Shakespeare may have been wrong. Perhaps the question is not “to be or not to
be.” It seems more common that we ask
“to take or to give – who does which.”
History is littered with the bodies of those caught in the inevitable
ebb and flow of power and money.
Capitalism wanes even as communism rises. Freedom flees as socialism sets up shop. And most assuredly, the inverse is equally
true. While my own intellectual journey
seems to be leading to a greater faith in the individual and free markets,
others find that a well-managed collective state would better serve this
planet’s ever-expanding population. Like
many, I will enter the fray with pen and toil to share whatever meager insight
I’ve garnered from years of reading, working, thinking and living. And, I most earnestly encourage others to do
the same.
Yet my protests have been limited to a more
limited scope. The Kardashian Klan is
deleted from my purchasing and viewing repertoire and we often eat local food
rather than imported slop. Impeding or
destroying the labor of others is not part of the package. Tagging the K-emblazed, spoiled, California
Kardashians with graffiti seems more criminal that intellectual. So, I wonder as countless protestors parade
pointlessly how many hours of community service and productive time are being
frittered away. How many shelters could
be built with this young, virile labor?
How many meals could be served?
How many unnecessary illegal immigrants could be expelled? I was raised to believe that if one intends
to receive, one must be willing to give.
Intimidation, threats and destruction seem less like a protest and more
like the mindless and bloodthirsty acts of a mob. Is it possible that folks at the famed Boston
Tea Party demanded free breadsticks or promised destruction to Ye Olde Pizza
Hut?
This column was published on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 in the Current in Carmel, Current in Westfield,
Current in Fishers , and Current in Noblesville - http: //youarecurrent.com/
Photo taken from http://www.chicagonow.com
An interesting, if inaccurate straw-man you've constructed here.
ReplyDeleteHow many of your "pointless protestors" are Veterans? Well educated? Those who do and have contributed time to local community organizations? Have these people not given? Have they not in many cases been willing to "give" their own blood in defense of the American Dream? How would you or I stack up to these sacrifices? How would you feel if you had sacrificed as much and not received?
It is unfair to label all of the more fortunate in our society, greedy, money-grubbing elitists. Yet you paint a picture of those who speak out against the growing disparity between haves and have-nots as pointless.
There is an old Indian proverb that states you should never criticize a man until you walk a mile in his mocassins. Perhaps if you would step into "Ye Olde Pizza Hut," rather than watching it from the sidelines, you might just learn that the free breadstick is not being desired as a right, but a means of sustenance that the current disparity in our society has made necessary.
In this instance you are much more a Kardashian than a Patriot.