photo credit: Martinho
Motivational Business Speakers Reaction
As I’m watching the evening TV news about how a handful of protesters from the Occupy Protest thing in Toronto are barricading themselves in order to stay put despite eviction notices now. They say that they won’t leave the site of St James Park in Toronto until the police actually come and arrest them.
This of course reminds me of the G20 and Vancouver hockey riots. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these protesters of Occupy Toronto also participated in the G20 riots last year also here in Toronto. It’s the lack of emotional intelligence that will get these people in trouble – see my post about emotional intelligence and the Vancouver riots.
Occupy Protests Not Effective Solution
I totally understand the main frustrations behind the Occupy protests where there is much inequality between the rich and poor created by large companies. This is a business economic issue and have to be solved by people who are well versed in this area. Having protesters who resort to the activities that they do in the Occupy movement will not result in solutions. They haven’t even offered any real solutions so their voices will not be taken seriously by large companies.
If the Occupy protests were able to get some people who were successful at breaking out of the inequalities on their own or credible business speakers, they could have been much better spokespeople and role models than the current unknown names who currently speak on behalf of any of the Occupy protests in North America.
The fact that the protesters are willing to spend days and days camping out in some park rather than working hard at their own businesses or jobs to create income says a lot to me. It makes me wonder if these folks would even be willing to do any real work if job opportunities or small business aid were made available to them in the first place.
As for the die hard protesters who prefer to get arrested rather than voluntarily leave the sites, do they even think about what criminal records would do to their employability? Perhaps they don’t really care about being employed anyway.
I can picture some of these protesters retreating back to the parents’ basements until the next opportunity to participate at another protest. These ‘professional’ protesters won’t really be volunteering any real solutions to whatever the causes of any future protests are whether another Occupy campaign or G20.
My own reaction to the inequality claimed by the Occupy protesters is that yes, this is a real issue. However, I for one would NOT want my financial welfare and future to be determined by large companies. I would much rather take such matters into my own hands rather than rely on corporations.
As a motivational business speaker, I would choose to learn more about personal finance, business and entrepreneurship so that I create my own financial future. I don’t need large companies to do that for me.
It’s much more productive in my mind to forge ahead to build my own businesses and invest wisely rather than spend time camping in some park and pissing off locals, some who are folks trying to run their own small businesses.
What’s your view on this Occupy protest campaign? Feel free to voice your comments below.
Yeah Clint, these people need to be intelligent about how they protest before they lose total empathy and support.It is time they moved to a different strategy.
We should be careful not to assume that all these protestors do not work and are on the system. There are good ones among them and are really fighting for a better world.I think some have run into some bad luck in spite of having an education. I know a lot of university educated people making just enough to survive.
I terms of investing wisely, ordinary salt of the earth type of people can’t win. Who has not seen their investment shrink big time in spite of investing wisely and paying someone for advise? what have these people done to deserve this? only to see the way the system is set up so the upper crust get to profit big time.
Like most people, my own investments (RSPs) have decreased in value over the years so in effect, I’ve also become ‘poorer’ as well. But that didn’t stop me from researching further in how I can secure my own financial future. That’s why I’ve moved into real estate 🙂
I agree with your opinion completely, Clint. Especially about these protesters probably wouldn’t do an honest day of work if the opportunity was available.
Instead of casting blame on the institutions, they should look inward and ask themselves if they’ve applied efforts in investing their capabilities (education/skills) and being productive members of the society. But too often it is easier to complain than it is to resolve issues from hard work.
Thanks for sharing.
There was one guy on TV last night in particular who was verbally threatening the police. He was certainly not employable in my opinion, nor did it seemed like he wanted to be.
Please look beyond these punks among these protesters that get the media attention. Socially conscious protesters do not get the attention of the press.
Please watch this.This is part of the problem
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388130n&tag=re1.channel
What’s the solution bring proposed by the Occupy movement? Does anybody know? That’s the theme of most of the satirical political cartoons around the Occupy movement – they have not brought any solutions to the attention of the public.
There is a lot of corruption in the world leading to vast inequalities socially and economically. The mass need to expose them and pressure the government to make laws, policy changes etc (and the government can). Maybe they should have been at the doorsteps of the politicians instead of inconveniencing the 99%, that include local businesses who are trying to run a legit business.
I think the “MOVE’ is still in its infancy. It is too bad that we remember the move by vandalism, violence, riots. They need to remove the trouble makers. The move has got to have made the world take notice of the greed, and some of what plague the world today.
Certainly agree with corruption around the world. As far as Canada is concerned, I really can’t think of what local laws or policies to change. We all want lower taxes but I totally understand the need to cut services in order to do this – so which services do we cut? I couldn’t even start. That’s why I would rather not play politician and take action steps to secure my future without having to depend on anybody or any government or company.
Hope you feel better soon. I think you are right on the money about Occupy. Good job on speaking out.
Thanks Kory!
For sure, each need to look after one’s own economic future but we do not live in isolation. Most of us are so busy doing this that we do not have time to protest.
I am no economist but I believe the deficit at home could be vastly reduced if the super rich pay more taxes. These billionaires did not get wealthy in isolation, they need to give back to the community that they made their wealthy from. It is much easier for the politicians to put the deficit on the backs of the working and middle class. Anyways, signing off as this is too distracting.
It’s a pity they are not covered by the corporate controlled media very fairly. One of the major gripes is against major wall street corruption and fraud which is simply not being regulated by government. Our governments around the world have become puppets to the paymasters – big business run by rampant capitalists with little or no regulation. The myth that Americans (and Canadians) cling to is that capitalism is morally good and correct. They also believe wrongly that it is self regulating and therefore should simply be left alone and not ‘messed with’ by government. Capitalism in it’s extreme as practised currently treats everything as a commodity to be exploited for profit. So people, the environment etc are just resources to be used up for as long as they are useful and then discarded. Now you have the case where speculators have sold and resold ‘debt’ as if it is an asset to where they have bankrupted the American economy – gambling essentially with other peoples money on things that are meaningless to most people – betting on whether shares will go up or down and by how much, buying and trading currencies as if they are actually worth something. When the whole house of cards they created comes crashing down what happens – the taxpayer has to bail them out to the tune of billions and bilions….. and has anything changed – new regulations? prosecutions? accountability? The answer is nothing – for the banks and speculators it’s back to business as usual – this time with your money. They haven’t used it to save small businesses or help people not lose their houses or any of that it’s simply carry on as before. These people are actually just you and I with a little of the wool removed. For someone who claims to be into EQ you’re actually pretty retarded about this issue Clint.
Totally agree with you Clint.
Here in the UK the British version of “Occupy” have been camped out in front of St Paul’s Cathedral (the nearest site they could find near the financial district) in London for months.
Thermal imaging shows that most of the tents are empty during the night!
The “protest” had badly affected the running and services of one of the most important religious buildings in the world.
The people involved are “professional” protesters.
They have cynically played on the Christian kindness of the Cathedral’s clergy.
They know how to play the legal system to drag things out.
They know how to milk the UK’s generous benefits system for every penny they can get.
They know their rights but are not interested in the their responsibilities or the consequences of their actions.