I'm becoming political. OCCUPY

So obviously Occupy Wall Street has been a movement for a little under 2 months now.  It has gotten A LOT of press, A lot of hatred and a lot of supporters...from all around the Country, if not the Globe.  But, people don't really understand what it's about.  

Now. Let me begin by saying how, for years (basically birth til I graduated college). I was a huge Hippy, Dreamer, Liberal.  Freedom for all person.  I believe that America is the greatest nation in the world, I am so incredibly lucky to live here, and New York is one of the best (I haven't been to all 50) States; I am proud to call it my home.I have lived in all of the boroughs, visited a handful of states, lived in other Countries..I've traveled. I would consider myself worldly, but not privileged.  I had to bust my ass for everything I've accomplished in my life...and being as Murphy's Law is something that follows my life frequently, nothing has ever come easy.  But, alas, I digress.  Seeing many different countries and interacting with different cultures, I can say that America is a Free Nation and really has more liberties (such as free speech and freedom to peacefully protest) which other Countries do not allow their citizens.  However the 'Freedoms' we have did not come free.  Hundreds and Thousands of men and women have lost their lives to ensure our freedoms.  They put their lives on the line for the country that they love, to protect people, STRANGERS, that could or could not care less about their grave sacrifices.

Some people enlist because of their patriotism, their love for our country and the love to keep freedom alive..but there are also people who enlist just to get an education and happen to get deployed in the process.  However by Occupy Wall Street's definition...Soldiers, making 50k+ a year would be the 1%.  
Don't get me wrong, I am all for charities, causes and protests.  But this one just doesn't make sense to me.  Sitting in a park HECKLING, rudely, violently, smell-ily HECKLING people who they deem 'rich' (which is not always true) DEMANDING that they give these occupiers money...I just don't see the point in that.  I am Blessed, by far.  But I have had to work SO SO hard for it.  More than many people will know.  I worked off the books making less than minimum wage for 10 years..I worked through high school, worked through college..missed events that I would've liked to go to, missed times with friends, even missed out on school things just because I had to work to ensure I had some money to pay for school and gas and everything else I needed.  I am lucky enough to have my parents around for help if i ever needed them (although I never needed to fall back on them, thank God). But, it has been tough.  I know the economy is bad and that unemployment is 9%.  When I graduated college, I applied to jobs everywhere...in every state before settling on 25k a yr job in NYC.  It took me 2hrs to get to and from work every day (2 hours each way) I was always exhausted, I took A LOT of shit from my coworkers...more than I should have..more than professionalism allows..and still. i did it. EVERY DAY. Day in and Day out. I went to work, I busted my ass, I took shit because I was the 'low man' on the totem pole and that's what you do.  There were days I came home crying for hours so upset about my life and my commute and not living up to my private college degree.  But I stayed. for a full year I stayed and I worked my way up and things got better.  

I know America has fallen on tough times, but dividing into groups of pettiness and indefinably caused protest isn't going to change anything.  I've seen these protestors in action.  I've seen them throw paper airplanes at a building, I've seen them come down to my job and sing telegrams, I've walked through their crowds of angry slurs and insults as I was going to get lunch.  I am certainly not the 1%.  I live in a modest apartment with my boyfriend, I drive a leased car, I have student loans, my biggest expenses are basically my partying habit and my grocery bill.  But yet as I walked to and from work for that day Occupy Wall Street came to my job, I got heckled and harassed as if I was the enemy.  This cause is so blanketed with just general hatred for big business and 'the man' that it really lost it's leg to stand on.  I cannot see the support for a group who throws airplanes of 'support letters' at a gigantic building. it's laughable.  While I do think many of the 1% (although i do not classify it as wall street people) do not need all their money...they certainly do a lot.  They work hard, put in 20+ hour days..and they have families to go home to, vacations they're late for, birthdays they miss.  They are not the soulless blood sucking money hungry machines these Occupiers make them out to be.  I am not like that.  I sit with these men and women every day and know how great they are, how hard they work, and really how stressful an environment the business world is.  It is tough, it is scary and it is ALWAYS hard work.  But we do it. We have fun, we work hard, and we produce results.

Now for people to break their backs doing their job and then have jobless (partially by choice masked in a 'doing it for the cause' attitude) people demanding them to give away their HARD EARNED MONEY for people who don't care enough to get a job...I just don't see it.  I understand jobs are tough, but that just means you need to try harder.  Set yourself a part.  Work for it.  You can't always get the job you want..certainly not in this day and age.  But you have to take what you can get.  Working in McDonald's isn't glamorous, and I'm sure it doesn't pay well or what someone with a college degree would expect to be making...but in these times you can't pick and choose.  Work in a McDonalds or dog walking or cleaning up someone's house...Watch someone's Children a couple of times a week.  These are jobs that SOMEONE needs to do..while they may not be glamorous or careers..they are still jobs and someone needs to do them.  I think Occupy Wall STreet needs to find some humility and really take any open vocation.  The American Dream was built on hard work and perseverance.  Not hand outs.  That is communism.  And really, I refuse to have any kind of treason in my country. 

Before you choose sides or think my rantings are biased..Please, I ask you. Remember the foundations that our beautiful nation was built on.  Strength, determination, compassion.  These Colors Don't Run. Look up our nations very first flag and tell me that these Occupy Wall Street protesters understand our country and it's beliefs, values, very identity, at all.

DON'T TREAD ON ME!