Marines in Berkeley

I received this from a friend, who tells me that this firsthand account came from a friend of his in the Unlocked Ward that is Berkeley:

On my way home last night I stopped by to support the Marines in light of the effort that Code Pink and the City of Berkeley have made against them. Because I did not want to raise my blood pressure I had originally decided to avoid the venue. But since it was near the trains stop on my walk home from the station, I decided to stop over. As it turns out, I am glad that I did.

As you know, whenever I run into military recruiters in Berkeley I always stop and thank them for the job they are doing. This always brings a smile to their face and some words of appreciation that there are people living in Berkeley that don't dislike them. I have had some run-ins with the Code Pink people lately but last night was special. To me it really pointed out the different worlds that I seem to inhabit with most of my fellow Berkeley residents.

First I would let you know that that reporting that I have read from the local papers and the seen on the local TV was not that accurate. From my vantage point, there were significantly more people in evidence supporting the Marines than opposed. Also, the racial makeup of the two groups was very different. The anti-war group was lily white while the pro Marine group was a real American mosaic with lots of black, brown and yellow faces. These differences were not reported either. I am sure had the anti-war group been a bunch of skin heads, the news would have been all over about the racial makeup of the Marine supporters.

What was the most striking difference though in the two groups was that of their socioeconomic status. From what the individuals were wearing, the electronic gear they were carrying and the amount of plastic surgery that was evident, it jumped out at me that the anti-war protesters where either quite privileged, or the children of privileged (this being Berkeley with a median income of $75,000 what would you expect). The pro Marine supports were from their clothes, weight and other habits quite obviously working class people who were either veterans, parents of veterans or relatives of veterans.

The difference between the two groups really summed it up for me: The parents and children of privilege chanting and screaming at the people who have protected them in the past or whose children are protecting them now, all the while knowing that they neither they nor their loved ones at risk. After five years of living here the selfishness, self delusion and entitledness of my neighbors never ceases to amaze me.