The other day these guys were protesting on the sidewalk between my office and the courthouse. I thought they were just a regular #Occupy protest, and most of them looked the part. (Yes, how you dress matters, hippies. If you want to be taken seriously, shower, shave, take the fishing tackle out of your face, pull the masks down, and don’t otherwise dress like a hipster clown.) Apparently, though, the protests in this particular case were sparked by a woman who was frustrated with the bank after they wouldn’t work with her on a loan modification on a loan on a second house, although it DID turn into an “official” #Occupy Reno event.
(The most interesting thing about that RGJ article is how unsympathetic the commenters are to the woman.)
I couldn’t resist, so I asked them if they were demanding more or less government. One woman (one of the few who WASN’T dressed like a hipster clown) said, “Well, I want less.” Good for her.
Everyone else hedged, and said, “Weeeeellll, it’s not about whether you want more or less government. We want BETTER government.” I said (paraphrased for the sake of me sounding more awesome than I probably was), “You understand that more government leads to more opportunity to be corrupt, right?” “It’s not about more or less government – it’s about BETTER government!” “Yeah, but you understand the more intrusive government is, the more likely it is to be corrupt, don’t you?” “You’re not asking the right questions!” I just laughed and walked away, while one of them followed me for a few dozen yards trying to underscore why my focus on limited government missed the point.
Some of them were wearing masks. You have to ask – if you’re just a group of people upset at a bad home loan, why do you dress like banditos? It is a threat of some kind? Since they #Occupy movement is all about taking other people’s stuff, it really does make a sort of sense.
I didn’t ask what actual good they thought they’d get out of waiving a few signs for an hour in the middle of the work day, but that’s because I already knew the answer.
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I will admit, though, that they were polite and non-violent, which our local #Occupy group has been since the beginning. That’s in sharp contrast to the murder/rape/theft fest that’s helped define their brethren. Good for them. I don’t agree with them, but I’m happy they’re out there articulating their message and being honest about what liberalism is all about.
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In the end, though, I admit I learned something very important from these guys. I learned I need to upgrade my frickin’ phone so I have better photo/video capabilities when such a beautiful blogging opportunity presents itself! The signs alone were priceless…
