George went down to the local Occupation camp the other day. You have to understand, George doesn’t live in a big city. George lives in what people in big cities hardly would consider a city at all. But his hometown is a state capital and as such has an Occupation going on.
Now George’s mayor pulled a smart move when the Occupation first began. George’s mayor welcomed the Occupation with open arms and even provided park space where they could camp and not be hassled by the local gendarmes. George’s mayor said he agreed with the objectives of the Occupation movement and all seemed to be well with the world.
Well, it turns out the park where the Occupation planted its stakes is almost too nice. Everybody put up their tents and marched around for a couple of weeks and now the Occupation in George’s city is where it is.
The Occupation in George’s city is pretty much out of sight and out of mind. By parking the Occupation camp where he parked the Occupation camp, George’s mayor guaranteed that most of the people in his city wouldn’t be subjected to any aggravation by the Occupation. The folks who now live in the Occupation camp, among a whole bunch of empty tents, are trying to maintain while not being a nuisance to the citizens of George’s city.
Location. Location. Location.
Would Occupy Wall Street have worked as well as it has if it had been Occupy Staten Island? For those of you not familiar with the geography of New York City, Wall Street is the heart of the financial world and Staten Island has been referred to by many as a sleepy suburb. Now they’re both New York City but if Occupation Wall Street had been Occupation Staten Island, you wouldn’t be reading this and this wouldn’t have been written.
The Occupation in George’s city is now located in what could best be called a sleepy suburb. Out of sight, out of mind.
George’s city used to be a manufacturing city. That was where the money was. But that work is mostly gone now. Now George’s city is has two large employers. The State and a State University. Now the State capital, close to where George’s Occupation camp now is, employs a lot of people making good but not Wall Street money. Strangely enough, the State University employs a number of people making Wall Street numbers of over half a million dollars a year. (Which is odd because they all sort of work for the governor of the State who is paid a whole lot less than that.)
Plus there are all the students who might join the Occupation if the Occupation weren’t in the middle of what might as well be a sleepy suburb.
George is going to mention that his local Occupation should stop occupying the sleepy suburb and start occupying the State University because George thinks that’s where they should have been to start.
Occupy where the money is.
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