You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard of all of the hullabaloo down on Wall Street with people protesting….oh wait….what are they protesting anyway? It’s hard to say exactly but it appears, by all the personal signs I have read, to have something to do with being in the 99% and I guess this makes them mad because they want to be in the 1%? (you’ve lost something on me there folks…if we are all in the top 1% then ummmmm…there is no bottom 99% right??? We would all be the exactly the same…which I suppose is what true socialists want…but I digress)
Anyhoo….all these signs have got me thinking a lot about what percent I am in? And darn it, being the driven, overachiever, competitive gal that I am…I want to be in the TOP 1% Oh wait….but I am!
It’s true! I am a part of the 1% in each of those categories. As I began to look up statistics in different areas that I thought, just perhaps, I earned the right to be in the 1%, I wondered if I would be able to come up with more than just a couple. I was pleasantly surprised (because I like to be #1) and at the same time a little disappointed as well, to find myself easily being in the top 1% in several areas. Disappointed especially that more people do not adopt children, abandon TV or give away at least 10% of their income to those in need. Wouldn’t our world be such a better place if even 10, 20 or 30% of our society did some of these things? Of course even if the world did not become a better place, we would become better people:
- less concerned about the rich on Wall Street and more concerned about the King of Kings
- less concerned about “getting our fair share” and more concerned about giving away some of our blessings
- less concerned about our “things” here on this earth and more concerned with storing up treasures in heaven
What about you? What are you the 1% of? Something to think about….
Inspire Ministries 
THANK YOU! said so well! I, too, keep trying to figure exactly what they are protesting. And, I’m pondering what my 1% is, thank you for giving me this to think about, I will come up with something and maybe like you, more than 1 thing.
Well said!! Thanks for making us think.
I’d like to think I am in the 1% too!
Thought you might like this
Incidentally, I’d imagine Jesus of Nazareth, who they say was a bit sour on loansharks, would want you to be more concerned about your exploitation than about him. On the other hand, Jesus Christ is a product – not the fulfilment – of a 3000-year-old pipe dream, since for whatever reason (might have something to do with the afforementioned outspoken dislike of oppression) people who believed in it decided he must be its fulfilment; and Jesus The King is a product of Constantine The King wanting to turn Christianity from a threat to his power into an asset, and “# less concerned about the rich on Wall Street and more concerned about the King of Kings” shows that it’s still working.
Let me help you understand what they are protesting. 1% of the US makes over two or three hundred thousand dollars a year. 99% of the US does not qualify for welfare to get help to pay for their cancer treatments because they make too much earning MINIMUM wage. I agree that we would all be better people if we could stop worrying about getting our fair share and focus more on giving away some of our blessings but the fact of the matter is, there are a whole lot of people out there who don’t have any blessings, much less anything to give away. I heard that some people were posting I am the 1%…but stand with the 99% photos so I typed it in the search engine and I thought yours was one. Unfortunately it was just the ramblings of someone on her high horse talking down on people who are protesting something she obviously doesn’t understand. It’s great that you are seeing the positive and finding yourself in the 1% of some great things. But you don’t need to act like these people’s protest is some stupid, senseless act. If no one complained and just took whatever they were served, we would be more of the zombie socialists that you are insinuating the protesters to be. Be happy that people still feel passionate about speaking out against the wrong and fighting for their rights. Be happy that while you are the part of the 1% of mothers that donate 10% of her earnings to charity, you are not part of the 99% of mothers who eat only 1 meal a day to ensure that her children can eat 3.
Dear Shocked,
First may I humbly point out that while you say that I am on “a high horse talking down to people” you are doing exactly what you accuse me of doing….calling me ignorant which is certainly putting yourself above me (on a high horse perhaps?) and talking down to me. (Your first sentance – “Let me help you understand” can also be said with a talking down attitude but I will not assume that is the way you meant it but rather that you really wanted me to understand.)
Secondly, your facts are not accurate.
+ Anywhere from 2-3% of Americans make $200,000 – $300,000 (the top 1% make $500,000+)
+84% of Americans do not qualify for welfare
+and your claim that “99% of mothers only eat 1 meal a day so that their children can eat 3” is preposterous. While I am sure there are some mothers in America who do this, thankfully it is a precious few. And your assumption that I am not one of them is interesting as well as incorrect because actually I have often sacrificed my own meals for my children.
All that said, your explanation to me of the protest seems to be exactly what I stated: they are protesting that others make more money and get more benefits than them. I do not begrudge them the right to protest (although I think camping out for weeks on end is really futile. If they want the large corporations to stop making money…then they should stop spending their money on their goods & services.) However I am not in agreement that protesting the amount of money someone else makes is a worthwhile protest. If you want to protest the amount of money you make fine, although I think the time would be better spent starting your own business or looking and preparing yourself for a better job. It is at best immature and at worse “whiney & bratty”. We can agree to disagree on this point.
Concerning some of your other points
1. “there are a whole lot of people out there who don’t have any blessings, much less anything to give away.”
I do not agree that there are a whole lot of people who have nothing to give away. I have sat in the WIC office (yes, I have) and seen the majority of the folks there with Iphones, computers, nice jewelry, designer jeans and tattoos. If you can afford any of those things, you can afford to give away something. (and even if they did not purchase these items themselves but were blessed to receive them from others…then they still can give away some of which they were blessed with)
2. “If no one complained and just took whatever they were served, we would be more of the zombie socialists that you are insinuating the protesters to be.”
Do you believe that people living under socialism do not complain? I beg to differ. I am sure there is lots of complaining, especially from those who work hard and get the same benefits of those who hardly work. Complaining or not complaining does not make you a socialist. Socialism is an economic system in which the means of production are commonly owned and controlled cooperatively. While this may sound good it would only work in a society with no laziness, no selfishness and no irresponsibility…I do not see the human race accomplishing this on earth.
And as a matter of fact what work we do here on earth will be rewarded accordingly in heaven. Of course the work God is talking about has more to do with the things that I talked about in my 1% than the work that OWS is talking about.
3. “Be happy that people still feel passionate about speaking out against the wrong and fighting for their rights”
Two things here.
One, I love passion and speaking out against wrongs. (Did you notice that I am part of the 1% that has been arrested for civil disobedience? Well it is because I was fighting against a moral wrong and fighting for the most basic right that any of us posess…the right to life.)
Two,what if I do not believe that they are fighting against a wrong? According to you it is all about not making more money and not having equal benefits. I do not believe that is wrong. There is nothing wrong with making money or having benefits. There is nothing wrong either with making tons of money and having great benefits. The nice thing in America is that you get to choose. (Now if you had shared that the purpose was to fight the unholy alliance between government and big corporations then I could agree with that…although that battle could be fought through the ballot box.)
Lastly I want to share with you that we (my husband and I) have chosen to work in a job that has kept us “below poverty level” for most of our married lives. (doesn’t sound like I am on a very “high horse” now does it?) And yet all our needs are met and we are fulfilled and happy. I also know that I can choose to make more money in another field or by starting my own business (which you can do easily from home on a shoestring budget if you are willing to work hard)
I also think you missed the main point of my blog post which was to inspire people to concentrate on the most important things on life like being more focused on teaching & training your precious children than on things like TV, realizing that all children are a gift from God, giving away your “things” to help others and storing up your treasures in heaven. It really had precious little to do with the protests currently going on other than using that current event as a jumping block to help inspire and motivate others to live purposeful lives.
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