Who Made This Mess?: David S. Meyer Follows the Blame Trail

While it seems safe to say that every person in the United States has been hurt in some way  by the current economic situation, there is plenty of diversity in our approach to economic problems. Sociologist David S. Meyer looks at the Occupy movement and the reactions to it through the lens of blame assignment. This article was posted on October 20, 2011, on the blog Politics Outdoors, which covers protests and demonstrations of all types.

Read it here: Meyer, "Occupy and the politics of blame"

1. Meyer’s summary of the Occupy movement’s argument (at the time of the post in mid-October) is that “the economy and government work for only a small percentage of Americans, and that things could be different.” Is his summary reasonably accurate? Why or why not?
2. Meyer asserts that while some of the individual stories on the We Are the 99% website could be dismissed as foolish or selfish, the cumulative impact of the narratives is very powerful. Do you agree with Meyer’s assertion? Why or why not?
3. Rather than overtly support any particular position in the 99% or 53% polemic, Meyer analyzes each of the movements in terms of where they place blame, and many of the stories on both sites have similar themes of personal struggles through hardship. Look through the first few narratives on each site. In what ways they are different? In what ways similar? Can you determine where each site generally lays the blame? If not, why not?
4. According to Meyer, “deciding whom to blame is a key task of all politics.” Do you agree with Meyer that  assigning blame is what the 99% and 53% websites are doing? Do you agree that the 99% site blames “upward,” while the 53% site blames “downward”? Write an essay using Meyer’s argument as your “they say,” and argue for your interpretation of how each of the sites generally assigns blame.

 

Comments

[Dan Fineman]

Almost every element of the first sentence is so bad as to be objectionable: "While it seems safe to say that every person in the United States has been hurt in some way by the current economic situation, there is plenty of diversity in our perspectives and in our approach to economic problems." What do we discover here? Wasted subject and verb. Cliche. Unfounded and untrue assertion. Vague scope. A topic to big for an army. What does it say that this should be the example on a writing site?

[Brick]

"A topic TO big for an army"? Really, Dan? Perhaps you should first remove the plank from your own eye...

[Marshall Cook]

Life was not meant to be easy. In the United States people like to think they have a chance to succeed and live a good life through hard work and dedication as why James Adams quoted this country as the “land of opportunity.” The “American Dream” as some would call it has had the same meaning for many years and like time, it should change and move on because the meaning it had fifty years ago should and frankly does not apply to the same standards of today. The dream that someone can arrive to a different country, work hard and become rich is just not possible. America has become a country full of hopeful immigrants only for said immigrants to be struck by the reality that life is harder than they thought. The whole idea that “I’m the 99%” is quite laughable. These impoverished groups of people stating they cannot pay their bills or afford insurance or that their children are starving is sad, but really, who is to blame for their sad stories? Did they live responsible or reckless? Did they study with ambition to succeed or skate though school to party and get a “real job?” See, this world we call Earth has become so over-populated and many people are now entering the United States demanding a life of universal healthcare, elite benefits and grand paying jobs. But when has this country ever been based on those expectations? I will tell you, never. Those said expectations come from the dreams of the poor and the misconceptions of the general mindsets from people of other countries. Our government was not formed off of a trickle-down system where we are taxed absurd amounts in order to help the masses. We live in world where most think everything should be given to us. I will say this if I come to a point in my life where I cannot afford to have a good time and have to work and study just to survive, I am not going to blame others, rather I will stay focused and strive for a better life. I do not want the American Dream. I want the reality of an American life.

[Alejandra B.Martinez]

I agree with Marshall Cook, when he states that “life was not meant to be easy,” but I think there are some points where people are not to blame completely. Since the economy when down there has been a big amount of people who have lost their jobs and I think that is who Occupy was campaigning for. There have been many stories of people who have lost everything, while the rich are still living in luxury. I however, do not agree when Marshall Cook states, “many people are now entering the United States demanding a life of universal healthcare, elite benefits and grand paying jobs.” I do not think that is exactly what people come into America expecting. The people that do come into America, probably come form countries in which their economy is far off worse than it is here. I am sure many immigrants come into the U.S. knowing that they might find a luxurious job, maybe it will not pay that great, but they expect to be able to make an “okay” living, or a better living than what they were making in their country of origin. Many of these people do not come in demanding that they are given “universal healthcare” benefits either. In reality, many people do come in to America expecting to be better off than they were in their country of origin. If people already had “universal healthcare” in their country of origin, or had “elite benefits and grand paying jobs,” they would not come to America to find a better way of life. I do not think those “expectations come form the dreams of the poor and the misconceptions of the general mindsets form people in other countries.” I think those misconceptions have been established even with people who are “natives” of the United States. I also do not agree when he states, “These impoverished groups of people stating they cannot pay their bills or afford insurance or that their children are starving is sad, but really, who is to blame for their sad stories? Did they live responsible or reckless? Did they study with ambition to succeed or skate through school to party and get a “real job?” Ever since the economy started crashing down many have lost their jobs. As it is stated in the article, “The Majority of the Unemployed Went to College,” by Dr. Bonnie Snyder, 57% of the unemployed has attended college. Many of the poor who do not have health insurance for their children or are not able to pay for their bills right now did not live their lives “recklessly” or “party through school,” they indeed live life in a responsible way. That is not to say all the poor went to college, but a good percentage of them did, and they are still suffering. In the end, I think those are the people that Occupy is standing up for, the college graduates who cannot find a job.

