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Occupy Christmas, December 25, 2011, Liberty Square
Photo: Stacy Lanyon
First, I came to Zuccotti Park because of my boyfriend. He’s
a filmmaker. He said there was a community that he had been dreaming about near
Wall Street. On September 25th, I went down there, and there was a
real community, what we are always dreaming about. As an immigrant, I have a
lot of difficulty living here, not only financial inequality but also a lot of
racism. I always felt it was a problem. Then, there was a public space where
everybody would talk about it. Those people make me realize that it was not
only my thinking, that I could share my ideas. I came to America four years
ago, and I went to a master’s program at City University of New York (CUNY) and received an MFA in TV Production. At school, I don’t
think I learned about American reality, but Occupy Wall Street really, really
taught me what America was like in real life. This is the best text book I’ve
ever experienced.
A lot of people are just living day by day, and they don’t
think about these problems. Maybe they are too tired. Maybe they know there is
a problem, but they just ignore it because they are so busy living day by day.
This is important because we need to know our rights and know that corporations
are trying to deceive us. This movement is so important because occupiers work
really hard to help everyone wake up to what is reality. The main stream media
is not talking about it. They are only telling us what they think we want to
hear. Even Obama, he always says, “We can do this! Yes America, we can do this.”
They are only using sweet words that aren’t reality. Students have a lot of debt, and schools tell
them when they finish their program that they will get something better, but
that’s not true. I have two master’s degrees, but I’m not doing what I want to
do. I was expecting my life to be more than this. That’s why this movement is
important because it’s waking up everyone to what their rights are.
Today, I met one of my neighbors in front of my house, and across
the street from my house is a big painting, and in the target it said, “Kill
the rich.” Some occupier did some beautiful , beautiful art. He said, “This
place is going crazy. What do they mean kill the rich? Why do we have to kill
the rich? Who wants to be poor? I want to be rich.” That’s his response. He’s
already educated by this wrong society. I don’t want to be rich. If I were
rich, it would be nice because I could share with the people. Nobody wants to
be poor and suffering. I understand that, but I don’t want to be rich. I just
want everybody to be happy and to live on an equal level. Why are rich people so
fuckin’ greedy? Why? I think they have a mental problem. Why are they
collecting that much money? One of Bank of America’s head members is making fifty-five
thousand dollars every day, every day, Monday to Sunday. Isn’t it fuckin’
crazy? Does he really, really need that much money? Even I don’t make that much
money every year, and I’m living happy. I’m pretty happy.
I want a world where everyone is not suffering. I’m from
South Korea, and in North Korea there are people with no food. They are really,
really hungry, and people are dying every day because of hunger, and some North
Korean people are eating rats because they have no food. Why don’t Wall Street
people and the 1% people realize and share? Let’s find some equality in
financial and life status. Another example about taxes, I’m paying 23% of my
tax, but you know like Mitt Romney is only paying 13% of his income. Isn’t it
fuckin’ crazy? Please, please stop being greedy. They got poisoned. I think
they have a mental problem. Please, awake!