The OBS Express

A Newsletter of the Call Them Out Society, Ltd.,

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Volume 1, Number 9 September 20, 2010

It’s  Time  for  Little  People  to  Stand  up  to  Big  People  
&  Stop  Letting  Big  People  Use  Them  
 
by  Jane  Gilgun  
 
“Big   me,   little   you,”   Edward   told   me.   He   was   rich   from   exploiting   others.    
His  mentality  is  similar  to  the  super-­‐rich  who  are  enraged  at  the  prospect  of  the  roll-­‐
back  of  their  tax  cuts  to  Clinton-­‐era  rates.    
 
According   to   Nobel-­‐Prize   winning   economist   Paul   Krugman,   at   first   it   was  
just  Wall  Street  bankers  who  expressed  fury  at  government  economic  policies.  They  
raged  when  the  government  told  them  that  their  firms  temporarily  had  to  suspend  
huge   bonuses   if   they   had   received   bailout   money.   The   rage   has   spread   to   other  
sectors  of  the  super-­‐rich,  such  as  oil  barons  like  the  Koch  brothers  who  bankroll  the  
Tea  Party  movement.    
 
“Craziness  has  Gone  Mainstream”  
 
Many   super-­‐rich,   of   course,   agree   with   the   resumption   of   higher   taxes   on  
their  incomes,  but  a  sizeable  number  do  not.  Krugman  observed  that  “craziness  has  
gone   mainstream”   when   Forbes   magazine   runs   a   cover   story   that   included  
statements  like  President  Obama  is  trying  to  bring  the  government  down  because  of  
his   anti-­‐colonist   agenda   that   he   absorbed   from   his   Kenyan   father.   These   are   the  
words   of   Newt   Gingrich,   a   politician   with   a   long   record   of   defending   the   interests   of  
the  super-­‐rich.  The  super-­‐rich  also  fund  Gingrich’s  political  ambitions.  He  wants  to  
be  President  of  the  United  States.  
 
Besides  those  who  advocate  for  the  super-­‐rich,  the  whiners-­‐in-­‐chief  include  
people  making  between  $400,000  to  $500,000  a  year  and  who  can  hardly  meet  the  
expenses  of  private  school  tuition  for  their  children,  ocean-­‐front  estates,  and  $1000  
and  up  bottles  of  wine.  This  insight  is  from  Krugman.  
 
The  super-­‐rich  have  manipulated  ordinary-­‐income  Americans  to  “carry  their  
water,”   meaning   that   millions   of   ordinary-­‐income   people   express   rage   over   taxes  
and   government.   It   was   lack   of   government   regulation   that   brought   the   United  
States  and  the  rest  of  the  world  to  the  brink  of  economic  disaster.  The  super-­‐rich  on  
Wall   Street   did   what   they   wanted   with   the   money   of   ordinary-­‐income   people   to  
make  obscene  amounts  for  themselves.    
 
Consequence  of  De-­Regulation  of  Wall  Street    
 
Look   what   happened.   Millions   in   the   United   States   have   experienced  
economic   disaster.   I   hope   THEY   are   not   rageful   over   taxes   and   government.   Taxes  
pay   for   unemployment   compensation,   education   of   children,   roads,   bridges,   fire   and  
police  protection,  health  care  for  veterans,  and  social  security  for  the  disabled  and  
old.    What’s  the  alternative  to  taxes?  To  do  away  with  this?    
 
With   the   money   to   buy   clever   people   who   concoct   devious   arguments,   the  
super-­‐rich   have   created   the   impression   that   the   tax   roll-­‐backs   will   hurt   small-­‐
business  owners  and  the  poor.  In  truth,  the  roll-­‐backs  will  benefit  both.  If  we  don’t  
have  the  roll-­‐banks,  the  super-­‐rich  will  get  richer.    
 
“We”  are    You  and  Me  and  not  Them  
 
Once   the   tax   fight   is   over,   Krugman   said,   millions   of   ordinary-­‐income  
Americans,   bankrolled   by   the   super-­‐rich,   will   resume   their   demands   to   do   away  
with  Social  Security  and  unemployment  compensation.  The  super-­‐rich  want  to  turn  
the  Social  Security  trust  fund  over  to  Wall  Street.    
 
