Hate to tell you that the Republican party and the maga horde didn’t give a crap about peaceful protests. Fascists have rarely, if ever, been peacefully removed.
I like this perspective. I hadn’t thought of it this way and until I read this, I sort of felt the same was as them. That times have changed. And where the powers-that-be used to take all things into consideration, we no longer have that luxury or right to be heard- or taken seriously.
Knowing that it’s not expected to move the needle, but to create a collective unification of voices, and to see and be seen….
I don’t disagree. But I gotta say, I didn’t realize how much I needed to feel the slight glimmer of hope after seeing the turnout at my local protest in person. I live in a pretty small rural town, granted it’s on the northern California coast, and we have a pretty even spread of old school hippies, conservative ranchers, and libertarian cannabis farmers. Today, it felt like the crowd size exceeded everyone’s expectations by far, not to mention almost all folks passing by were supportive. It felt emboldening, like there could truly be some power building here.
I don’t really have high hopes things can be resolved peacefully, tbh. In fact, I watched some MAGAt today stop his truck in the middle of the protest, get out to assault some good folks, and proceed to get his ass kicked to a reasonable extent before driving away. I’m a usually pessimist, sometimes a doomer, and often not wrong. But I think now’s the time to shelve the cynicism and encourage as many people as possible to turn out. The maga horde, the excruciatingly loud minority, need the dose of reality that their opposition is real, gaining momentum, and pissed.
Hate to tell you that the Republican party and the maga horde didn’t give a crap about peaceful protests. Fascists have rarely, if ever, been peacefully removed.
Today wasn’t about them. It was about us. It was about speaking out and seeking our fellows, and laying the groundwork for future action.
I like this perspective. I hadn’t thought of it this way and until I read this, I sort of felt the same was as them. That times have changed. And where the powers-that-be used to take all things into consideration, we no longer have that luxury or right to be heard- or taken seriously.
Knowing that it’s not expected to move the needle, but to create a collective unification of voices, and to see and be seen….
…definitely lends to its true purpose.
Thanks for sharing this perspective.
I don’t disagree. But I gotta say, I didn’t realize how much I needed to feel the slight glimmer of hope after seeing the turnout at my local protest in person. I live in a pretty small rural town, granted it’s on the northern California coast, and we have a pretty even spread of old school hippies, conservative ranchers, and libertarian cannabis farmers. Today, it felt like the crowd size exceeded everyone’s expectations by far, not to mention almost all folks passing by were supportive. It felt emboldening, like there could truly be some power building here.
I don’t really have high hopes things can be resolved peacefully, tbh. In fact, I watched some MAGAt today stop his truck in the middle of the protest, get out to assault some good folks, and proceed to get his ass kicked to a reasonable extent before driving away. I’m a usually pessimist, sometimes a doomer, and often not wrong. But I think now’s the time to shelve the cynicism and encourage as many people as possible to turn out. The maga horde, the excruciatingly loud minority, need the dose of reality that their opposition is real, gaining momentum, and pissed.
General strikes are next.
It’s about time that the US took May 1st back.