[Alejandra B.Martinez]

I do not agree with Marshall Cook, when he states that “life was not meant to be easy,” but I think there are some points where people are not to blame completely. Since the economy when down there has been a big amount of people who have lost their jobs and I think that is who Occupy was campaigning for. There have been many stories of people who have lost everything, while the rich are still living in luxury. I however, do not agree when Marshall Cook states, “many people are now entering the United States demanding a life of universal healthcare, elite benefits and grand paying jobs.” I do not think that is exactly what people come into America expecting. The people that do come into America, probably come form countries in which their economy is far off worse than it is here. I am sure many immigrants come into the U.S. knowing that they might find a luxurious job, maybe it will not pay that great, but they expect to be able to make an “okay” living, or a better living than what they were making in their country of origin. Many of these people do not come in demanding that they are given “universal healthcare” benefits either. In reality, many people do come in to America expecting to be better off than they were in their country of origin. If people already had “universal healthcare” in their country of origin, or had “elite benefits and grand paying jobs,” they would not come to America to find a better way of life. I do not think those “expectations come form the dreams of the poor and the misconceptions of the general mindsets form people in other countries.” I think those misconceptions have been established even with people who are “natives” of the United States. I also do not agree when he states, “These impoverished groups of people stating they cannot pay their bills or afford insurance or that their children are starving is sad, but really, who is to blame for their sad stories? Did they live responsible or reckless? Did they study with ambition to succeed or skate through school to party and get a “real job?” Ever since the economy started crashing down many have lost their jobs. As it is stated in the article, “The Majority of the Unemployed Went to College,” by Dr. Bonnie Snyder, 57% of the unemployed has attended college. Many of the poor who do not have health insurance for their children or are not able to pay for their bills right now did not live their lives “recklessly” or “party through school,” they indeed live life in a responsible way. That is not to say all the poor went to college, but a good percentage of them did, and they are still suffering. In the end, I think those are the people that Occupy is standing up for, the college graduates who cannot find a job.

[Andrea Duenas]

David Meyer does not take a side on this topic which I like because he is letting us form our own opinion. As I went through the sites of the 99% and the 53% I struck me that many people like to complain about their lives and how they are so bad. Many people around the world are thinking where their next meal is going to be and how their children are going to get warm clothes to survive in this weather and where are they going to live next. Many people try there hardest to survive and still cannot catch a break. Meyers is presenting the fact that our government looks out for only 1% of the population while the other 99% suffers. Although in the mist of all the bad that is going on I am happy that our government is moving forward to have the wealthy pay more on their taxes. It is not fair that people that make more money a year do not pay as high taxes than a person who does not make as much a year but there are many who oppose this. In the category where they are talking about the 53%, many of those people are blaming people who are less fortunate than them. They think the less fortunate are not trying but in reality they are running out of sources. Personally, reading the stories on the websites in the article made me sad to think that people are suffering around the world. These people need help and they seek help from the government and some of these people are rejected and sent away because they are told they cannot be helped. Meyers makes a point that many people have opinions that the people on the websites are the ones to blame for the healthcare crisis because they are on lifting their weight around and waiting for someone to do it for them.

[Nino Gonzalez]

In the article, "Occupy and the Politics of Blame" David Meyer continues the argument on blaming Wall Street for focusing too much on the 1% instead of the rest of America. For example Meyers states, "Don’t expect opponents to give up, however. Look for new campaigns to discredit the Occupiers as lazy, violent, privileged, ignorant–or so many other attempts." Here he is saying that the people who support Wall Street are going to come up with an excuse as to why the protestors are wrong. All Meyers is doing here is attacking Wall Street and being a part of the latest movement and it is really annoying. People like Meyer need to start understanding that the "1%" are the people who run this country. It is either learn to accept it, or simply leave. This country has been, and always be, a survival of the fittest country. The majority of people who support the occupy Wall Street movement are people who want more money for themselves because they wasted their money earlier in life. The rich work hard for what they have. They have their priorities straight and know how to manage their time. The rest of people rather party and waste their money on alcohol while the rich stay at home and work. It is their fault they are poor and they are just looking for somebody to blame. They want big brother to bail them out of their mistakes and the country cannot afford to do that. The country is in huge debt and mainly because liberals want to create equality for all and turn this country into a communist one. If a person works hard, they will have a payoff. People like Meyer are simply telling people it is okay to blame others instead of taking responsibility. No matter what people try to do, Wall Street will always be Wall Street.