On January 21, 2017, tens of millions of peaceful protesters gathered (not one single incidence of violence) and showed tremendous unity. Unfortunately, the pride of that day never stood a chance of raising the level of consciousness of a madman (or his enablers and followers) who had stolen his first election. Our government completel…
On January 21, 2017, tens of millions of peaceful protesters gathered (not one single incidence of violence) and showed tremendous unity. Unfortunately, the pride of that day never stood a chance of raising the level of consciousness of a madman (or his enablers and followers) who had stolen his first election. Our government completely unraveled for the next 4 years. My non profound observation over the decades is that too often violence is the catalyst for change.
Our history of peaceful elections and transfer of power (without military assistance) have been a safe haven. Now, 10’s of thousands of troops (very necessary) occupy D.C. so the 46th president (fairly, legally elected) can take the oath of office without getting killed and to prevent any attempts at another coup. It is heartbreaking but is the reality few actually thought would be seen in modern times.
Maintaining a democracy and rule of law takes work by an educated, informed, and involved electorate. We must not ever forget; never again.
I participated in the Women’s March and several other marches in 2017. Absolute calm, peace and unity. The insurrectionists on January 6 never planned to march peacefully. They went to start a war and over-through the government. What upside down thinking to violently seek to overthrow a democratic election, because you want... a democracy.
Yes, those marches generated a universal sense of calm, peace, and unity. What happened on January 6th is beyond the pale. They were not protesters, they were anarchists and terrorists.
Yes, thank you! I want this point to continue to be raised and I am so concerned that those involved will just get a slap on the wrist... and we will have failed again to hold accountability. Rule of law must be reinstated.
Yes, Biden's impulse to bring the country together must not override the imperative to punish the insurrectionists, wherever they are: back home or in the halls of Congress.
I and my spouse, along with a close friend and her spouse, have attended several marches together since January 2017 - Women's Marches, Marches for Our Lives, advocacy marches with and for immigrants, and Earth Day marches - in our state's capitol. All were peaceful and well-attended. Those who ended up entering the Capitol Bldg here in Olympia did so with pre-arranged appointments with senators and representatives. No weapons, no injuries, no deaths.
Since the 2020 election armed pro-T**** marchers have clashed with counter-protestors multiple times, with at least one shooting by a T****ster. They stormed the Governor's Residence on January 6. There is a bill up for consideration in this legislative session to outlaw open carrying of firearms to protests, but as of today, it's still legal for these guys to parade the streets of our state capitol fully armed. On top of this unrest, the pandemic, the ongoing BLM protests, the increasing number of unhoused people living in tents close to downtown, it is going to take a long time for our little business district to revive. Every time I drive through downtown, I see another closed and boarded up storefront. As the outgoing POTUS used to be so fond of tweeting, SAD (although I mean it in such a different way).
I don't think there is anything more disheartening and frightening than a bunch of guys roaming the streets carrying what look like assault weapons openingly and brazenly. The only reason to do that is to intimidate and/or actually kill people. Yes, it is very sad.
How about everybody who doesn't have the slightest idea what an "anarchist" is just STOP calling everybody they don't like (or agree with) "anarchists." I've numbered myself an anarchist for about fifty years and I a pretty much on what every subscriber to this blog would consider that of "the angels." It is sloppy, lazy and intellectually vacuous to call everybody you don't like an "anarchist." I thought doing so was more or less from the playbook of the last president. But I guess not.
Am I missing something? Hasn’t anarchy historically always been associated with the left wing? My understanding is that anarchy is about hierarchy and a vision (Murray Bookchin comes to mind) that is very much anti-capitalist. I suppose libertarianism blurs the lines and anarchy might be thought of as a natural endpoint of libertarianism, but without social protections just becomes a power hierarchy where the rich may do as they wish and therefore constrain the freedom of the poor.
I just read back my comment and the one above that prompted it, and I realized that the reason things seem upside down is that I am still thinking in terms of people wanting to do what is right, as responsible people do. But those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 and their leader, Donald Trump, use conventional language to mean something entirely different. For instance, when I say democracy, I mean government by and for all the people; when Trump and his followers use that term, they mean government by and for select groups of people. I have learned recently that this deliberate misuse of terms is part of the psychological technique called gaslighting, which attempts to cause people to doubt their convictions. This is why I've been leaning on the dictionary and various other references a lot lately, including our Constitution. I feel an almost constant need to refer to standards. And when speaking, it seems terribly important to chose words carefully, to speak (or write) with precision, and to call out imprecision when encountered and make those speaking (or writing) define the terms they use.
Becky - I’ve been experiencing the same thing. I have until recently never enjoyed learning any kind of history. After a friend told me about Letters from an American, I became hooked! I have been devouring books about American history, particularly regarding the Civil War, but also books and articles about caste systems, political figures, behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and other topics, learning all I can to understand how we got here and how peoples’ beliefs came to be. The more I learn, the more I feel I am understanding people with opposing beliefs. Are there extremists? Yes. Are there non-extremists who are simply people who believe that their values and beliefs are being challenged? Yes. Bottom line is we are all people and like it or not we are all in this together. And we need to be able to speak and communicate using a common language. Words matter. How communication is framed matters. Civility matters.
I am reminded of how powerfully words can communicate in an instant (read George Lakoff, now I see examples everywhere!). Passed a billboard yesterday for an attorney. Headline: Injury Justice. With just two words this communication is framed to make you feel that if you were injured, you were wronged. And this lawyer is already on your side and will help you get what you deserve because you were clearly wronged by someone else. Truly powerful. Politicians have been using this kind of framing too. Think about that. Words matter. It is as you say (Becky) “it seems terribly important to chose (sic) words carefully.”
Yes words are powerful— interestingly though one of the first things I noticed about DT was his limited vocabulary. It’s like a backward sixth grader. Coming after Obama’s formidable language skills in terms of speaking and writing, what a thud.
Liz, I used to think Trump spoke in simplistic language to appeal to his base and deliberately avoided sophisticated language that was unfamiliar to them. When we discovered he reads almost nothing that doesn’t contain his own name embedded in it and stumbles over somewhat sophisticated words written for him on the TelePrompTer, his true illiteracy was revealed. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” -Fran Lebowitz
That shocked me too, and it took me a while to realize that he doesn't give a rat's ass for me or people like me who try hard to paint clear ideas with words. But he does care for the kind of people who resent the kind of people who try hard to paint clear ideas with words, so he does just the opposite.
