We Are the 99%

Yesterday I posted an entry in which I included accounts of people who are suffering for the greed of the rich and powerful. That website, entitled We Are the 99%, has many stories of people suffering from no economic security. But what shocks me is the number of people who say they're grateful for their minimum wage no benefit we-can-replace-you-at-the-drop-of-a-hat jobs. They call themselves the lucky ones.

I understand that people are desperate and will take anything if it means having maybe enough money to feed their kids and themselves and keep a roof over their heads, I want it to be known that I understand it. But what I can't understand is why anyone would be grateful to be taken advantage of? Long hours, low pay, no medical, and not enough pay to keep yourself fed and still keep your debt from growing seems to be the order of the day for these grateful people. Consider yourself lucky, yes, but don't feel grateful to be exploited, underpaid and overworked.

I guess I'm still just reeling over how bad things have gotten for people these days...though I shouldn't really be surprised. Things have been horrible for years now, but out of control poverty isn't dramatic enough to warrant media attention until it gets bad enough that people start marching in the streets, and even then it gets very little coverage.

I think my surprise rests mostly with how ignorant I've been of these things until now.