“Sociologists say that those who’ve managed to pull themselves up by their bootstraps often want to see others do the same.”
Today marks the second month “anniversary” of Occupy Wall Street. Like a lot of people, I’ve been trying to wrap my arms around this movement, seeing it as both a nuisance/waste of time/resources as well as the purest form of democracy in action. Frankly, it’s not surprising that the movement isn’t going away. Despite police forcing camps and groups all around the country to “move along,” people have grabbed hold of rallying and protesting against the “Fat Cats” and aren’t letting go.
What does surprise me is how long it took for people to demonstrate in public their anger at a system they perceive is tremendously unfair. The crash happened more than three years ago, and our economy has been in the tank since. With the statistics about the 1% vs. the 99% being bandied about like a beach ball in the stands at a college football game, people are more aware than ever of how they stack up financially against others. And they aren’t happy.
With unemployment rates still high, wages down or stagnant, and the constant media reminders that most of us aren’t doing as well as we once were, it isn’t surprising that so many people in this country are angry. People who are working are working harder for less, and while many are grateful to have jobs that keep roofs over their heads and food on the table, just as many wonder if the upward mobility they believed was a birthright as an American is still there.
Given the current economic climate, is it possible to hunker down and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps?
I think many of the Occupiers would answer no to this question. At the root of the Occupy movement, I believe, is a deep-seated fear that the ability to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps is gone for good, that things have shifted so fundamentally in the class structure of our society that the metaphor no longer applies.
I, on the other hand, believe that the idea not only still works in today’s economy, but has more power than ever. As a single mom and an entrepreneur, I can relate to the struggle many people are going through to climb out of economic turmoil. Building wealth is NOT easy, but it never has been. With the shifts going on right now in technology, health, energy, and education, to name a few, there are so many incredible opportunities to create new paths toward the future, it’s practically mind boggling. You just have to be willing to take a risk and see things differently, then run with something.
That’s the part of this whole Occupy movement that rubs me the wrong way. The majority of the 1% — anyone earning $380,354 and above annually according to the Wall Street Journal — saw opportunity, took a risk, and are now self-made. These folks worked hard, planned well, failed along the way, and pulled themselves up as they plowed ahead. You will find that same story played out again and again for just about every captain and diva of industry we have today, everyone from Warren Buffett to Oprah Winfrey.
A recent tweet from a one percenter points to the ingrained belief surrounding the bootstrap metaphor:
“A protester sees my Benz, and wants to rip me out of it. A real man sees my car, and wants to work hard so he can buy it one day.”
I couldn’t help thinking when I saw my first news story about protesters in New York, “Why aren’t these people at home working on something that can change their lives, like building a business or creating a product to sell?” Two months later, I feel the movement has gone on long enough and it’s time for protesters to channel their protesting energy into endeavors that will fix the problems they are protesting about. The irony is the drain they are causing on public resources is actually doing more harm to their cause than not. The public is tired of them.
Fear fuels anger, which eventually transforms into despair, apathy, and/or hopelessness. The last word on this list carries the heaviest weight. To lose hope of ever rising out of economic challenges is the ultimate defeat. To look around at a world you once believed offered possibility and now see none must feel overwhelming. To be faced with the notion that no matter how hard you work, you will never be able to pull yourself up by your bootstraps has to feel akin to having the wind knocked out of you.
But even fighters in the ring eventually pull themselves up, admit defeat, go home, and regroup. This match is over. The point has been made. We know you are mad. Now is the time to take all that energy and turn it into something that will help the economy move ahead. As Dan Kennedy, one of my favorite business teachers, says:
“There is always something you can do. There is always SOMETHING you can do. There is always something YOU can do.”
What are you doing to pull yourself up by your bootstraps in today’s economy?