Yes, and he also has a learning disability so reading must be tough. However, he is a master of projection, word twisting/gaslighting and brainwashing. He follows Hitler's playbook to a T (for trump!). Might be the only book he ever read all the way through, based on his actions.
I often thought Obama was too good. I LOVE him, but if a newspaper should be written at a 5th grade level, then, when speaking to the public, our leaders should - without condescension - also communicate at that level.
I believe it was Kelly who revealed that they had to bring pictures for him to understand anything as he didn’t read. So awful to have somebody like that in power. A disgrace!
I've met a couple of successful business owners (who immigrated to the US and ended up in my adult ESL classes) who were only semi- or pre-literate in not only English, but in their primary languages. These individuals were smart, articulate in two or more languages other than English, and had become relatively wealthy in areas where many business deals are verbal and contracts made with handshakes. However, I would never want any of them to become the leader of a country. Government is not a business and should not be run for profit (no matter how many have used it in that way).
Lena - I too have become fascinated with history thanks to Letters From An American. I also see that we ignore history to our peril. I wish I could agree that we are all in this together. Yes, civility matters, understanding the power of language matters. But it also matters to face the fact, as Richardson writes, that racism is deeply embedded in what may appear to be our most innocent beliefs - as in the white American brand of anti-socialist "liberty". Recent neuroscience research confirms that we all have the same physical brain but we can develop vastly different mind sets. I no longer know how to use language, civility, logic to bridge that gap. It's beyond me. Perhaps this almost coup will begin our long, slow awakening so that we, as a nation, may finally face our dark history.
Becky and Lena - Your comments reveal how important the teacher is in inspiring the student. If the teacher is fascinated by the topic, her students are likely to be also.
Though many of us are older than our professor, HCR, we are definitely her students. These discussions remind me of the better seminars in grad school. I would have stayed at university forever if it had been possible, but this forum keeps my mind from getting dull and fuzzed over with moss.
Yes, excellent advice. Read George Lakoff -- if you don't want to be framed...
If you really get down to the implications of his writing, that could be a liberating experience. Amost alll westerners, especially Americans, are self-incarcerated prisoners locked into their mental habits, concepts, blind beliefs, prejudices. Even the very word Liberty gets hammered into the bars of a mental prison -- for those whose cells still have windows.
"Liberty and justice for all” can be a frame to unite progressives. Our language and writing and speech would augment this frame with specifics, such as economic and racial justice, and justice for the earth, as we speak of universal health care, education and sustainability.
Sounds good. I would address the issues other readers have raised by adding one word: "liberty, equality, and justice for all." (This has been one of the suggested but not adopted edits to the pledge of allegiance,)
There is a story, possibly apocryphal, that Bellamy as a good Christian Socialist had one draft of the pledge with "equality" in it. But in his later comments he never mentioned this, so maybe just a wish. Equality was as dangerous a notion to some in 1892 (they wanted to sell flags after all) as it is (to some) today.
Thanks for your response, Lena. I'm with you on Heather's instigation to the study of history. Watching her FB chat on Jan 14, my husband (who takes time from work to watch) and I laughed with delight at her obvious delight at telling us real stories from the past. I've never seen anything like it. Just think if teachers in other disciplines could do the same!
You made me think of advertising and wonder how it fits in. You know, I often think of politics/current events as a huge, colorful graphic with bubbles and arrows, animated to show the bits that grow and shrink in relation to it all and to emphasize that one bit forces another this way or that. Something like Hans Rosling's animated statistics, or a Wait But Why cartoon set in motion. I can SEE that one thing influences another. Yesterday somebody recommended the book, Elmer Gantry, and I started to read it. Immediately there are Trump (Elmer) and Roger Stone (Elmer's pal, Jim).
I do wonder why we like to deceive each other. I don't. So why do some others?
Advertising used to “advertise” features and then later it was figured out that “benefits” are why people choose to purchase. And then psychology came into the advertising arena and ad execs learned that appealing to peoples’ sense of belonging (using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) could change a single purchase into a lifelong relationship which of course guaranteed corporate profits. Today people will intentionally spend more money on an identical product in terms of function and form simply because it has a particular name or logo on it. They want to “belong” to a certain group.
I’ve often recommended Lakoff, not so much because his ideas influence my own as because there's a correspondence. His central thesis about framing and the metaphor is one to which I'd given much thought decades earlier, when I was an eighteen-year old writing a treatise on painting. .
I was thinking at the time about various ways of relating to Nature, how we are in the world, how we see it, our place in it; and comparing painting in the Western tradition since the Renaissance with Chinese painting.
That may sound very esoteric, but it isn't really. Lakoff and many others speak of the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment, but there's much in our world view that goes back to the Renaissance, hundreds of years earlier.
Anyway, for Lakoff, I guess the starting point should be Metaphors We Live By, written with Mark Johnson. Reissued 2008.
Coming to the political implications of framing issues:
Moral Politics, How Liberals and Conservatives Think (3rd edition 2016)
And Don’t Think of an Elephant (revised edition, 2014
Well, I see you've been into these, but here's another useful short cut:
The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain. 2009. Lots of neuropsychology, if you enjoy reading about how our brains work.
I found this video of George Lakoff speaking about moral values. He is explaining exactly why conservatives and liberals think differently. I'm getting so much from this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9R9MtkpqM
Good point Becky. I have frequently felt the effects of being gaslighted in conversation during the last four years. I too have demanded definitions during debate. Unfortunately without agreed upon definitions we aren’t really conversing. It is maddening if one really wants a conversation to end up just circling the point.
Logical argument doesn't work. We have to think of another way. In a past job in customer service, a teacher used the example of a runaway horse and carriage. Said rather than holding up your arm before it and shouting, "Stop!" you need to mount the horse (not sure how this was accomplished) and gradually slow it down. I understood this to mean that if you want to fix a customer's problem, you must listen to their argument carefully enough to understand how to "slow the horse down." You must be genuinely empathetic. This is very hard to do. I think something like this might work with Trump supporters, but it means facing my own biases and resentments, and so far I haven't been able to let them go well enough to get anywhere near that horse.
MaryPat, I had a long discussion with my husband about your reply. It was about if there can be an objective truth and in what circumstances. We didn't reach a conclusion before getting tired of talking.
