My conversation with a Nashville OWS protestor

reply to post by apacheman


Allow me to reveal a few aspects of myself which I think you will find relevant to your post.

In 2006 I was a Realtor in Florida. When the housing market crash hit it hit Florida and California first. I ended up leaving my career in real estate over the housing market situation. Not only did I leave my career I ended up leaving Florida as well and moving back in with my parents in rural north Georgia. It took almost two years before I was able to secure a job that allowed me to regain a lifestyle that I truly enjoy having again.

I did what I had to do to survive the recession. I gave up career plans, changed my home, and worked menial and humiliating jobs in order to try to get bak some of what I had. Thats what I did to endure the recession. I also learned from the recession. I share a living space now instead of having my own, I cut coupons and cook mostly at home to save on food expense, and I no longer feel compelled to have the latest and greatest of this and that. I drive a car that is paid off and work about 50 hours a week now in order to continue to dig out from credit card debt that I acquired before the recession.

See thats what I did regarding the recession; I stumbled, I regrouped, and reformatted my life/ I didn't ask for a hand out I used my open hand to seize opportunities as they passed me. I work in sales now again and am making a little over 40K a year doing it. I make pure commission and succeed at the level I do by always working to help my customers find a solution that most efficiently and economically meets their needs.

As for that whole the generation before me would say college is a waste of time let me say this. I wouldn't have had to go out and build a farm I grew up on one. My parents (the generation before me) would have nothing of my staying in that rural environment and continuing what they had started; well that is to say they would have nothing of it until I had went to college. It was their insistence that led me to go to college; and it was their determination to see me value what I achieve that the extent of their help was to allow me to live at home while I went to college so as to incur no housing expenses.

And as for what I didn't do. I didn't throw blame around. I am responsible for the circumstances I find myself in and I am responsible for if they change or not. There is no one to blame but me.

reply to post by links234


There are ways to get out of paying college loans. They may require civil service or social work but they exist.

To be honest my college education has served me so far as to say "yes I have a degree" but other than that its not really done all that much for me. I don't want to seem like I'm championing attending college. For a lot of people tech schools or just occupational training can be just as lucrative as a college degree.

reply to post by bussoboy


They do not have to be cogs. Nothing says you have to work for a large corporation. Anyone can start their own business and if they are adept at managing that business they can succeed.

reply to post by The Old American


As you can see you were correct. I have a feeling that had I audio recorded and video taped the event I would be accused of faking that evidence. I struck up a conversation with a group of people and recanted that conversation here. Its not uncommon for people to have conversations so I'm not sure why I'm being accused of lying or dishonesty of any sort.

Thanks for the support though.

reply to post by GogoVicMorrow


May I ask what are your criteria that would judge me to be honest in my retelling of this conversation?

I have been honest and as accurate as I can recall regarding the conversation I had. I can see this statement is in no way enough for you so please tell me what would be sufficient to warrant your posts to be about the conversation that was had and not if the conversation was had.

reply to post by Dilligaf28


So does that make you greedy,too?

Your story is good, hard work, self-reliance and all that, but you failed to address any of my points save the last.

Conditions have changed since you went to college.

College costs far more, and jobs pay far less, accounting for inflation. Doing things as you did isn't possible today.

What do you sell?

Do the people you sell to actually need the product you sell, or do you convince them that they need it?

I've worked sales myself, and talked people out buying some of the things I sold because it would have been a waste of their money. It may have cost me some commissions, but at least I could live with myself. Most "good" salespeople thought I was nuts because they didn't care what they sold to whom, or whether the person needed or could use it, just that they sold a lot. Parasites, most of them.

So do you care more about the customer or the sale?

If you care more about the sale, then you, too, are greedy and a parasite.

If not, then you are a rarity, and I commend you.

Originally posted by Puppet27Master
I wouldn't necessarily call what they are doing as greed. The cause for higher tuition rates is inflation,

Sorry; I disagree:
Simple economics of price elasticity:
IMHO the rise in tuition is directly due to colleges vacuuming up the increase in too-readily available student funding (loans and grants for B.A.'s in underwater basket weaving or "woman's studies"...).If working people had to pay out of pocket $40 grand/year intuition how many seats would be filled?(few ; hence the prices would necessarily fall like Susan Sarandon's bustline.

Originally posted by Puppet27Master
which in turn is caused by the printing of more fiat currency by the FED. I've been through these types of conversations a million times and the only conclusion I have ever come to is that the root of the problem is caused by the debt instilled onto the citizens by the centralized banking cartel. 'They' are the main reason for our outstanding costs of pretty much everything as you may have seen with groceries, fuel and simply the cost of living. I don't blame people for being upset about this, however I disagree with the "give me give me" attitude that some of the OWS does represent. And, I'm sure that you are wondering and yes, I am a hardcore Ron Paul supporter. The FED needs to be obliterated along with the IRS. They are both uncostitutional and they both rape the very morals and values for which this country was founded upon.

edit on 5-11-2011 by Puppet27Master because: (no reason given)

Originally posted by apacheman
reply to post by Dilligaf28

 

So does that make you greedy,too?

Your story is good, hard work, self-reliance and all that, but you failed to address any of my points save the last.

Conditions have changed since you went to college.

College costs far more, and jobs pay far less, accounting for inflation. Doing things as you did isn't possible today.

What do you sell?

Do the people you sell to actually need the product you sell, or do you convince them that they need it?

I've worked sales myself, and talked people out buying some of the things I sold because it would have been a waste of their money. It may have cost me some commissions, but at least I could live with myself. Most "good" salespeople thought I was nuts because they didn't care what they sold to whom, or whether the person needed or could use it, just that they sold a lot. Parasites, most of them.

So do you care more about the customer or the sale?

If you care more about the sale, then you, too, are greedy and a parasite.

If not, then you are a rarity, and I commend you.

I thought I addressed most of your post. I spoke about the previous generation just as you did and I spoke about what I did to cope with the impact the recession had upon me. I noticed that in your reply you did not offer much more than a dismissing comment about those responses. I will grant you that I did not address your statements about things being radically different from when I went to college; but that does not mean that I did not address the majority of your post nor does it give you the right to ignore the responses I offered.

The conditions I went to school under have not changed enough in the past ten years to make it impossible for students to repeat what I did regarding funding my college education.

The bank is not being greedy by charging interest. The student goes to the bank and asks for a loan so the bank offers the loan with interest so the bank can profit from the transaction. Banks are corporations they are not non profit charities. The student is not forced to get the loan and the bank is not forced to give the loan. The two enter into a contract together will full prior knowledge of what the contract entails including interest. The student chooses to take that loan in order to get a higher education. The student's predominant motivation is to earn more money just as the bank's predominant motivation is to operate a profitable institution; does that make them greedy?

I also have already said that I work to meet my customer's needs with their best interest in mind. I don't see why I should have to repeat it to address your doubt. I am sincere and honest in my statement of what motivates me at work. As for what I sell it is irrelevant to the conversation.