access to top (but extremely expensive) healthcare, clean water, and adequate sanitation. I am fortunate for having access to a decent education. Not only did I go to one of the top high schools in Massachusetts, but I went to a private math school and had a personal English tutor for the SATs. My parents and grandparents had enough knowledge to help me with my homework and explain things when I was confused. I found just enough money to go to one of the top and most expensive universities in the world. I now have a degree in Business Administration and Economics. I consider myself educated, up to date with daily news, and as having a strong understanding of the current economic, political, and social environment.

I would like to share with you some shocking, unfair, and appalling statistics. Did you know that:

·         There are 925 MILLION people in the world, 1/7^th of the population who go hungry…who legitimately cannot get enough food.

·         80% of the ENTIRE WORLD’S POPULATION lives for UNDER $10 per DAY.

·         Out of 2.2 billion children in this world, 1 BILLION live in poverty…every OTHER child in the world.

·          22,000 children die PER DAY due to poverty.
27-28% of children in the world are either underweight or stunted.

·         1 BILLION people in the world have no access to clean water; 2.6 BILLION suffer from basic sanitation.

·         An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004.

·         Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities.

·         121 million children in the world do not go to school.

·          Almost a BILLION people in the world still cannot read or write.

People, this is just SAD. When I see numbers such as these, how can I not be thankful for what I have? These appalling facts really put things in perspective, don’t they? As a matter of fact, if you are reading this right now, you probably are not part of these unfortunate statistics. What have I done to deserve to be not here, which these poor people did not do? What have you? We were born into the right families, into the right countries, under the right economic conditions. We got outright lucky. How can we not be thankful for being part of the privileged class?

So what can we do now that we are privileged and born into the right families, countries, and conditions? What can I do? Sometimes when I feel of how much stuff I waste, I feel guilty. While billions of poor people go hungry, and some die, how many times did I throw away food from my plate at the dining halls of Boston University? While billions of miserable wretched have no water, vow many times did I just stand in the shower for too long just because I felt like it? While some people have no clue where their next money will come from, how many times did I buy drinks that are too expensive, go to clubs that weren’t even that good, or blew money on stuff that I almost did not use or wear or need?

You know what? It’s OK. I’m going to continue eating too much, taking long showers, and blowing money partying. I’m too greedy, too egoistic, and too privileged to do to otherwise, and so are you, probably. But here is what I will do. I shall donate 10% of my income each year to charity. I don’t know which charity yet. Maybe UNICEF. Perhaps the Red Cross. Maybe to reduce poverty. Possibly to improve education. Perhaps to fight racism. Maybe all of the above. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

A couple of last thoughts. It pisses me off some much when some rich moron babbles about giving countries less aid or cutting money for political reasons, or blackmailing countries into voting a certain way. It infuriates me that rich countries give loans and usually expect weaker, poorer countries, to repay them. Did you know that “For every $1 in aid a developing country receives, over $25 is spent on debt repayment” or that “The poorer the country, the more likely it is that debt repayments are being extracted directly from people who neither contracted the loans nor received any of the money”? I didn’t either. Now we both do. Our priorities are so messed up. Ponder this chart, for example.

Global Priority	$U.S. Billions
Cosmetics in the United States	8
Ice cream in Europe	11
Perfumes in Europe and the United States	12
Pet foods in Europe and the United States	17
Business entertainment in Japan	35
Cigarettes in Europe	50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe	105
Narcotics drugs in the world	400
Military spending in the world	780

Global Priority	$U.S. Billions
Basic education for all	6
Water and sanitation for all	9
Reproductive health for all women	12
Basic health and nutrition	13

Yes. That’s right. We spend more money on cosmetics than on education. We spend almost as much or more money on perfumes, pet food, and entertainment EACH on water and basic nutrition. But most of all, we love our weapons and our drugs. How fucked up are these statistics? Look, I’m not advocating cutting military capabilities; a strong military is the core of any successful country, after all. But maybe, just maybe, if each man up and sacrice just a little bit more and put our heads together, we can all contribute to making this world a little bit better and a little bit fairer.