Wow, I don't know if I should be honored or if I should apologize! I am reminded, though, when I imagine trying to help a trumper "see the light", of the woman who went to a marriage counselor for help. She was advised (if I remember this correctly), "Just because you are right doesn't make it good." In other words, we are right - tRump is a con. But "telling the truth" to a trumper will not solve the problem. I don't have to change my bias, as much as I need to think about what would be helpful for the other person. A stock market that doesn't wobble and plunge, a job that pays a living wage with benefits, a hero who doesn't tweet lies, maybe a prescription that doesn't combine antidepressant with narcotic with alcohol to cause a serotonin storm of anger. I think I am way off the philosophical conundrum now, and describing 4 trumpers I know. Darn, do we have to do this one at a time? Perhaps. What it may all boil down to is one thing my mom used to say, "Be Nice."
It is indeed hard to do. I have friends who are Republicans who are willing to engage in political conversations over lunch (pre-Covid). It is amazing to me that people I have so much in common with could have such opposing political views. But sitting across from them, one on one, allows for discussions that help to understand why this or that policy upsets them. In the end, it always comes back to them advocating for what they believe is best for themselves and their loved ones. Just like me. Perhaps it would be helpful to view others as “us” instead of “others”. Like when as a child in grade school teachers had us write letters to pen pals in foreign countries - in my case countries considered communist - so that we could see the humanity of those who lived there.
Also trying to read articles from sources supporting other views can expand your horizons as well as reading books with opposing viewpoints. For instance, I’m reading Blackout by Candace Owens to get a perspective on why some believe black people should abandon the Democrat Party. I’ll admit it isn’t easy to read because I disagree with her point of view, but I feel it is important to read so that I understand what the issues are - not her solutions. I believe I can think for myself. But I know I don’t know what someone else’s problems are. I’m a big reader, so this method helps me understand.
linguistic detail - it's the "Democratic" party. 'Democrat' is the noun, 'democratic' is the adjective. Mis-using parts of speech in ordinary speaking (poetry not included) is derogatory. My guess is you picked it up by accident from hearing it so often.
I haven’t re-read the Constitution recently, but I’ve sure done a lot of thinking about it. As Fiona Hill says in a January 11 op-ed on Politico (link on Jan. 17 HCR, easy to find), “Yes It Was A Coup,” American democracy has been stress tested. In a big way. I felt confident for four years, but still, who needs this level of anxiety. We are all about to breathe a very big sigh of relief. We passed the test, but boy, I have a lot of weaknesses been exposed.
Hi Roland! Someone made a comment on something I wrote which has taken me all the way back to HCR in January! Many of us have missed you on HCR's forum...hope your book writing is coming along!
Yes. The only thing he is good at is labeling in his upside-down world. Examples: trying to steal the election away from Biden while calling it “stop the steal”... degrading our country while calling it “make America great again”... professing to love the US military while trashing Gold Star families, allowing Russia to put bounties on our troops’ heads, and bending our military for his political optics.
It must be especially painful for you wonderful women who peacefully marched with your children and grandchildren, to now see such violent desecration of our Capitol, with the intent of killing elected officials and overturning our government. There couldn’t be a starker contrast.
My daughters are in their 30’s now. They have a clear perspective of when we were in DC marching several years back. We are a society now of where our mental health needs a lot of help.
I have marched too, and took 2 of my grandchildren to one. They participated by making signs beforehand and enjoyed the gathering of peaceful, like-minded people.
You have gotten to the root of the problem in (counting...) 13 words. This is a wound so deep and so wide that it cannot possibly heal itself. It's beyond time to stop going all Scarlett O'Hara, i.e., "I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day!" How now, right now?!
Though I have heard right-wing adherents claim that the US is not a democracy, but a republic. Again, a matter of definition; I think they’re making an argument for the US as an agglomeration of fifty states, with states’ rights superseding federal law. The claim against democracy (governance by the people through elected representatives) in favor of republicanism leads too easily to the idea of autocracy; it’s a bit of an apples and oranges comparison, and the fuzzy logic of the comparison makes it useful for dividing the electorate.
In reading this history of Right Wing illogic of ignoring laws against their taking of public lands for private use, I got a big picture of Medieval History (Also known as The Dark Ages), with little fiefdoms all over Europe run by local kings & barons with serfs being exploited.
I, too, marched in DC in 2017. A gathering of prescient patriots. I remember standing outside the fence that surrounded the inauguration grounds. Littered with the detritus of trumpists from the day before. Foreshadowing?
They absolutely did! I took pictures. Alas, this story did not make the news, but it SURE would have if I woulda tipped the first one over...I am quite sure the rest of them would have quickly fallen! A million women looking at padlock potties = definition of frustration. Dumped shot on Pennsylvania ave, yeah, that would have been news.
You can easily get good bolt cutters at Lowes or home depot. ( I like Home Depot because they require masks). Depending on the gauge of steel in the lock would determine how big of bolt cutters one would need. I think at least a foot of handle. Make sure you get the kind that has a mechanical advantage mechanism for really fast cutting/ease of use. And Practice on some locks so you know how to use them. ( I only say this, because, like with any tool, I've learned the hard way with the wrong tool or using it the wrong way.....many times.)
I’m with Pamsy. My first thought was bolt cutters. Fuck the assholes who put padlocks on those doors, it’s an easy fix. Porta potties do not come with padlocks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a padlock on a porta-potty. Not ever. Some jerk had to buy padlocks and walk down that line and install them.
Use your crowd as cover to get close, then no one can stop you from cutting the locks. Use another crowd to be loud/surprise with a diversion of peaceful chanting or something to divert attention.
Isn't there a peaceful protest handbook about this stuff? In Portland, Oregon, a large group of Mom's came out and made a human chain around the peaceful protesters that the mercenaries would not dare cross. That is power.
The story that was circulating was they were installed for the inauguration, not for us, so they were padlocked. There were rows and rows of hundreds if not 1000s.
I was there too. The locks had been busted off some of them. Do you remember how he made them put tape over the company's name on them? Don's Johns! Rotten person, terrible president, no sense of humor.
My daughters and 12 year old granddaughters accompanied me to the 2017 Women's March in Chicago, and to a March for our Lives demonstration ; I did not consider that we might be in danger, and we were not.
