I interviewed an Occupy Phoenix protester last weekend. We sat in his garage. He drank a beer, wore a Cardinals jersey and raised respectable points.
Generally, I don’t hold tremendously strong opinions about the chain of Occupy Wall Street protests. It’s not so much lack of bias, but an understanding of different biases.
I’ve “liked” a few moving protest pictures on Facebook, but I’ve also liked a few arguments against the protests I’ve heard in the real world. Sometimes different sides both make sense.
But later that day, I encountered something that didn’t make so much sense. I overheard talk about two things from the table next to me at Buffalo Wild Wings: sports and protests.
This team’s not doing so well; this player’s really improved; going to this game should be really exciting.
And those protesters are “awesome,” taking a stand against corporate greed. How dare Bank of America start charging $5 a month to use their debit card? College students like them “can’t afford that.”
But strangely enough, college students like them can afford Cardinals tickets that cost a minimum of $50, NFL attire and an order of hot wings and beer that must have been at least $20.
And if they can afford it, the NFL can take it in. The average NFL player makes $1.9 million a year, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Don’t expect a 99 percent story from Peyton Manning anytime soon.
And it’s not just sports. According to SavvySugar, Daniel Radcliffe made $43 million for his role in the final two Harry Potter films.
Now, I’m not in a position to make career value judgments. Acting and sports are valid career paths — but not more valid than teaching kindergarteners.
However, the average salary for a beginning elementary school teacher is almost $1.9 million less than an NFL player, at $33,227 a year in 2006.
Obviously, not all Occupy Wall Street protesters are avid NFL fans. Irony from a few protesters doesn’t invalidate a whole argument. In fact, the disproportionate amount of money poured into professional sports associations buttresses protesters’ key points. When I think about it, I don’t like the way this country is run, either.
A piece in the Daytona Beach News-Journal puts it simply. “The Occupy Wall Street movement would grow significantly larger if some of its most visible supporters brought their accountants and tax lawyers to the anti-Wall Street demonstrations,” the story began.
It goes on to list celebrities like Kanye West, Rosanne Barr and Alec Baldwin who displeasure with income disparities. It tells us that according to Celebrity Networth, the top ten celebrities supporting Occupy Wall Street have a combined net worth of $1.25 billion.
There’s nothing wrong with fighting for the underdog, even when you’re on top.
But the fact that so few protesters object to NFL wealth and Hollywood support raises a concern about these protests. Although perhaps based on legitimate grievances, do these protests serve as more of a brand than an argument?
And isn’t brand preference what much of this comes down to? It’s easy to denounce Goldman Sachs — what do they do anyway? But setting down your Budweiser and calling out Anheuser-Busch takes a bit more thought.
While branding may be necessary to gain momentum, protesters shouldn’t forget about the root of their cause. If $5 a month to use your debit card is unreasonable, then $20 for a meal with friends is, too.
Reach the columnist at algrego1@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