Clever   wordsmiths,   highly   paid,   will   send   the   message   that   we   all   have   to  
make  sacrifices.  By  “we,”  the  entitled  super-­‐rich  “you  and  me”  and  not  them,  another  
Krugman  insight.      
 
Entitlements  of  Big  People  
 
Krugman’s  column  reminded  me  of  Edward’s  words:  “Big  me,  little  you.”  This  
handsome,  charismatic  man,  gifted  and  talented,  was  a  pimp,  a  drug  dealer,  chef,  and  
owner   of   fine   restaurants.   His   wife   was   a   prominent   lawyer.   He   beat   and   raped   a  
woman   who   refused   to   have   sex   with   a   man   he   had   promised   her   to.   Her   name   is  
Madeline.  
 
Edward  said,  “I’m  going  to  do  what  I  want  to  do  regardless.    I’m  bigger  than  
you.  Big  me,  little  you  type  thing.”    He  said,  “I  didn’t  care  what  was  going  to  happen  
to  her  or  the  consequences  at  that  point,  too.  I  got  money.  I  can  buy  me  a  lawyer.    I  
can   do   this.”   He   even   thought   his   prior   sexual   relationship   with   Madeline   would  
shield   him:   “He   said,   “I   didn't   think   anything   of   it   because   we   had   slept   together  
three   or   four   times.   Most   they   can   do   is   give   me   a   domestic   assault.   I'm   used   to  
getting  those.”        
 
Krugman   pointed   out   the   sense   of   entitlement   behind   the   super-­‐rich  
opposition  to  tax  roll-­‐backs  and  government  regulation.  I  point  out  Edward’s  sense  
of  entitlement.  Connect  the  dots.  
  
Edward   thought   he’d   get   away   with   what   he   did   to   Madeline.     “I   got   away  
with  it  so  many  times  before,”  he  said.    Not  this  time.  Madeline,  bloody,  bruised,  and  
full  of  DNA  evidence,  went  to  the  tax-­‐funded  police.  They  arrested  Edward  and  had  
the   evidence   to   put   him   in   a   maximum   security   prison   for   ten   years.   Edward’s  
lawyer   wife   had   no   idea   how   he   made   his   money,   except   for   the   income   from   his  
restaurants.  
 
There  is  a  pervasive  mentality  of  entitlement  that  runs  through  every  sector  
of  society.  The  entitled  ones  think  they  can  get  away  with  using  others  for  their  own  
gain.  They  have  reason  for  these  beliefs.  They  have  gotten  away  with  it  for  years.  It’s  
time  for  us  little  people  to  stand  up  to  them,  just  as  Madeline  did.  
 
References

Krugman, Paul (2010). The angry rich. New York Times, September 20.
Mayer, Jane (2010). Covert operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a
war against Obama. New Yorker, September 20.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer#ixzz104TK3VmZ/
Shear, Michael D. (2010). Gingrich: President exhibits “Kenyan, anticolonial
behavior.” The Caucus: The politics and government blog of the Times, September 13.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/gingrich-president-exhibits-kenyan-anti-
colonial-behavior/
Terkel, Amanda (2010). Michael Steele defends Gingrich’s comments that
Obama may have “a anti-colonial Kenyan worldview” (video). Huffington Post,
September 15.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/michael-steele-defends-gingrich-kenyan_n_718774.html/

About OBS Express

The OBS Express is a newsletter that appears occasionally to call out perpetrators
of unkind deeds and cover-ups, to celebrate those who stand up to perpetrators, and to
recognize perpetrators who change their ways. Jane Gilgun is the editor-in-chief.

About the Author

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, writes children’s stories, articles, & books for a
variety of internet websites. She has an entire book devoted to the topic of entitlement:
how to identify it and stand up to it. It’s called On Being a Shit: Unkind Deeds & Cover-
Ups in Everyday Life. The book is available on Amazon Kindle as an e-document and on
lulu.com as a softcover.