All statistics are from

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

Five Things that can Only Happen on Halloween

So I’m taking a break at work, and I know that I promised to blog about solutions to all of America’s problems, but it is taking much longer than I thought, since it’s not as easy as you think to fix the world. I’m also kind of upset that my camera can’t download my Halloween pictures. Yes, Halloween has passed already, but I still haven’t said goodbye to it properly!

So without further ado…enjoy a good laugh with me!

5. The best opportunities and excuses to talk to the opposite sex without needing to think of an opening

Last year I was riding on the T to a Halloween party, with one of my buddies, who just happened to be dressed up like Russell Brand. On the next stop, a large group got on and completely randomly, a Katie Perry sat down right on the seat next to the aforementioned friend! Now, if he did not already have a girlfriend, what an opportunity for him to make his move! Probably this would work even better at a bar or club. Imagine a Katie Perry dancing, and a Russell Brand just coming up to her…who needs pickup lines when Halloween fate has showed you what to do already? Only on Halloween!

4. Scantily-clad, drunk, random chicks walking home in the pouring snow, who are so desperate to get home that they want to hitchhike in my car.

This happened last Friday night. I was driving 4 of my friends home while it was freezing and snowing outside, when I almost ran over a couple of kittens…err rather cute college-aged girls, near BU campus, who looked totally miserable, but happily drunk. They then proceeded to knock on my window, momentarily frightening me to think that I actually did hit one of them. Not to worry…they merely wanted a ride home. I can’t say I blame them… I was in my car, and my sneakers were still soaked through and I was miserable, so I can’t imagine how they were feeling, so I can totally see their desperation. Unfortunately, I had no more space in my car. Bummer…how often do random girls just ask a guy for a ride out of the blue! Had I met them 10 minutes later, I could have kept them warm  and gotten them home safely and gotten to know them a bit, and…you never know what would have happened next, and unfortunately, neither do I!

3. The irony of someone dressed up as an inmate or a cop getting arrested

How funny would it be for someone dressed up as an inmate to have a bit too much to drink and then drive home, only to get caught? Can you imagine what that sobriety test and subsequent arrest would look like? I’m usually not the jerk laughing at the misfortunes of others but such coincidental irony does sound kind of hilarious, and pretty embarrassing for the detainee, admit it! Or, think about this one…a group of roommates host an party where there is underage drinking. They are all dressed up as cops, and take full advantage of the excuse of Halloween to act like cops without getting prosecuted for impersonating one until… they get busted by the real cops and arrested for keeping a disorderly house and for furnishing alcohol to minors.  A cop arresting a look-alike cop would provide such a sight, and I’d bet money that this has happened before for Halloween!

2. Images such as this one:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150380245227355&set=a.218011977354.135140.7174672354&type=1&theater

You know what? I was that costume too! Dressed up as Whitey Bulger, I was naïve enough not to understand that prisoners probably don’t have pockets in their pants (makes sense once it is too late, right? So I had to wear jeans under my orange jumpsuit. Unfortunately, this jumpsuit zips all the way up. So if my phone rang or I received a text, or even just to grab my wallet or car keys, I had to basically unzip my whole top, and then stick my hand down my orange pants to reach my jeans’ pockets. As I was fumbling around here, my hand made it appear like I was having a boner! It didn’t help that my buddy kept making fund of me by saying that I looked like a pedophile, due to a certain Facebook status mentioning Halloween candy, kids, pedophiles, and Michael Jackson. Anyways…it’s pretty sad to make the choice of excusing yourself to the bathroom every time you need to return a text, or risk strangers thinking that you are suddenly having an orgasm inside your pants!

1. The excuse to cheat on your significant other

True story that I hear on the radio while driving home from work last night: A guy dressed up as Batman went to party with his girlfriend. Imagine his horror when sometime during the party, he finds his girlfriend making out…with another Batman! However, she told her boyfriend that she thought that it was him and that she got confused! Now, I understand that people get pretty wasted at Halloween parties, but to not recognize your own boyfriend, even in a mask? Come on. The excuse, however, is so creative and brilliant and so almost believable that it has me rolling over in laughter!

