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Some thoughts from my friend Nate James who is not only bright, articulate, and introspective but also a very fine drummer in my brother's band New York Rifles :
I survived today. I looked in the face of the Devil and made it back in one piece. And the thing I realized working a 12 hour shift on Black Friday at Best Buy is the whole 99% thing is quantified all wrong. Yes, there is a measurable displacement of wealth, but really the root of all the problems is the greed behind it. I saw a lot of 99%ers with a ten mile stare, ready to feed on outsourced electronics, with no regard for the people around them and a downright nasty disposition. And Best Buy supplies the fuel for the greed. It's a dark synergy that puts us in this wealth struggle. But there is no way to discern the greedy(be it for a private jet or a cheap TV) from the people who are free of the burden to measure their lives in dollars. The real ratio is more like 99% people with no interest in community or quality of living to 1% of people who who are content, no matter the amount of money they possess. And let's face it humans are pretty much 100% assholes anyway. We're built to feed on what's lower in the food chain. I witnessed several people in my own tax bracket(which I think is the 2nd bracket you can even be in) act as shameful and vile as the "1%" richest people. And here's my fictional solution, and I say fictional, because this will NEVER happen. All it takes are a few organizations(business, political, protesters, revolters, etc.) to truly put their foot down and say "I will do something different to better my community and promote equality and fairness." Open letter to retail stores for future Black Fridays: Keep normal hours, compensate your employees for the extra work(and free caffeine gum doesn't count), make the sale items a lottery so everyone gets a shot, not just the greediest, and in general make an effort to lead by example. To effectively say "We can still be successful and have a higher quality experience for everyone involved. A well planned capitalist venture doesn't have to be a hate filled blood orgy. Enjoy your Thanksgiving. And come enjoy a civilized and exciting shopping experience." Or words to that effect.