Agreed . . . we never felt unsafe! It was initially a passing thought when my friends and I headed into Boston (large crowds can be intimidating), but that immediately evaporated when we got closer and felt the positive energy (even though we all were revolted by trump) and goodwill in the crowds on the subways and streets. The police had a great time too!
I marched with a friend in a Women's March in Tucson AZ. It was wonderful, with women, men, children and dogs. And brilliant signs! But I have to admit I was on the alert, and checking the tops of buildings for men with guns. I thanked two of the policemen who were there to keep us safe. Their big smiles told me that they were unused to being thanked during an event like that.
I participated in the march in Boston in 2017. It was surreal in such a great way! trump and his followers have now tried to take from us the joy of the Biden/Harris Inauguration. However, even with no physical crowds, the barbed wire, and military protective presence, there is going to be a huge collective shout of joy once that oath of office is taken on January 20th!! It will be Zoomed around the world to an audience that far exceeds any other inauguration (with the possible exception of Obama's first)!
Using social media, New Yorkers began the nightly ritual of applauding and cheering health care workers at 7 pm every evening as a way to celebrate the efforts of those on the frontline of the Coronovirus pandemic. #ClapBecauseWeCare
Are there any physical distance/mask wearing, outside gatherings planned in each state to cheer Biden/Harris on and to be filmed as part of the inauguration?
I haven't heard of any in the greater Boston area. I think the potential for nutcases to appear throughout various cities is a deterrent for law abiding citizens to congregate. And, not least of all, given the surge in COVID cases (along with the more contagious strains now out there) I would think most (wise) people are not going to gather in crowds even outside and distanced.
I don’t know who the organIzers are, but I saw a Facebook post tonight for one in Denver. I commented, urging them to call it off.... as if anyone cares what I think. All the chatter on Twitter and Facebook is that there is violence planned in every Capitol this week. City and State governments want us to stay home. It’s a shame, but there will be other opportunities.
I was also at the crowd at the Boston 2017 "march" which was so huge it was actually a peaceful standing together. I was also among 6,000 at Faneuil Hall peacefully demonstrating to uphold the ACA. The latter was a particularly diverse crowd. In both local and national lawmakers addressed us. I had no fear of expressing my concerns or being in the crowd. My heart breaks that this is no longer possible, between the pandemic and fear of violence.
My experience as well! I travelled from California to Washington DC, where the marching route was ‘grid-locked’ by protesters, all peaceful! It was an amazing day especially knowing virtually every country on the planet in multiple cities was also protesting ... absolutely NO violence!!!
Yep: I was there too in KC with my brother and my then-partner. It was a wonderful day, but the thing that disturbed me a bit about these marches is how white they were. Many of the speakers in KC were BIPOC but the marchers themselves were not. This apparently was a national trend and discussions of how the Women's March has played out over the last four years exemplifies the struggle of the Women's Movement in general: it has always had trouble embracing diversity and inclusion; the leadership is mostly white, well-educated, and middle-class. Sigh. As a feminist this makes me a little nuts.
Well, as feminists we can look around for causes we believe in that are led by Black women, and support them. For now, for me, that means a monthly donation to Fair Fight. With Kamala Harris as VP (hooray!!!!), an administration committed to working for ALL the people, and room to push them in whatever we see as the best direction - I look forward to having to pick and choose between progressive causes to support.
The second time that I marched in Tucson, there was a large group from the Tonono O'odham nation with us, or we were with them... They were so proud to be there in their traditional clothing and musical instruments. The Vermont marches, where I live, were pretty much all-white due to our population.
My friends and I also noticed there weren’t a lot of women of color. I would not begin to know all the reasons why that happened but I think the marches that January helped ignite a wave of underserved communities and women being empowered to get elected and appointed to local, state, and federal positions where real change begins. Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and others have worked behind the scenes the past 4 years, to mentor women in the rough and tumble ways of politics and we need to keep that going.
My daughters and I were at the 2019 Women’s March in DC. I have participated in marches against injustices for 50 years. I loved being there. The energy fed off of everyone, man or woman, LGBTQ, all races, made me feel like I was being enveloped in understanding and love. It was awesome!
Yeah I’m never going to use that expression. “Ivankas” works for me! My sister’s name is Karin, she is a sweetheart and a honey bunny and would never dream of taking advantage of anybody else with a power-play because she’s white. She would fit in really well right here on HCR.
After that day in 2017, American women spent the next 4 years saying ENOUGH! All the secrets we held to keep a toxic marriage, a toxic job, or a toxic government came bursting out as a testimony of our oppression. And as we had our day, we learned to listen to others who are systematically oppressed and ORGANIZED to change our fate.
That fate will not happen without pushback from those who feel they now have lost. These folks have used one method to maintain the upper hand - violence and terror.
The four of us (two MN friends, my young adult granddaughter, and I) invited Phyllis, an African American woman who didn't have a "posse" of her own, to join us. We five hung out together all day. Well, most of the day. Got separated 2:3 for a while, but reconnected eventually. Phyllis and I are still in touch periodically. Perhaps the makeup of our posse clouded my overall vision of diversity that day. What I do remember is having been kind of gobsmacked (in a good way) by the turnout of so many men for that march.
My only negative memory of the Women's March in 2017 was standing in line for around 40 minutes for a chance at a lone Porta potty and then discovering a long line of them on the Mall. Oh well, I got to talk to my friend Beth for a long time while we crossed our legs and danced!!
On January 21, 2017, tens of millions of peaceful protesters gathered (not one single incidence of violence) and showed tremendous unity. Unfortunately, the pride of that day never stood a chance of raising the level of consciousness of a madman (or his enablers and followers) who had stolen his first election. Our government completely unraveled for the next 4 years. My non profound observation over the decades is that too often violence is the catalyst for change.
Our history of peaceful elections and transfer of power (without military assistance) have been a safe haven. Now, 10’s of thousands of troops (very necessary) occupy D.C. so the 46th president (fairly, legally elected) can take the oath of office without getting killed and to prevent any attempts at another coup. It is heartbreaking but is the reality few actually thought would be seen in modern times.
Maintaining a democracy and rule of law takes work by an educated, informed, and involved electorate. We must not ever forget; never again.
I participated in the Women’s March and several other marches in 2017. Absolute calm, peace and unity. The insurrectionists on January 6 never planned to march peacefully. They went to start a war and over-through the government. What upside down thinking to violently seek to overthrow a democratic election, because you want... a democracy.