Protesting the Protestors…why the “Occupiers” are Clueless, and do not Deserve my Respect

After weeks of being on the fence on the “Occupy Wall Street” phenomenon, I have officially decided that I CANNOT, in good conscience, support this movement. I make this decision rather unwillingly, and with various reservations. There are demands held by the protestors that make perfect sense. Of course, it is troubling that the top 1% has had their income grow at a much faster rate than the rest of the country, and we need innovative, courageous solutions on decreasing our social inequalities in a fair, viable manner. Yes, there is no doubt that there should be reforms in closing tax loopholes and inefficient uses of bailout money. Of course, health care and education should be more affordable to all. Lobbyists should not have such an impact on buying politicians as they do today…bribery, unfortunately, is alive and well in the United States, just in more clandestine forms. People who want to learn new career skills should have ever opportunity to have the necessary resources available to them to make their lives better and to contribute to their societies. Of course, children born to poor parents should have as much access to educational schools, including practice for tests such as the SATS, as the kids of rich parents. I can even support an increase of taxes on the richest percentage of Americans, given that it is used appropriately to help those less fortunate by providing them access to better career tools and job services, since many rich people have benefitted from the access to a good education. There should be some way to decrease poverty and a path for the affected people to work their way out of it, if they choose to do so. However, all of the above issues are complex, and require viable solutions and long, painful negotiations (in my next blog, sometime next, week, I shall offer some of my solutions…stay tuned).

It is one thing to demand reform by creating ideas, stumping for them, and convincing others to implement them, yet a completely different approach to just make a list of demands and clamor for someone to magically make them happen. We should all be doing the former; however, the protestors are content with just doing the latter. Unfortunately, their lack of ideas to solve their demands makes me lose much respect for the protestors. These people claim to want reform and desire changes, yet they have no clue on how to achieve results. There is a long list of demands, but as far as I can tell, not a single solution to achieve the objectives. Purely protesting with no clue on how to get anything done is a complete waste of time. When Martin Luther King Jr. and the rest of the Civil Rights movement organized their sit-ins, they had a plan…they wanted legislation to provide African Americans and other minorities not only equal rights but equal access to jobs, education, and entertainment. Even the French and Russian Revolutionaries had plans on how to run the governments, as flawed as some of these were. Personally, I hate everything that he Tea Partiers stand for, but I can at least appreciate their resolve to get what they want and their ability to at least formulate ideas, even though these are dumb, ignorant, and extreme. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about the “Occupiers”; it’s as if they are waiting for someone else to solve their problems for them. This sort of attitude will never get anything accomplished, and as a result, these Occupiers are only wasting their own time.

Perhaps the key reason why these protestors cannot seem to formulate a game plan to bring about reforms is because so many of their demands are unfeasible or outright ignorant. On top of some legitimate changes that the protestors want to see, which I have listed above, many of the other demands that the reformers clamor for appear to stem from their ignorance of basic knowledge of economics and business. Now, before you criticize me for this verdict, please hear me out. I am about to go over some of their demands that do not make sense piece by piece and explain the fallacy in these wants.

The protestors are against the bailouts of banks and of “Wall Street”. Yeah, on the surface it does not seem right to be doling out taxpayer money to bail out large corporations. But consider the consequences if these bailouts do not happen. If all of these banks collapse, over a million jobs would be lost. Just look at General Motors. The Obama Administration bailed them out too, and now they have recovered from the brink of bankruptcy, and over a million potential job losses have been avoided. With banks, the consequences would be so much direr if many banks do collapse than just losing jobs, however. If the banks go under, the majority of Americans would potentially lose all of their money in them. Now, after the Great Depression, legislation was passed that guaranteed that the government would pay off up to $250,000 per bank account. In other words, if the big banks collapse, the government has to pay you all that you have lost. Where would they get this money? They would need to pay back much more than what you give back in taxes, and in case you haven’t noticed, we are already in over a 14 trillion dollar debt, as it is. They would simply not have this money available. Most of us would lose our entire incomes, and chaos would erupt. Look, I’m not saying that every bank would have absolutely failed if there was no bailout; some may have eventually recovered. But it is a scarily legit possibility. It happened during the Great Depression, and it happened with the Lehman Brothers. There is just no chance that any sane government, whether under the Bush or Obama Administration, would be willing to take this chance. This is why protesting the bailouts is not just pointless, it’s incredibly dumb. We NEED to “bail out Wall Street” because Wall Street runs our economy and stores all of our money. We simply have no choice but to provide them. If we go under, we will get chaos, and probably a larger, and more devastating depression, not to mention losing all of our incomes, if not an outright economic collapse. It’s a necessary evil. All we can do is enact legislation to insure that the banks do not take advantage of this and make dumb irresponsible decisions…like charging them interest on government loans and capping their bonuses until they pay them off (as the Obama Administration has been successfully done).

