Does everyone have a right to protest? 

Absolutely.

But these people can’t tell us specifically what has gotten their panties in a wad.

“The man” has been keeping us down.  There is no middle class.  Wall Street is full of frauds stealing our money.

All of that is repeated by liberal pundits everywhere.

Shouldn’t these folks also be protesting in Washington?  Oh, that’s right - they elected them in specifically to push Socialism.

Oh, and they hate that word, “Socialism.” 

What’s that saying?  Something about it being fun and games, ‘til you run OUT of other people’s money?

Something about all of this reminds of me of Freud’s penis-envy. 

Only, it’s money-envy. 

Do these people not realize that many of the wealthy are wealthy because they’ve worked their asses off getting here?  They’ve eaten their fair of Ramen noodles.  They’ve made risks.  They’re butts are on the line when they have a horrible month of sales.  They create jobs and write the paychecks.

Where do these people think money comes from?  Trees?

Oddly enough, these protesters in parks are the same people with iPhones.  They are the same people who mourned the death of Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs was an awesome man.  An awesome man with an idea and an entreprenueral spirit.

…who MADE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM YOU SUCKERS.

Why aren’t you mad at him?

Because he’s the epitome of hipster?

Here’s what I blame:

ENTITLEMENT.

Not as in “Social Security and Medicare,” but as in the “me me me me me me me me” mentality.

It’s because these 20-somethin’s are still on mommy and daddy’s payroll, whether it be co-signing student loans, or still mooching off their cell phone plan.

It’s because their teachers refused to use red pens, in an effort to avoid hurt feelings.

It’s because in their P.E. classes, there were no team sports, in an effort to avoid hurt feelings.

It’s because they were all offered “Certificates of Participation,” in an effort to avoid hurt feelings.

And yet, these same people turn around and do things at the expense of others’ feelings:

Destroy public areas ‘cause it’s their “right.”

Never use turn signals, ‘cause why should they tell you where they’re going next?

Take a look around you.  The selfishness and feeling of entitlement is everywhere.

And it’s very, very scary.

No, I’m not anti-protestor.  But I’m anti-memememememememe.

There are people asking for donations of sleeping bags so that they can camp out there. 

What about homeless people?  So, I’m supposed to give you a sleeping bag instead of you sleeping in your perfectly working bedroom, but the guy who sleeps on a bench last night gets his cardboard box?

I don’t get it.  I really don’t.

I actually heard a reporter on a CONSERVATIVE news program this morning say:

“…but they are out here actually doing something.”

DOING WHAT?

“…making the issues known.”

WHAT ISSUES?!

It’s like me saying, “I’m going down to the park to protest paying taxes.”

Okay.  What taxes?  Payroll?  Income?  Sales?  SPLOST?

And why?  Do I think taxes are too high?  Am I upset that the government is mis-using one or another?  Do I want more taxes?  A fair tax?  A flat tax?  No tax?  More tax?  AHHHH!

That same reporter had nerve enough to point out that, “Today, when kids leave college, they can’t get jobs.  There is 1 job for every 5 people, and only the best and brightest are getting the jobs.  The mediocre kids are being left behind.”

So we should lower the bar?

Do you want “mediocre” kid operating on you for gall bladder surgery?

Or a “so-so” lawyer representing you in a criminal trial?

Or how about a “average” engineer building that 5-mile bridge over an inlet that you cross each day to work?

Come on, folks.  Get with it.

Have you seen the movie “Idiocracy?”  If not, you should.  We’re there, folks.

The movie used to be funny to me.  Now I cry.

Integrity is a funny thing.  It’s actually not even that hard.  Work hard, and stuff comes to you.  Work your ass off, and stuff comes you in droves. 

Use your turn signal.  It hardly takes a flick of a finger.

Spellcheck your emails.  Act like you give a damn.

Donate your time, if you don’t have the money, to causes that actually better society.  Children’s hospitals.  Homeless shelters.  There’s so much that’s needed locally, you don’t need to look to Haiti or Africa.  Help your own city.

Want to really make a statement?  Instead of a bunch of hippies defecating on an American flag in a public park, all of you inundate homeless shelter/food banks.  Swarm volunteer food banks, humane societies, hospitals.  Help out so much that they have to make statements that they don’t need anymore help.

Now THAT would be something worth being proud of.  And something that would make the statement: If everyone helped and volunteered somewhere, everyone would be better off.

But no.  For now, many chose to forgo reading classified ads, volunteer requests, or Monster.com, and they end up in a park, wearing a North Face jacket mommy got you for Christmas last year, holding a tattered protest sign with vague lettered spelled out using a Sharpie purchased from Wal-Mart, reeking of body odor, and wondering how long you can kill time doing this.

I hope that when it’s your turn at the Pearly Gates, when God asks, “Soooo… that whole wasting your time, talent, and treasures thing… can you explain that?”

…I hope you already have a good, prepared answer.

And no, there’s not an app for that.

It must be a sad, sad existence.