Yes, those marches generated a universal sense of calm, peace, and unity. What happened on January 6th is beyond the pale. They were not protesters, they were anarchists and terrorists.
Seditionists. It is a felony. Twenty years.
Yes, thank you! I want this point to continue to be raised and I am so concerned that those involved will just get a slap on the wrist... and we will have failed again to hold accountability. Rule of law must be reinstated.
Yes, Biden's impulse to bring the country together must not override the imperative to punish the insurrectionists, wherever they are: back home or in the halls of Congress.
Absolutely, Pamsy! .....Missed you yesterday!
I and my spouse, along with a close friend and her spouse, have attended several marches together since January 2017 - Women's Marches, Marches for Our Lives, advocacy marches with and for immigrants, and Earth Day marches - in our state's capitol. All were peaceful and well-attended. Those who ended up entering the Capitol Bldg here in Olympia did so with pre-arranged appointments with senators and representatives. No weapons, no injuries, no deaths.
Since the 2020 election armed pro-T**** marchers have clashed with counter-protestors multiple times, with at least one shooting by a T****ster. They stormed the Governor's Residence on January 6. There is a bill up for consideration in this legislative session to outlaw open carrying of firearms to protests, but as of today, it's still legal for these guys to parade the streets of our state capitol fully armed. On top of this unrest, the pandemic, the ongoing BLM protests, the increasing number of unhoused people living in tents close to downtown, it is going to take a long time for our little business district to revive. Every time I drive through downtown, I see another closed and boarded up storefront. As the outgoing POTUS used to be so fond of tweeting, SAD (although I mean it in such a different way).
I don't think there is anything more disheartening and frightening than a bunch of guys roaming the streets carrying what look like assault weapons openingly and brazenly. The only reason to do that is to intimidate and/or actually kill people. Yes, it is very sad.
How about everybody who doesn't have the slightest idea what an "anarchist" is just STOP calling everybody they don't like (or agree with) "anarchists." I've numbered myself an anarchist for about fifty years and I a pretty much on what every subscriber to this blog would consider that of "the angels." It is sloppy, lazy and intellectually vacuous to call everybody you don't like an "anarchist." I thought doing so was more or less from the playbook of the last president. But I guess not.
Am I missing something? Hasn’t anarchy historically always been associated with the left wing? My understanding is that anarchy is about hierarchy and a vision (Murray Bookchin comes to mind) that is very much anti-capitalist. I suppose libertarianism blurs the lines and anarchy might be thought of as a natural endpoint of libertarianism, but without social protections just becomes a power hierarchy where the rich may do as they wish and therefore constrain the freedom of the poor.
Yes, upside down thinking. Like Trump wanting to be reelected when he has no interest in running the country.
I just read back my comment and the one above that prompted it, and I realized that the reason things seem upside down is that I am still thinking in terms of people wanting to do what is right, as responsible people do. But those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 and their leader, Donald Trump, use conventional language to mean something entirely different. For instance, when I say democracy, I mean government by and for all the people; when Trump and his followers use that term, they mean government by and for select groups of people. I have learned recently that this deliberate misuse of terms is part of the psychological technique called gaslighting, which attempts to cause people to doubt their convictions. This is why I've been leaning on the dictionary and various other references a lot lately, including our Constitution. I feel an almost constant need to refer to standards. And when speaking, it seems terribly important to chose words carefully, to speak (or write) with precision, and to call out imprecision when encountered and make those speaking (or writing) define the terms they use.
Becky - I’ve been experiencing the same thing. I have until recently never enjoyed learning any kind of history. After a friend told me about Letters from an American, I became hooked! I have been devouring books about American history, particularly regarding the Civil War, but also books and articles about caste systems, political figures, behavioral psychology, neuroscience, and other topics, learning all I can to understand how we got here and how peoples’ beliefs came to be. The more I learn, the more I feel I am understanding people with opposing beliefs. Are there extremists? Yes. Are there non-extremists who are simply people who believe that their values and beliefs are being challenged? Yes. Bottom line is we are all people and like it or not we are all in this together. And we need to be able to speak and communicate using a common language. Words matter. How communication is framed matters. Civility matters.
I am reminded of how powerfully words can communicate in an instant (read George Lakoff, now I see examples everywhere!). Passed a billboard yesterday for an attorney. Headline: Injury Justice. With just two words this communication is framed to make you feel that if you were injured, you were wronged. And this lawyer is already on your side and will help you get what you deserve because you were clearly wronged by someone else. Truly powerful. Politicians have been using this kind of framing too. Think about that. Words matter. It is as you say (Becky) “it seems terribly important to chose (sic) words carefully.”
Yes words are powerful— interestingly though one of the first things I noticed about DT was his limited vocabulary. It’s like a backward sixth grader. Coming after Obama’s formidable language skills in terms of speaking and writing, what a thud.
Liz, I used to think Trump spoke in simplistic language to appeal to his base and deliberately avoided sophisticated language that was unfamiliar to them. When we discovered he reads almost nothing that doesn’t contain his own name embedded in it and stumbles over somewhat sophisticated words written for him on the TelePrompTer, his true illiteracy was revealed. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” -Fran Lebowitz
That shocked me too, and it took me a while to realize that he doesn't give a rat's ass for me or people like me who try hard to paint clear ideas with words. But he does care for the kind of people who resent the kind of people who try hard to paint clear ideas with words, so he does just the opposite.
Yes, and he also has a learning disability so reading must be tough. However, he is a master of projection, word twisting/gaslighting and brainwashing. He follows Hitler's playbook to a T (for trump!). Might be the only book he ever read all the way through, based on his actions.
According to one of his ex-wives, he had a book of Hitler's speeches at his bedside, and studied it.
Yes, I heard that, too. I think it might be the only book that ever interested his power and supremacy issues.
I often thought Obama was too good. I LOVE him, but if a newspaper should be written at a 5th grade level, then, when speaking to the public, our leaders should - without condescension - also communicate at that level.
I believe it was Kelly who revealed that they had to bring pictures for him to understand anything as he didn’t read. So awful to have somebody like that in power. A disgrace!
I've met a couple of successful business owners (who immigrated to the US and ended up in my adult ESL classes) who were only semi- or pre-literate in not only English, but in their primary languages. These individuals were smart, articulate in two or more languages other than English, and had become relatively wealthy in areas where many business deals are verbal and contracts made with handshakes. However, I would never want any of them to become the leader of a country. Government is not a business and should not be run for profit (no matter how many have used it in that way).
