a simple thanksgiving plea

(I know I may annoy some people for this but…)

To the Occupy Wall Street/DC/UCD folks,

We live in a country that affords you the right to protest. We live in a society that accepts protesting as a legitimate way of getting your voice heard. We live in an era where public opinion often sides with protesters. We live in a privileged time. We have one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. We have a government that allows its citizens to peacefully overthrow the government every four years. As we approach this Thanksgiving Day, do we really need to protest? A financial system that favors a few? A government that is not as transparent as we want? Unfair tuition hikes? These are all first world problems. Please take a world view of your protest before writing up your next picket sign.

To the Occupy Wall Street folks, we have a financial system that has, at its established foundation, a bedrock of property rights. When you sit out in the middle of the field of protest with your blanket and your tent, there is no label or sign saying, this is your tent, or this is your blanket. It is a general understanding between you, the protesters around you, and even the police, that it belongs to you. The police may want you to remove your tent, but the understanding is still there that it is your tent and not theirs. How do you think people in other parts of the world view your protest? Would a person in Somalia, who may have gotten something of his seized by the local warlord, be sympathetic that you’re part of the 99% of Americans and not the 1? As far as he’s concerned, you are the 1% and he is the 99.

To the Occupy DC folks, we live in a place where there exists the rule of law. We have a government that, though imperfect, is working to the larger benefit of its constituents. On the reverse of the Great Seal of the US, there is an unfinished pyramid, the eye of God, and the words Annuit Coeptis (He favors our undertaking). This country is not meant to be finished (or perfect), but it is an undertaking. Yes, protesting does have its part in improving the country, but we must put it into the correct perspective. This Occupy DC movement is no Selma, Alabama. It’s not the million man march. You’re not protesting basic human rights. You’re asking for government transparency. While that may be noble, please put it into a world perspective, after all, your world is bigger than these united states. Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting the less fortunate into a system where they can have the same freedoms you have? Shouldn’t we be concerned with getting others the same right to protest without the fear of harassment and death?

To the Occupy Davis folks, I really don’t know how to express my disappointment. I almost don’t want to admit we have been educated in the same institution. You live in California, and therefore you are heirs to one of the greatest public university systems in the world. You have government subsidized world class education, and you are protesting over the entrance fee? How many people would jump through all kinds of hoops to get in the door of this university system? (BTW I wonder if protesters behind the former iron curtain or in Pinochet’s Chile would classify pepper-spraying as police brutality? We are privileged even in our protests.)

The issues brought forth by the Occupy movement are first world problems. We as a country, look like, to people in other places, to be the elite, unhappy with our trust funds. I’m not here to tell you how to organize your protests; I am here to offer a simple plea: please don’t protest this Thanksgiving. On a day set aside to remember why we are so blessed and fortunate to have what we have, is it really necessary to protest? If you feel you must resume again on 11/25 then so be it, but please please don’t protest this Thanksgiving.