The
purpose of this letter is to put a face to the ones who are often so hated by
much of the populace (the now-defunct Occupy Wall Street movement epitomized
this attitude) for being wealthy, “The One Percent” as they are called. In particular, they are the ones that have an
approximate income of over 500,000 dollars per year. The resentment, wherever it stems from is
beyond the scope of this piece. To that
end, I have written a story conflated from the anecdotes of four individuals
with whom I am acquainted in real life to various degrees. All the stories are
true.
Dear Occupy Wall
Street,
Let me begin by posing a question: if someone were
to make an unkind generalization about a certain group of people, what would
you call it? What is the word for hating
individuals based on some aspect of them?
It would be called prejudice, ageism, sexism, racism, etc. These things are all highly frowned upon in
the modern world and yet one group remains that is fashionably hated by you and
in popular culture. “Income-bracket-ism”
doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as the others, but the same mean spirit
pervades them all. So why do you hate
the most wealthy of America, the “One Percent” as you call us? Is it from jealousy? Does it seem to be unfair? Is it because if your minds, we are the ones
that “steal” money from the hard working people like you? Let me ask you a question: have you ever
thought that we may deserve the paychecks we receive? After all, shouldn’t a person be compensated
for the value they create in the economy?
A factory worker and an investment banker both do work that makes the
world better off. It is different work,
but they both add value and so deserve their compensation.
But you reply: why the huge gap between what I earn
and what the average American earns?
What did I do to deserve so much more?
Well it turns out that I do a lot more work than the average
American. Have you heard of the hundred-hour
work week? That’s my life as an
investment banker. Do you think I go
home at 5 to my wife, kids, and dog? No! Work takes the vast majority of my time. Perhaps you ask, “What kind of life is that
with so much work?” I sense a tone of
judgment but respond that you have no right to judge my lifestyle any more than
I do yours. Though, to be fair, I will
only be doing this for a few years because I have other plans for the
future. Further, you should know that I don’t
do it for the money. As one wise man
said, “my paycheck is seeing my ideas implemented!” Everyone knows that money doesn’t buy happiness
but they live like it does. The truth is:
I work for the thrill of the hunt and a love of the game. The job itself, “seeing my ideas implemented”
gives far more satisfaction than a fat paycheck.
I also want to let you Occupiers know that you don’t
get your way just by complaining and whining about it. I learned this lesson at a very young age
when my parents didn’t just hand me everything I wanted. Here’s the secret to actually getting something:
you have to work for it. Another lesson I
learned: if you don’t grind, you don’t shine.
Ask anyone who makes six figures how they got there. They won’t say it was handed to them and it certainly
wasn’t handed to me. In college, when my
peers would get drunk and high, I studied.
When they wasted their time on whatever it is that college kids waste
their time on, I studied. During the
summers, I worked. I worked in a
recycling warehouse forty hours a week and was subjected to terrible verbal
abuse. With the money I made, I saved
and invested when my co-workers blew their paychecks on second Xboxes…despite
sometimes being on welfare. When the
burden of that life seemed too much to bear, I remembered that it was only
temporary and that it was simply part of the grind before the inevitable
shine. In another job, I was promoted
before people who had more experience and knowledge than me for one reason: I worked
harder than the rest. Experience is just
a matter of time and knowledge can be gained, but a strong work ethic comes
from within and can only be taught to oneself.
I do not tell you this to boast, but because I want you to know that
diligence is rewarded.
A common complaint, a stereotype, is that the “One
Percent” are corrupt crooks that prey on everyone else’s money. Well it isn’t unfounded because that has certainly
happened. But I wish to remind you that
any other person might do the same thing if given the opportunities that my
peers were. After all, don’t you know
poor people that are also inclined to unkindness? Do you know people who are wealthy but kind
and generous? Do you know poor people
that are kind and generous? Income is a
terrible judge of a person. All that income
tells you about someone is how much money they make. Furthermore, people have identities outside
of their work! Who I am is not tied to
what I do. I get far more satisfaction
from and find meaning in giving of myself for the betterment of others. I use my business experience to go to the
Third World and teach people how to start and manage their own businesses. I provide them with loans to buy equipment,
amounts too great to be filled by microloans but that banks will not provide
because the recipients do not qualify for them.
Again, I don’t tell you this to brag because I’m sure that many people
do what I do, as would many more if they had the opportunity. But as it stands, everyone does their piece
for humanity according to their means and their contributions are all
valuable. In light of this, I ask that
you give up your hatred for me and my peers and direct your energies to more
constructive ends.
Sincerely,
a person just like you
You know he made Microsoft, but he does other things too.
