Money Tune Tuesday: Cry Tough

I really wanted to come up with something witty, smart and important to say about Occupy Wall Street. I sat and sat and sat, staring at my computer screen, trying to articulate how I feel about the movement. But I couldn’t. I have so many mixed emotions, and many of them start with the fact that I can’t figure out what the hell they actually want to accomplish. I can’t figure out what general, cohesive concept that they stand for. I get that they’re frustrated and desperate, and want things to change, but after spending hours (seriously, hours) on their blog, many of them just come across as whiny, spoiled brats who can’t accept the fact that they made poor choices. Granted, some stories are heart-wrenching and make me want to cry, but usually I just get pissed. I’m not pissed that their exercising their Constitutional right to free speech nor am I pissed that they’re taking time away from looking for a job to protest (how they use their time is none of my concern) nor am I pissed that they’re standing up for what they believe is right and just (whatever that may be).  No, I’m mainly pissed because I hate that they claim to represent 99% of the population and not one of them ever asked me if I wanted them speaking for me. Because you know what? I don’t. I do just fine speaking for myself. And for the record, the 1% and the 53% don’t speak for me either.

During one of the many hours I’ve spent on their blog, I noticed that Our Lady Peace, a band I generally like, wrote a song about the movement, “Fight the Good Fight”. Like the movement in general, I don’t know what I think about the song. I respect what OLP did, highlighting the protesters and quoting their handmade signs in the lyrics and giving somewhat mainstream support to the movement (I did enjoy the one sign that quoted Rage Against the Machine) but I have very (VERY) strong opinions about actors and musicians getting all up on a political soapbox. Even though this is my blog, my own soapbox if if you will, I’m not going to share those opinions.

No, instead, I’m going to offer a slightly different opinion on the OWS movement, particularly in response to those who say that they can’t fulfill their dreams for whatever reason they use (it varies from person to person). I feel that it is possible to achieve your dreams, even if you have to modify them a little bit. I’ll use myself as an example. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I dream of being a prolific and well-received author along the lines of Jen Lancaster or Jodi Picoult. But you know what? I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen. I’m OK with that because I’ve found other ways to make my dream of being a writer come true. I’ve also learned that no one, absolutely no one, but me is going to make my dreams happen. And I have to work my ass off for it. And I will.

For today’s money tune, I chose Poison’s “Cry Tough”. I know you’re thinking that I’m out of my mind to chose a 25 year old song by, of all bands, Poison, to express a counteropinion to OWS (and, depending on how you interpret the lyrics, it can support the movement, too). Since the video is hard to watch (the teased hair and clown make-up are tough to look at it), here are the lyrics:

Remember the nights we’ve sat
and talked about all our dreams
Well little did we know then
they were more distant than they seemed
Well I knew it
and you knew it too
The things we’d go through
We knew the things we had to do
to make it, baby

Chorus:
You gotta cry tough
Out on the streets
To make your dreams happen
You gotta cry out
Out to the world
To make them all come true

Life ain’t no easy ride
At least that’s what I am told
Sometimes a rainbow baby
is better than a pot of gold, well
You’ve got to stick it out
whether you’re wrong or right
And you can’t give in without a fight
to make it baby

Chorus

You gotta aim high, baby
whether you lose or win
And when you get to the top
You gotta get off and go right back down again

And, in case you want to watch it, here’s the video: