Occupy San Diego

I, like many others, visited those occupying the civic center in downtown San Diego. During my visit here, I met and spoke with a number of people. Of those I spoke with, the most notable was a man who felt very strongly against the current economic status. His thoughts and feelings centered around him being a veteran with the U.S. army. Not only was he unemployed, but he relied heavily on the benefits offered to him by Veterans Village located in Oceanside, almost 30 minutes away from where he lives. When asked what he ultimately wanted from the government, he stated that he wanted more jobs not just for veterans, but for the society as a whole. He continued on about the inequality he felt between himself and major CEOs, stating that they "sit behind their fancy computers in their big offices making money doing nothing while the common-folks work hard, day-in and day-out, making far less than them."

The overall theme I noticed when talking with others about their views on the current economy were similar to that of the veteran's. I heard from many that those who truly are "compassionate and care for others are being paid very little and are being enslaved by the education system while those working for large corporations make millions." One even mentioned that those going into the social work field are truly being minimized financially and, unfortunately, stigmatized with a bad persona despite being very caring (and this was said before telling him I was an MSW candidate).

My experience at occupy SD was truly an eye opening event that caused me to view the economy in a broader perspective. After visiting, I felt that although the social work field has been stigmatized, our field is filled with compassionate, caring people, who are needed to help the greater society.