Lena - I too have become fascinated with history thanks to Letters From An American. I also see that we ignore history to our peril. I wish I could agree that we are all in this together. Yes, civility matters, understanding the power of language matters. But it also matters to face the fact, as Richardson writes, that racism is deeply embedded in what may appear to be our most innocent beliefs - as in the white American brand of anti-socialist "liberty". Recent neuroscience research confirms that we all have the same physical brain but we can develop vastly different mind sets. I no longer know how to use language, civility, logic to bridge that gap. It's beyond me. Perhaps this almost coup will begin our long, slow awakening so that we, as a nation, may finally face our dark history.
Becky and Lena - Your comments reveal how important the teacher is in inspiring the student. If the teacher is fascinated by the topic, her students are likely to be also.
Though many of us are older than our professor, HCR, we are definitely her students. These discussions remind me of the better seminars in grad school. I would have stayed at university forever if it had been possible, but this forum keeps my mind from getting dull and fuzzed over with moss.
Yes, excellent advice. Read George Lakoff -- if you don't want to be framed...
If you really get down to the implications of his writing, that could be a liberating experience. Amost alll westerners, especially Americans, are self-incarcerated prisoners locked into their mental habits, concepts, blind beliefs, prejudices. Even the very word Liberty gets hammered into the bars of a mental prison -- for those whose cells still have windows.
"Liberty and justice for all” can be a frame to unite progressives. Our language and writing and speech would augment this frame with specifics, such as economic and racial justice, and justice for the earth, as we speak of universal health care, education and sustainability.
Sounds good. I would address the issues other readers have raised by adding one word: "liberty, equality, and justice for all." (This has been one of the suggested but not adopted edits to the pledge of allegiance,)
I could go with that Tom. Of course, the power of "liberty and justice for all” is the fact that its the conclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Perhaps the Sedition Caucus and others have violated their pledge of allegiance to this country?
There is a story, possibly apocryphal, that Bellamy as a good Christian Socialist had one draft of the pledge with "equality" in it. But in his later comments he never mentioned this, so maybe just a wish. Equality was as dangerous a notion to some in 1892 (they wanted to sell flags after all) as it is (to some) today.
Thanks for your response, Lena. I'm with you on Heather's instigation to the study of history. Watching her FB chat on Jan 14, my husband (who takes time from work to watch) and I laughed with delight at her obvious delight at telling us real stories from the past. I've never seen anything like it. Just think if teachers in other disciplines could do the same!
You made me think of advertising and wonder how it fits in. You know, I often think of politics/current events as a huge, colorful graphic with bubbles and arrows, animated to show the bits that grow and shrink in relation to it all and to emphasize that one bit forces another this way or that. Something like Hans Rosling's animated statistics, or a Wait But Why cartoon set in motion. I can SEE that one thing influences another. Yesterday somebody recommended the book, Elmer Gantry, and I started to read it. Immediately there are Trump (Elmer) and Roger Stone (Elmer's pal, Jim).
I do wonder why we like to deceive each other. I don't. So why do some others?
Advertising used to “advertise” features and then later it was figured out that “benefits” are why people choose to purchase. And then psychology came into the advertising arena and ad execs learned that appealing to peoples’ sense of belonging (using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) could change a single purchase into a lifelong relationship which of course guaranteed corporate profits. Today people will intentionally spend more money on an identical product in terms of function and form simply because it has a particular name or logo on it. They want to “belong” to a certain group.
I should have studied psychology. Everything seems to end up there.
For the astute, study never ends. If you are reading Lakoff, you're studying psychology now!
Thank you for the George Lakoff reference. I checked him out. Which of his books are you referring to?
Sorry I took so long to respond to you.
I’ve often recommended Lakoff, not so much because his ideas influence my own as because there's a correspondence. His central thesis about framing and the metaphor is one to which I'd given much thought decades earlier, when I was an eighteen-year old writing a treatise on painting. .
I was thinking at the time about various ways of relating to Nature, how we are in the world, how we see it, our place in it; and comparing painting in the Western tradition since the Renaissance with Chinese painting.
That may sound very esoteric, but it isn't really. Lakoff and many others speak of the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment, but there's much in our world view that goes back to the Renaissance, hundreds of years earlier.
Anyway, for Lakoff, I guess the starting point should be Metaphors We Live By, written with Mark Johnson. Reissued 2008.
Coming to the political implications of framing issues:
Moral Politics, How Liberals and Conservatives Think (3rd edition 2016)
And Don’t Think of an Elephant (revised edition, 2014
Well, I see you've been into these, but here's another useful short cut:
Why it Matters How We Frame the Environment: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17524030903529749
The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain. 2009. Lots of neuropsychology, if you enjoy reading about how our brains work.
Thank you!
Any time!
I just downloaded a sample of "Don't Think of an Elephant."
Listening to a sample of "Moral Politics." Woah.
Ordered used copy of "Moral Politics."
I found this video of George Lakoff speaking about moral values. He is explaining exactly why conservatives and liberals think differently. I'm getting so much from this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9R9MtkpqM
moral politics
Good point Becky. I have frequently felt the effects of being gaslighted in conversation during the last four years. I too have demanded definitions during debate. Unfortunately without agreed upon definitions we aren’t really conversing. It is maddening if one really wants a conversation to end up just circling the point.
Logical argument doesn't work. We have to think of another way. In a past job in customer service, a teacher used the example of a runaway horse and carriage. Said rather than holding up your arm before it and shouting, "Stop!" you need to mount the horse (not sure how this was accomplished) and gradually slow it down. I understood this to mean that if you want to fix a customer's problem, you must listen to their argument carefully enough to understand how to "slow the horse down." You must be genuinely empathetic. This is very hard to do. I think something like this might work with Trump supporters, but it means facing my own biases and resentments, and so far I haven't been able to let them go well enough to get anywhere near that horse.
What if your "bias" is truth?
MaryPat, I had a long discussion with my husband about your reply. It was about if there can be an objective truth and in what circumstances. We didn't reach a conclusion before getting tired of talking.