It appears that a huge point of this “Occupy” movement is to force corporations to treat clients, employees, and other stakeholders better. “People over profits.” Look, on the surface this sounds lovely. In an ideal utopia, this would be perfect. The thing is, we DO NOT LIVE in an ideal utopia. Anyone who has majored in Business or Economics (this would include me, so I have the full authority to talk about this) would understand that the only responsibility by corporations is to its SHAREHOLDERS. The profitability line is one of the major factors that these shareholders look at, so corporations naturally would like to make it as large as possible. Yes, sometimes messed up things happen, such as when Lowe’s closed down a bunch of stores and laid off a bunch of employees…and its shares went up by 2%. Look, I’m not saying that we should just let corporations do whatever they want, OK? We have laws against lying to clients and cheating them. Without a question, there should be a set of minimum standards…say something like a minimum of 2 week paid  vacations, medical insurance, and no termination for no reason or without investigations, as long as there are no layoffs. But now here is the catch. The United States is one of the greatest places to live in. It truly cares about the rights of its citizens. Even with all of this partisanship, it still works hard to sustain a minimum standard of living for all Americans. We are a country of laws, with a minimum wage, rules on working conditions, etc . Unfortunately, not allof the world works this way. Labor in China, India, and Mexico, to name a few examples, is dirt cheap. The employees there can be treated like crap. Remember how I said that a corporation must satisfy its shareholders?  To do so, they need to cut costs and increase profits. Naturally, they shall produce in the countries where labor and supplies are cheaper to achieve this goal.  With every piece pro-labor legislation, the corporations have a higher incentive to outsource to someplace where conditions are more favorable. You think that there are no jobs here in the United States? Look at Europe, especially Greece or Spain. They have strong pro-labor laws. Their unemployment rate also tends to be much higher than in the United States, in the teens and 20s. This is because of a strong pro-labor presence.  The European corporations hire less people because they do not want to have people sitting around doing nothing, since it is so difficult to just lay them off.  Because it is so difficult to get rid of employees, the companies in Europe are ridiculously careful in making the right choice of whom to hire. As a result, they pass up on a lot of people, including those that could potentially become successful with the company, and  as a consequence, millions become unemployed. Yes, the occupiers are correct that the employees are assets. When they are no longer needed and can be let go, just like equipment can be resold or recycled. It sucks. But can this be avoided without leaving the consumer and the shareholder better off? And if it is, what is the alternative? How far do we wish to go down the slippery slope of rights for consumers and shareholders, at the expense of even more outsourcing?

You know what? The relationship between client and stakeholder actually isn’t even that bad here. Competition takes care of this. Yes, we all hear about the layoffs, random terminations, the raising of prices by Netflix, and $5 ATM fees, like Bank of America, etc . However, contrary to the claims of the protestors, most corporations actually treat their companies quite well, especially the big banks. It’s all about completion and motivating the employee. Companies naturally want to hire the best available candidates…the smartest, hard-working, most attentive, innovative, and friendly employees. The better the employee, the more choices he or she has, and benefits such as pay, insurance policies, vacation, room for learning, and a work-life balance are all definitely factors in choosing the right job. Because employers want the better employees, they usually provide the best benefits and the best work environment (how would you like to work for Google, with their free meals, bike rentals, gyms, soccer and basketball fields, and game rooms?); if they do not, they will lose out on talent. Same deal with the clients. Every corporation wants to create goodwill. It’s why most of them give donations to charities and sponsor sporting events and claim to be environmentally friendly. And trust me, a company who behaves immorally will pay big-time. Just look at Enron. They tried to cheat the system and ended up collapsing. Or take that restaurant in New Hampshire, which refused to cancel and return the money for a couple’s dinner reservation even after the groom’s bride died just the day before their wedding day. The establishment garnered so much negative press and publicity that most people stopped going there. Its profit-first, people-second approach literally put it out of business. There is a saying in business that “the customer is always right.” This is because  a customer always has choices…on what to pay, what to buy, preferential treatment, etc. Businesses who cannot figure out how to treat a potential client will lose big-time in profits. Corporations may be naturally greedy, true. But they are not stupid. And because of this, we are all winners, thanks to competition. “Profits over people” does not exist because profits occur BECAUSE of people…and at the end of the day, the people hold the key on what, where, and when to buy.

