Conservative Bloggers Mine Satirical ‘Occupy Toronto’ Essay For Real Quotes

by Nando Di Fino | 3:38 pm, October 31st, 2011

» 22 comments

Over the last week, bloggers, emailers, commenters, and posters have shared the words of a 38 year-old slacker Toronto resident named Jeremy, who took part in the Occupy Toronto protests:

“It’s weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it’s time to go, they’re still there. I guess that’s why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That’s the power of greed.”

What they don’t realize is that the quote was one of many featured in a satirical piece by The Toronto Globe and Mail’s Mark Schatzker. 38 year-old Jeremy doesn’t exist. Neither do any of the other awesome characters Schatzker created, including:

20 year-old Tracy, who couldn’t believe that, in just a week, the group achieved, “government-funded health care, a well-regulated banking system, and a cap on corporate political donations.” (Canada, of course, already offers all of this)
23 year-old Alex, who used an ATM the day after protesting and, even though the message still came up saying he’d be charged a $1 fee, said it felt different. “You could tell the ATM felt embarrassed, that it knew it was just another pawn in this charade we call capitalism.”
26 year-old Russell, who decided to use the human microphone in his everyday life, which didn’t go over too well with mom and dad at the dinner table. “At one point, [mom] says ‘pass the potatoes’ and I shout ‘pass the potatoes’ and then my dad just freaks out. He starts laying into me and then tells me I’m a pathetic loser.”

The article is funny on its own. But what brings it up to another level is that it’s been passed around and forwarded to the point where the satirical origin is lost, making “Jeremy” a symbol of OWS laziness and greed. The “I Am The 53%” Facebook page posted the quote on Saturday and set off a string of comments that eventually led to people debating if morbidly obese people should get disability. Chris Future from FreedomBunker.com tore into Jeremy in a two-and-a-half minute video, based on the quote that he saw on Google+. Harris Kupperman from AdventuresInCapitalism.com passed it off to his readers as an “actual quote.” And Rob Port of the Say Anything Blog tagged poor Jeremy under “a**hats,” saying that, “Nothing undermines their own positions and philosophies so thoroughly as what they actually do and say.”

Give Schatzker, author of the book, Steak, and frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail, credit: he created a Swift-ian piece of satire and it has grown into a stellar hoax without any effort on his part. This isn’t as bad as some other “real” stories involving a made-up Jeremy, but it’s kind of funny in that he went as being ammunition for anti-Occupy protesters (as a joke mocking them and their complaints) to ammunition for pro-Occupy folks, showing just how shoddy the research of the angry anti-Jeremy crowd could be.

(Photo credit: Mike Wood)

Chris Future, Fake Quotes, Harris Kupperman, Jeremy, Occupy Toronto, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, Rob Port

lazzzlo

Did they ever try to justify the 1% of American wealth versus the 1% of global wealth?

In other words, America is a wealthy country and it’s value vs. the worlds is a larger fraction of the pie.

So the value of global wealth and a 1 % American fraction of it leaves the 1% American value to less than $40K.

If we adjust it to soley American dollar value…we are $400K.

I make more than 40,000 dollars.
lazzzlo

As a native born Canadian, I have noticed that my home country is willing to excise tax me up to 60% of money that I have earned in a vacuum as an investment simply because I want to move my money from Canada to the US.

I am a United States citizen as well.

As long as I just let that money sit in Canada, my excise tax slowly decreases. It’s almost to the point where I won’t lose money.

Don’t let anyone tell you that Canada and the US are similar.

Grab your wallet!
Varmjl

Jeremy is a worthless layabout!
http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

Lol!! More proof that Conservatives are beyond ignorant… unless the bloggers were showing off their writing skills to get a future job at Fox News??
tpartynitwit

Jeremy’s an entire tool shed!
Pablo

This is not satire, but it should be:

Occupy Wall Street kitchen staff protesting fixing food for freeloaders

The Occupy Wall Street volunteer kitchen staff launched a “counter” revolution yesterday — because they’re angry about working 18-hour days to provide food for “professional homeless” people and ex-cons masquerading as protesters.
For three days beginning tomorrow, the cooks will serve only brown rice and other spartan grub instead of the usual menu of organic chicken and vegetables, spaghetti bolognese, and roasted beet and sheep’s-milk-cheese salad.
They will also provide directions to local soup kitchens for the vagrants, criminals and other freeloaders who have been descending on Zuccotti Park in increasing numbers every day.

So, they’re dealing with fake 99 percenters? Undercover moguls horning in on their organic chicken?
Anonymous

One can easily see why we were fooled: the quote just smacks of reality – great satire has many grains of truth in it - that’s one of the reasons why its funny. It sounds exactly like what one of the protesters would say – BTW, i’m planning to hit my local protest this weekend Schiff style and try to get an interview from these supposed 99%. Wish me luck. I may get mugged ;)
Anonymous

BTW, Pablo – I did a video on this as well: seems that once people taste REAL SOCIALISM, they don’t like it too much, especially if they are the one’s being taken advantage of…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftvAdxWUBZ4
Anonymous

Why make it satirical? There are plenty of great quotes out there with real morons. Too bad SNL was so liberal. This OWS lunacy would make a great skit.
http://gregingleright.weebly.com/ Greg

The right is overwhelmingly lazy when it comes to the attention devoted to significant details.
Rip

Considering that right-wingers actually reward political candidates for sounding like a parody of a conservative, and punish them when they attempt to be rational, it is not surprising that they would fail to miss that this was satire.
Anonymous

Not only can you conservatives not recognize satire, but you apparently think the New York Post can be believed. Don’t go to New York. You’ll buy the Brooklyn Bridge.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OTAAMAYXARQOL5K4W4I22KB7QQ James

Oh yes, I forgot, “real socialism” means giving free meals to convicts at protests. Yes, you’ve got us there… hahaha. Once people do that, they realize the error of their ways!

