Metaphor for use by the Occupy Movement

It doesn't have to be a race to the bottom:

Imagine a multi-story building. On each floor there's the same amount of people, but as you get higher in the building each floor has more food, and it's better quality. So, for example, people on the 20th floor have plenty of food, they never run out, and it's pretty good quality. On the top floor, you've got highly luxurious food, and they've so much they're throwing buckets of it away everyday.

Now, on the 5th floor, there's not really enough food, so everyone is kind of fighting for their share, and even then, it's pretty crap quality. People below the 5th are pretty much hungry all the time. Get the picture?

Now, imagine you found yourself on the 4th floor. Of course, you want to be, you know, up there.

But, here's the thing. Instead of saying, 'Hey, why don't people on the top floor share all the food they don't need?' or even 'Hey, the people on the top floor have way more than us!' many people actually say 'That guy on the 5th floor is struggling, but hell, he's got more than me." They say this because if they work in the private sector the other guy has a state pension! Or, if they work in the public sector, they other guy gets paid more for doing the same job. So, on both sides, they say about they other guy (or gal) 'He should be down here with me, with the rest of us on the 4th floor.'

Is that smart?

I don't think so; because the folks on the top floor see all this in-fighting and laugh at such divisiveness. And they stoke the petty resentments, they fuel the division between public and private sector. After all, the more in-fighting there is, the less united people are against them.







[Post Script

The Occupy Movement represents a group of people on the lower floors, united against those on or near the top floor. They're not interested in petty squabbles between groups on the lowest floors, whether it's worse, for example, to be paid less, and get a heavily cut pension, or to be paid more and have no pension at all. They want to form a united front, the 99% of people forced to struggle on scraps and credit, against the 1% who have far more than they need and control the assets you live in (homes) and on (businesses and banks).]