Speaking of complaints about layoffs, to avoid layoffs and create jobs, the protestors also want the companies to hire in the United States only…”Buy American!” they naively chant. If only it was that easy. Of course it is preferable to create jobs here, but unfortunately there will always be outsourcing, unless we are willing to spend substantially more money on consumer goods. And don’t expect that competition will keep them down, either. Due to increased labor costs (definitely if pro-labor legislation is not enacted, as the protestors want, but even without it, as the minimum wage is much higher in the US than in other parts of the world), prices will skyrocket because And don’t expect competition to force the corporations to keep the prices down, too. All of the companies will be forced to raise their prices; otherwise they will make no profits.  Everything will become more expensive. Some expensive goods will be so undersold that the companies will be forced to leave the business, creating an even higher unemployment rate and basically eliminating luxury goods. Additionally, because virtually all goods will now be worth more, the dollar will be worth less, which will in turn lead to inflation. I’m all for providing incentives for corporations to keep jobs here and to improve working conditions…but legislating them is a slippery slope, one in which we shall all lose from if we go down on the wrong path. By the way, maybe in 200 years or so, outsourcing would have lost its advantage; if the Economic Theory of contraction proves to be correct…then outsourcing would probably be pointless and stop immediately. But that is a pretty long time to sit around and protest, don’t you think?

When I told some of my friends about the issues with the demands of the protestors, one of them asked, “what’s wrong with Socialism? Just abolish capitalism and the banks, and problem solved.” No way. First let’s start with the banks. Besides keeping all of our money under mattresses, we will not be able to get loans. We will have no money to buy a  house, a car, or an education. No loans to start a new business. No credit cards or debit cards. Nor would a Socialist government help our case. Capitalism, whether in the United States, in Europe, in Australia, in Japan, or elsewhere, has time and time again proven to succeed. On the other hand, Socialist governments have always failed big-time. Under Socialist conditions, nobody had the motivation to work hard, to invent, to create ideas. Basic necessities were difficult to get and luxurious items are almost impossible to come by, due to government bureaucracy, since nobody competes with the government, they can take their sweet old time and be inefficient and not innovative. My parents and grandparents have lived in Socialism. They told me the horror stories of 5 people living in a one bedroom apartment, of standing in line for an hour to buy bread or a toothbrush, of having no car and crappy black-and white TVs, if they were lucky. Even worse than the shitty economic outlook with Socialism, practically all Socialist regimes create brutal dictators, who censor like crazy. Joseph Stalin and Mao each killed more people than Adolph Hitler. Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez are moronic leaders who secretly believe that they are actually kings or gods and hold all of the answers. North Korea literally has secret concentration camps, similar to the old Soviet “gulags”. China is a fake Socialist country now; although their government censors everything, it allows businesses to compete, virually making it a democracy.  Is it any surprising that millions of Cubans risked their lives by swimming to Miami to get into the United States?  A classless society is only a utopia, it does not motivate anyone to lead a better life, and as good and pious and moral and well-intentioned as it sounds, it is unrealistic, unfair, and can easily be abused. Whenever the government gets involved in business decisions, this is a disaster of the well-being of its citizens…the government’s job is to enact legislation to prevent abuses in a Capitalistic system, all while allowing businesses to fairly compete for customers and shareholders, and that is the way it should be.

It would be one thing if the protestors were merely uninformed that many of their demands are actually unfeasible and if applied in practice, would lead us down the wrong path. However, this is not even my biggest issue with the “Occupy” Movement. I have always been troubled by the protests taking place in financial districts, rather than political arenas. Most, if not all of their demands would be better served if lawmakers establish rules against corporate abuses. The corporations WILL NOT do this by themselves any less than a person tempted to steal from a bank will do so without a police system, but think twice of the customers when the cops have laws to enforce. If they want actual, legitimate change, the protestors should be protesting in DC, on Beacon Hill, and other places where political and legal decisions are made. This obsession with “Wall Street” makes me uncomfortable.