God you people are thick.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OTAAMAYXARQOL5K4W4I22KB7QQ James

It says “SATIRE” at the very top of the article, you dolt.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OTAAMAYXARQOL5K4W4I22KB7QQ James

It says “SATIRE” at the very top of the article, you dolt.
Anonymous

So glad I left the small mindedness of Canada behind. From birth you are all told that Canada, and it’s socialist kingdom, are the best place on Earth. You are so wrong, yet you cannot see, after years and years of being fed the lines your government has been feeding you. And now we are being fed the same gruel, but we refuse to eat it. Unfortunately, its too late for Canada, and Greece and Europe.

But I digress. Maybe you didn’t watch my video, which most trolls like you do anyways, so let me explain: I’m sure that the chefs who started cooking for the Occupy folks felt a kinship with the protesters, so they decided to support them with meals. Fair enough. But then, as per usual, the GIVER in the socialist equation, continues to give and give and give, while the TAKER (and in socialism, they are legion) not only continues to take, but takes more, preying on the goodwill of the giver. Eventually, as in the famous words of Thatcher – “Socialism is great until you run out of other peoples money” the giver gives up. They are bled dry by the takers. This is why socialism NEVER works: when some take and some give, eventually the system falls apart.

The only system which works is one of trade, where there are givers and takers. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s called CAPITALISM…and it works, every time, all the time. It’s capitalism which makes us rise up as humans, its socialism which drags us into the mud.
IronicAtlas

Dear Chris, you may of left Canada behind, but it didn’t stop evolving after you left.

Recently it was judged to have the best business climate by Forbes magazine. Forbes ranked the countries based on 11 different factors including property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom, red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.While Canada came in #1, the US came in 11th place, while Hong Kong slipped to second place. Chris I suspect you left at an early age or you would know this. I now live in China and the business climate here sucks; if ever they have to compete with the West without State help they will be dead due to the inefficient overhead and mindless paperwork and taxes the Chinese put on private businesses. You state that it’s too late for Canada, Greece and Europe. I assume you mean due to a welfare state causing excess debt and deficit. Wrong again in relation to Canada my little wayward friend. Canada has decent control of it’s debt and deficit, in fact they lead the G20 in debt ratio and lowest yearly deficit. I will agree that Greece is a basket case and anyone that loaned to them deserves to lose their money or should of asked for collateral. (A Greek Island perhaps?)As a small business owner in Canada it’s great when the State has an universal health care plan. I can hire employees without consideration of age or health as the medical costs are covered and paid for by general tax collection. I can take a personal chance starting a company even though I have a young family as i am not stressed about a possible medical emergency. This causes more risk taking in the society and thus more start ups and employment. I am proudly a capitalist (a huge Ayn Rand fan) and can’t stand government involvement in business (healthcare, policing, military,and a few other things aside and please don’t lecture me about Rand in this regard she was great but not perfect. Most of the Canadian’s I know have the same beliefs; “viva la difference” if you don’t agree. Time to visit again Canada again and get an update on things.
Anonymous

No one has to make up inane, hiilarious quotes from the clowns at OWS. They make more than enough of them themselves. Check out some of Howard Stearns OWS interviews on youtube. REAL AND HIILARIOUS!
Anonymous

Or, could it be you just can’t make a decision about anything? So someone has to spoon feed them to you?
Anonymous

Thanks Ironic: I left Canada in 1998, when I hit the road for the supposed gold mines of Silicon Valley – and I have heard some rumblings in the US press about how things are getting much better in Canada on all of those fronts that you are mentioning, so its worth a look again.

However, I do still talk to many of my friends and family back in Toronto and I don’t get much from the boots on the ground that things have changed for the better: health care is worse, taxes are much higher, services are cut back, music and movie piracy is rampant, and worst of all, both Tim Horton’s donuts and Swiss Chalet chicken have been treated to some kind of miniaturization ray and are much more expensive than when i left.

I think this is partially due to the good press Canada always gets from the liberal media – they LOVE Canada – all this FREE stuff, especially healthcare, but we all know that TANSTAAFL, right?

I’ll take a look, but I suspect there is a lot of Canada love in the mainstream US media which may be unjustified on the ground.

Begs the question: if things are good in Canada, why are there protesters of Bay Street? Hmm…
Anonymous

Gee, thanks, but I didn’t see the original article. It was shared and reshared on Google Plus, and as usual, these things lose fidelity as they get passed along. Had the ring of truth though, so that’s why I ran with it…Of course no one really accuses me of being accurate, even though I am usually always right, people don’t seem to see that…
IronicAtlas

Chris, here is a great blog/video about “why” they are occupying Bay St. We all have our nut cases, it’s good to get them in the open once in a while. Unlike the “Jeremy” character that was a fictional creation, these people actually exist. For what purpose other than entertainment, I don’t know. Have a laugh.

http://blazingcatfur.blogspot.com/2011/10/occupy-toronto-carnival-of-commie.html