Wow, I don't know if I should be honored or if I should apologize! I am reminded, though, when I imagine trying to help a trumper "see the light", of the woman who went to a marriage counselor for help. She was advised (if I remember this correctly), "Just because you are right doesn't make it good." In other words, we are right - tRump is a con. But "telling the truth" to a trumper will not solve the problem. I don't have to change my bias, as much as I need to think about what would be helpful for the other person. A stock market that doesn't wobble and plunge, a job that pays a living wage with benefits, a hero who doesn't tweet lies, maybe a prescription that doesn't combine antidepressant with narcotic with alcohol to cause a serotonin storm of anger. I think I am way off the philosophical conundrum now, and describing 4 trumpers I know. Darn, do we have to do this one at a time? Perhaps. What it may all boil down to is one thing my mom used to say, "Be Nice."
It is indeed hard to do. I have friends who are Republicans who are willing to engage in political conversations over lunch (pre-Covid). It is amazing to me that people I have so much in common with could have such opposing political views. But sitting across from them, one on one, allows for discussions that help to understand why this or that policy upsets them. In the end, it always comes back to them advocating for what they believe is best for themselves and their loved ones. Just like me. Perhaps it would be helpful to view others as “us” instead of “others”. Like when as a child in grade school teachers had us write letters to pen pals in foreign countries - in my case countries considered communist - so that we could see the humanity of those who lived there.
Also trying to read articles from sources supporting other views can expand your horizons as well as reading books with opposing viewpoints. For instance, I’m reading Blackout by Candace Owens to get a perspective on why some believe black people should abandon the Democrat Party. I’ll admit it isn’t easy to read because I disagree with her point of view, but I feel it is important to read so that I understand what the issues are - not her solutions. I believe I can think for myself. But I know I don’t know what someone else’s problems are. I’m a big reader, so this method helps me understand.
Candace Owens is a disgrace to her race.
linguistic detail - it's the "Democratic" party. 'Democrat' is the noun, 'democratic' is the adjective. Mis-using parts of speech in ordinary speaking (poetry not included) is derogatory. My guess is you picked it up by accident from hearing it so often.
Typo from rewriting of my thoughts on the fly - thanks for catching the error.
It would be interesting to have stats on how many have re-read, or read for the first time, our Constitution since T**** came into office.
I haven’t re-read the Constitution recently, but I’ve sure done a lot of thinking about it. As Fiona Hill says in a January 11 op-ed on Politico (link on Jan. 17 HCR, easy to find), “Yes It Was A Coup,” American democracy has been stress tested. In a big way. I felt confident for four years, but still, who needs this level of anxiety. We are all about to breathe a very big sigh of relief. We passed the test, but boy, I have a lot of weaknesses been exposed.
Hi Roland! Someone made a comment on something I wrote which has taken me all the way back to HCR in January! Many of us have missed you on HCR's forum...hope your book writing is coming along!
warmly,
Penelope
Yes. The only thing he is good at is labeling in his upside-down world. Examples: trying to steal the election away from Biden while calling it “stop the steal”... degrading our country while calling it “make America great again”... professing to love the US military while trashing Gold Star families, allowing Russia to put bounties on our troops’ heads, and bending our military for his political optics.
That’s not true. He and his cohorts are running the country......right into the ground, just to make Biden’s job harder.
I too marched proudly, flanked by my two daughters.
It must be especially painful for you wonderful women who peacefully marched with your children and grandchildren, to now see such violent desecration of our Capitol, with the intent of killing elected officials and overturning our government. There couldn’t be a starker contrast.
My daughters are in their 30’s now. They have a clear perspective of when we were in DC marching several years back. We are a society now of where our mental health needs a lot of help.
I have marched too, and took 2 of my grandchildren to one. They participated by making signs beforehand and enjoyed the gathering of peaceful, like-minded people.
I too marched, along with my wife. Our Democratic Congressman enthusiastically addressed the large crowd, in Napa, CA., at that time
I love that men marched with the women. Thank you.
He is my rep too.
One of my sons participated too - but we couldn't find each other in the crowds and cell phone service was cut off.
I was at the Women's March too - I was overwhelmed with good feeling there. Not a single instance of violence that I know of. Such a contrast!!
*overthrow* We need an edit option.;-)
But do they truly want a democracy? Aren't democracy and white supremacy antithetical?
You have gotten to the root of the problem in (counting...) 13 words. This is a wound so deep and so wide that it cannot possibly heal itself. It's beyond time to stop going all Scarlett O'Hara, i.e., "I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day!" How now, right now?!
Exactly.
Though I have heard right-wing adherents claim that the US is not a democracy, but a republic. Again, a matter of definition; I think they’re making an argument for the US as an agglomeration of fifty states, with states’ rights superseding federal law. The claim against democracy (governance by the people through elected representatives) in favor of republicanism leads too easily to the idea of autocracy; it’s a bit of an apples and oranges comparison, and the fuzzy logic of the comparison makes it useful for dividing the electorate.
In reading this history of Right Wing illogic of ignoring laws against their taking of public lands for private use, I got a big picture of Medieval History (Also known as The Dark Ages), with little fiefdoms all over Europe run by local kings & barons with serfs being exploited.
I, too, marched in DC in 2017. A gathering of prescient patriots. I remember standing outside the fence that surrounded the inauguration grounds. Littered with the detritus of trumpists from the day before. Foreshadowing?
I was outraged when we came upon the rows and rows of 1000s of portapotties that day of the March. Every one of them was locked shut with a padlock!
I thought, how hateful! Let's tip these suckers over! My grown daughter's cooler head prevailed and she talked me down...
Her words, "Mom, this is supposed to be PEACEFUL!"
They did that with the portapotties? Jeez, they would make a hyena blush with embarrassment to think they were both mammals...
They absolutely did! I took pictures. Alas, this story did not make the news, but it SURE would have if I woulda tipped the first one over...I am quite sure the rest of them would have quickly fallen! A million women looking at padlock potties = definition of frustration. Dumped shot on Pennsylvania ave, yeah, that would have been news.
Shit, shit!