The protestors’ obsession with the “99%” does not allay my fears; as a matter of fact, it leaves me even more concerned. Their “99%” are NOT people who want to end corruption. NOT lobbyists. NOT people who drive partisanship in Congress. No. These protestors are literally against the 1% of the RICHEST Americans. I never even got the “99%” part, really. Someone who makes over $400 K a year is considered in this elite group. Is someone, say in the 1.1% really that worse off than someone in the 1%? Does someone who makes $450 K per year necessarily do it any more dishonestly or greedily than someone who makes $350 K annually? While there is no doubt some of the richest people have earned their money dishonestly or greedily, scapegoating them all in one category is extremely dangerous. For example, do Bill Gates or Steve Jobs really not deserve their billions? I’m all for taxing the rich a little more. But outright blaming them for everyone’s problems, no exceptions, crosses the line in that it creates distrust, if not outright hatred. Anyone basically making over $700 K is automatically labeled as a cheat or a fraud. Someone different. Someone out of touch. Vilifying these people as a single group is not only wrong; it can lead to them being unsafe.

Why is it so dangerous to blame the rich, you may ask? Because I believe that few, if any of these protestors know how the majority of these people actually earn their money. There appears to be this common misconception against bankers, stock brokers, and corporate executives, that all of them are out-of-touch, greedy, corrupt fat cats. And unfortunately, there are cases where this is true…but there are many more where such an accusation is inaccurate and unfair, cruel, even. Few people bother to understand or appreciate how hard these individuals have worked to get where they are today. In high school and college, these are the guys who almost never go out, who study their asses off, while taking insanely challenging courses. These are the risk-takers, individuals who take chances in launching a new product, or start their own business. They are the ones thinking up new idea, or creating more efficient way to run a system. Many of these people work 60-80 hour weeks in high-stress, high risk-reward jobs. Sometimes they reap huge rewards of these risks, and yes, sometimes they fail. But if we discourage them from taking risks, how will we ever invent anything? If we deride failure, who will want to find the next big idea? Before finding the right filament, Thomas Edison failed dozens of times. Steve Jobs, before inventing the ipod and the ipad and the iphone was FIRED from Apple, a company that lagged far behind Microsoft well until the 21^st century. After all, In all professions, there are bad apples. Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Michael Vick, and Plaxico Buress, and Lindsey Lohan have all made poor decisions. Michael Jackson’s doctor made the wrong decisions. Along with winning two World Series, Theo Epstein won 2 World Series, he signed Carl Crawford, Edgar Renteria, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and John Lackey. His reward? More money and a higher position with the Chicago Cubs.  Yet none of these protestors are protesting Sports managers or athletes, despite NBA players, almost all within this “1%” going on strike. Few of the protestors criticize actors, singers, doctors or athletes. Why? These guys a millionaires too. Some of them are arrogant and greedy, just as some corporate executives or bankers always want more. So why single out only the corporate executive and bakers? Yes, some successful corporate professionals, once they reach a certain level, do indeed lose touch of reality. Yes, some corporations are greedy pricks who leech off the government by lobbying it and suiting their own interests. True, there are corporations who don’t give a damn about their employees and true, some successful people, like Bernie Madoff, even create a Ponzi Schemes. However, what we need to understand that there will ALWAYS be some bad apples in a group. Whether in a race or in a religion, a nation or an ethnithity, or yes, income group, there will ALWAYS be some truly despicable people. Just as scapegoating races, religions, or cultures is xenophobic and wrong, so is stereotyping entire income levels. By ostracizing and outright ridiculing the “1%”, these protestors are…just approaching their frustrations the wrong way. Instead of figuring out solutions to solve their problems, they seem to want someone to blame….and this can never be good or acceptable, and needs to be stopped immediately.

