Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Difference, or: The 99% is a State of Mind

Candid conversations that reveal the most, you know.

Take Vice President Joe Biden's recent trip to the Bay Area as one example.

President Obama (Bless his Holy Name) and Vice President Joe Biden (crickets) like to visit the San Francisco Bay Area because this hotbed of leftism is a great ATM machine. They fly in, raise some money, and fly out. As somebody who earns part of his living flying in airplanes, we are always restricted to the ground or designated areas when these VIPs arrive for security reasons.

The President made one visit last month; a week later, Biden followed. Joe, being the "aw shucks" regular guy he is (he'll tell you so), performed not only a fundraising speech but also visited "regular guy" places like a local deli. At the deli he mixed with the great unwashed--uh, I mean, regular people. According to the video shown on the local news that evening, one lady went up to Joe and said, "I'm really glad you stick up for the little guy."

Joe replied, "That's OK, I'm a little guy too."

Is somebody in the back raising their hand? You have a question?

I don't mean to be negative but that exchange doesn't sound like it's worth our time, dude. Unless Biden is talking about his penis, what's the point?

I'm glad you asked .... but let's keep it clean, okay? Thanks.

While today's leftist rails about the oppression of the one percent while claiming to be part of the 99%, each statement drips bitterness. While the 99% claim to be fighting the oppression, really what they're admitting is that they are "little guys" who have nobody to stick up for them so they need people like Obama (Bless His Holy Name) and Biden (crickets). But the bitterness comes from their state of mind.

The "little guy" needs somebody to stick up for him because he is powerless. He has no ideas. No initiative. He invents nothing. He waits for somebody else hoping to latch on to another person's success. When he is unable to latch on, and suffers for it, it's the other guy's fault. The other guy has too much money and is mean and nasty because he won't share. Instead of spending time creating a business, creating and selling a piece of art, or something else equally productive that may raise his standing in life, the "little guy" pitches a tent in front of a bank, paints a sign ("Capitalism is Evil!"), and rails against the one percent.

That's the difference between the "99%" and the rest of us. I'm certainly not in an income bracket that qualifies me for a spot with the one percent, but there is no reason for me to allow myself to get dragged to the other side (which is the goal, the classic divide-and-conquer, don't kid yourself). My attitude is strictly One Percent and I don't apologize for it.

Living in the Bay Area is expensive. While my salary covers my lifestyle, it doesn't leave a lot for extras. But instead of complaining, I'm creating. I write books (see the link below!) and perform free-lance voice over work. It helps keep the hounds at bay and the good news is that while profits may be growing slowly, they're growing. In a couple of years I'll be doing quite well indeed.

When you classify yourself as a "little guy" you make it so. You'll never be anything more than that because in your mind you convince yourself that you will never be anything more than that. That's Self-fulfilling Prophecy 101. That's where the bitterness comes from. Deep down, the leftist knows this. But he dares not say so out loud because that would require him to take responsibility, and responsibility to a leftist is like Kryptonite to Superman.



ABOUT: Brian Drake lives in California and is the author of The Rogue Gentleman which will soon be released in paperback (and available now as an ebook).

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