By Steve Shagwell.
Much to-do has been made of protesters taking to the streets, shutting down intersections, occupying public spaces and certain businesses with unethical or racist practices.
The prevailing logic is,we should protest nicely, on the sidewalks, not breaking any rules, not causing disruptions or nuisance.
Be "nice" protesters.
If we'd just be nice protesters, we could be so much more effective. They'd pat us on the head, promise to listen, commend us for our civic involvement, give us a lollipop and send us on our way. You wouldn't have to be inconvenienced, which means they wouldn't have to be inconvenienced, and everyone would be happy!
Here's the thing. Many of us have tried that. And yes, they did all that. But did you notice the one thing they didn't do? They didn't act. Well, of course they didn't act! WHy would they act, when acting meant relinquishing their power? Voting accomplished nothing. When we tried to vote for real reformers, you still took to the booth and chose the lesser of the two evils, sticking us with evil. Everyone got to feel good about exercising their right to vote, nobody got to feel good about the results. So...here we are, taking it to the next level-wishing your way had worked, because it was a lot easier. The warm fuzzies and feel-good sentiments were nice, too.
Think about that. Now I'm going to switch gears.
I don't go on Facebook much these days, but when I do, I see your anger with how things are. Your angry tirades about those damn republicans, or those damn democrats, and this pot dealer who got years in prison unfairly, and that pedophile who got out early because the prisons were full of pot dealers. And so on.
Here's the thing: Your Facebook statuses won't change shit. But you're too scared, too conditioned to obey, to take to the streets and/or do something real about it. So you sit, even angrier than we are, because you exercise none of your power against a system that is raping all of us. And the wheels of justice go round...and round...and round.
But there's good news! Some of us aren't afraid to take on the system. We are putting ourselves out there, we're risking it all, and you get to sit on the sidelines, safely, until enough critical mass is built to where you can jump in safely. You'll get to be a part of it at the end, and feel like it was all of us, when in reality, it was a few of us who put the ball in motion. That's fine. We'll get it done until then.
Unfortunately, since our "elected" officials aren't listening, we have to play hardball. And believe me, we will. HARD. BALL. Unfortunately, ignoring us will only compound our frustration and while I can keep a lid on it (for now) some have simply had enough. Continuing to ignore us means things will have to get worse before they get better.
It's going to inconvenience you. It's going to scare you, because as much as you hate the system, you have a lot invested in it-even while it rapes you. You've learned to kind of like the rape, in some twisted way fit only for anime porn.
We get it-change scares you. Well, it scares many of us too. But unfortunately, we're stark terrified of things continuing in the direction they're headed. So much so, in fact, that we are willing to raise hard questions about how our nation is run, and why. And so, that is what we're going to do.
And maybe, next thanksgiving, you won't have as much to be mad about.
Maybe you get it, and maybe you don't. Either way, you're welcome.
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