The attitude by many of the protestors against the cops concerns me as well. Here in Boston, the BPD police headquarters were hacked by some of the Occupiers, and private information of several officers, including credit card and social security numbers, were publically disclosed. Yet the OWS protestors never condemned this. They refuse to leave adjacent private areas for safety reasons, and complain about “police brutality” when forcefully removed. They walk on the roads, causing them to close and delaying traffic. It is one thing to protest. It is their right, and our duty as Americans to let them do so. But when this crosses the line to disrupting businesses and poses safety hazards, the occupiers need to follow the directions. It is further alarming that they chant that the cops “serve the 99%”. No. They serve the government, which is supposed to serve all of us. Sometimes the government gets it wrong, sometimes the cops get it wrong. The protestors should not, under nay circumstances vilify the police for doing their jobs, and some of their lack of civility toward the officers is troubling.

Finally, I would like to share one last thought. Here’s what I don’t understand…these occupiers (I am referring specifically to the ones who are camping out EVERY day) are claiming that they are having a difficult time finding jobs; yet they have no issue spending whole weekdays in tents. If they honestly want a job, why don’t they spend their time looking for one? I know, I know, they claim that there are no jobs available, that no one will hire them, that the corporations and big banks are laying everyone off like crazy, bla bla bla. But you know what? It does not appear that they are even trying. When my mother was laid off from her computer programming job due to outsourcing, she learned a whole new computer language in only two months. She spent days in computer labs and nights hitting the books. Even when she got hired again, she still spent time catching up. She is getting laid off again in December…and is already studying a new computer languages, rewriting her resumes, and prepping for scheduled interviews. If a  50 year old immigrant, for whom English is a second language and who did not grow up in American culture can learn a whole new skill in only 2 months, surely a 20 something guy with a college degree who grew up and went to school here could do so as well, as long as he tried? People keep on saying that there are no jobs, but I just don’t buy it. In my company, for example, there are dozens of openings, yet I know friends who applied here who did not hear anything back. The jobs are there; what’s not there are the required skills, the tough skills, the ones that you really need to study and that are complicated. Business majors are wanted at my company; history and English majors, on the other hand, are not, even with their 3.8 GPAs. These protestors, instead of spending their days in tents outside, need to revise their resume, learn new skills, read how-to books, volunteer for internships and non-profits, maybe even go to school again and take a new major, and do whatever it takes to increase their chances of landing that job. Neither the corporations nor the government will just hand it to them. It is possible. If you work hard enough, if you are willing to learn new skills, if you desire to stay competitive, you will land that job. I know this from personal experienced, from my own failures and successes, and so does my family. Yet the occupiers seem to have just quit searching. Even if some of them are students, instead of protesting, they should be studying. Vince Lombardi famously once said that “winners never quit, and quitters never win”. All of the protestors who are here each weekday clearly have no jobs (when would they be working if they did?) and are making absolutely no effort to land one, choosing to protest instead of ?

So please, protestors, (the ones who actually sleep out every day, not just come chant for a while for the weekends) quit complaining and either come up with viable solutions for reform or deal with what we have right now until you come up with a game plan that will actually not tank our economy. (once again, readers, check out my ideas by sometime next week). For the single 23 year old mother with 3 children living on $1,000 monthly handouts: while my heart breaks for your kids, I feel absolutely no sympathy for you. Your irresponsible behavior in having those 3 kids in the first place before obtaining an education or/and job fucked over your children, as well as you, congratulations, now beg your mom to look after your kids while you look for a job or go to school (my grandparents looked after me; my family never hired a nanny), instead of yelling at the banks near the financial district. For the college student crashing outside on a Tuesday night: don’t you have an exam or major project due tomorrow, dude? Go study! Perhaps it may even be not be late to switch majors or double-major, if you have some Liberal Arts major like English or Psysiology or history, which severely limit your choices for work. Try to learn some Excel, some business concepts, or a computer language, or a new software package…these will help you out in that elusive job search. For the unemployed 23+ year old: get out of the park, buy a suit, buy some books, and start looking…if you try hard enough; if you learn valuable skills, and if you actually want to work, you will find a job! A job will also give you more power and more opportunities to change the system than simply standing around in the park! For all of the protestors together: ,you know how you want tax money to go for better use? Can you guess who is paying for the cops to be present at your events right now? Me and other taxpayers…the ones who actually work for a living and understand that our demands and our actions have consequences, and that we must make sacrifices and work hard to get the things that we want. We too want change, but in order to achieve it, we must first understand the issues, brainstorm viable solutions, and reach that point where we can actually contribute to discussing and implementing changes. Come join us, or forever spend your time outside, homeless and in a tent!