You can easily get good bolt cutters at Lowes or home depot. ( I like Home Depot because they require masks). Depending on the gauge of steel in the lock would determine how big of bolt cutters one would need. I think at least a foot of handle. Make sure you get the kind that has a mechanical advantage mechanism for really fast cutting/ease of use. And Practice on some locks so you know how to use them. ( I only say this, because, like with any tool, I've learned the hard way with the wrong tool or using it the wrong way.....many times.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_cutter#:~:text=A%20bolt%20cutter%2C%20sometimes%20called,maximize%20leverage%20and%20cutting%20force.&text=Center%20cut%20has%20the%20blades,two%20faces%20of%20the%20blade.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-14-in-Bolt-Cutter-With-5-16-in-Max-Cut-Capacity-48-22-4014/303182026
I’m with Pamsy. My first thought was bolt cutters. Fuck the assholes who put padlocks on those doors, it’s an easy fix. Porta potties do not come with padlocks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a padlock on a porta-potty. Not ever. Some jerk had to buy padlocks and walk down that line and install them.
Yup, it was really a strange and insulting sight. We all decided next peaceful march we would put a nice pair of boltcutters into our day pack!
And unfortunately they would arrest you for carrying a potentially deadly weapon!
Well, there's that too.
Use your crowd as cover to get close, then no one can stop you from cutting the locks. Use another crowd to be loud/surprise with a diversion of peaceful chanting or something to divert attention.
Isn't there a peaceful protest handbook about this stuff? In Portland, Oregon, a large group of Mom's came out and made a human chain around the peaceful protesters that the mercenaries would not dare cross. That is power.
We just used the crowd as cover to pee outside close to the potties!
We figured, that's what men would do.
Dirty tricks are not nice. Roger Stone is not nice.
Bolt cutters? I’m not an anarchistic but when you gotta go, you gotta go!
So lame to do that
I was also at the march but never encountered locked portapotties unless they were occupied. Maybe there was a benign reason for padlocking some?
The story that was circulating was they were installed for the inauguration, not for us, so they were padlocked. There were rows and rows of hundreds if not 1000s.
I ran across a line of them on the Mall as we were heading for the Metro to go home. They weren't locked then but maybe someone had found a key?
I was there too. The locks had been busted off some of them. Do you remember how he made them put tape over the company's name on them? Don's Johns! Rotten person, terrible president, no sense of humor.
Glad to hear some were busted open!
My daughters and 12 year old granddaughters accompanied me to the 2017 Women's March in Chicago, and to a March for our Lives demonstration ; I did not consider that we might be in danger, and we were not.
Agreed . . . we never felt unsafe! It was initially a passing thought when my friends and I headed into Boston (large crowds can be intimidating), but that immediately evaporated when we got closer and felt the positive energy (even though we all were revolted by trump) and goodwill in the crowds on the subways and streets. The police had a great time too!
I marched with a friend in a Women's March in Tucson AZ. It was wonderful, with women, men, children and dogs. And brilliant signs! But I have to admit I was on the alert, and checking the tops of buildings for men with guns. I thanked two of the policemen who were there to keep us safe. Their big smiles told me that they were unused to being thanked during an event like that.
You are correct: "Maintaining a democracy and rule of law takes work by an educated, informed, and involved electorate."
I add to this list of requirements for democracy a vibrant middle class that allows the majority to earn a "good" living.
Income inequality is the greatest threat to democracy today.
And that income equality includes race. They are intertwined, in my view.
Well said. I was in one of those marches. NOTHING like what I witnessed on January 6.
I participated in the march in Boston in 2017. It was surreal in such a great way! trump and his followers have now tried to take from us the joy of the Biden/Harris Inauguration. However, even with no physical crowds, the barbed wire, and military protective presence, there is going to be a huge collective shout of joy once that oath of office is taken on January 20th!! It will be Zoomed around the world to an audience that far exceeds any other inauguration (with the possible exception of Obama's first)!
We should all step outside and beat on pots and pans and blow horns at the moment, no matter where we are.
Using social media, New Yorkers began the nightly ritual of applauding and cheering health care workers at 7 pm every evening as a way to celebrate the efforts of those on the frontline of the Coronovirus pandemic. #ClapBecauseWeCare
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/10/832131816/every-night-new-york-city-salutes-its-health-care-workers
I have some noisemakers from NY Eve.
Yes I’m bracing for joy— please.
Are there any physical distance/mask wearing, outside gatherings planned in each state to cheer Biden/Harris on and to be filmed as part of the inauguration?
I haven't heard of any in the greater Boston area. I think the potential for nutcases to appear throughout various cities is a deterrent for law abiding citizens to congregate. And, not least of all, given the surge in COVID cases (along with the more contagious strains now out there) I would think most (wise) people are not going to gather in crowds even outside and distanced.
Thank you for your assessment and words of wisdom, Janet!
I don’t know who the organIzers are, but I saw a Facebook post tonight for one in Denver. I commented, urging them to call it off.... as if anyone cares what I think. All the chatter on Twitter and Facebook is that there is violence planned in every Capitol this week. City and State governments want us to stay home. It’s a shame, but there will be other opportunities.
My neighborhood is quiet as a tomb.
I was also at the crowd at the Boston 2017 "march" which was so huge it was actually a peaceful standing together. I was also among 6,000 at Faneuil Hall peacefully demonstrating to uphold the ACA. The latter was a particularly diverse crowd. In both local and national lawmakers addressed us. I had no fear of expressing my concerns or being in the crowd. My heart breaks that this is no longer possible, between the pandemic and fear of violence.
My experience as well! I travelled from California to Washington DC, where the marching route was ‘grid-locked’ by protesters, all peaceful! It was an amazing day especially knowing virtually every country on the planet in multiple cities was also protesting ... absolutely NO violence!!!
Yep: I was there too in KC with my brother and my then-partner. It was a wonderful day, but the thing that disturbed me a bit about these marches is how white they were. Many of the speakers in KC were BIPOC but the marchers themselves were not. This apparently was a national trend and discussions of how the Women's March has played out over the last four years exemplifies the struggle of the Women's Movement in general: it has always had trouble embracing diversity and inclusion; the leadership is mostly white, well-educated, and middle-class. Sigh. As a feminist this makes me a little nuts.
Well, as feminists we can look around for causes we believe in that are led by Black women, and support them. For now, for me, that means a monthly donation to Fair Fight. With Kamala Harris as VP (hooray!!!!), an administration committed to working for ALL the people, and room to push them in whatever we see as the best direction - I look forward to having to pick and choose between progressive causes to support.
Maybe the next Women's March should call on Stacey Abrams to do some recruiting...
The second time that I marched in Tucson, there was a large group from the Tonono O'odham nation with us, or we were with them... They were so proud to be there in their traditional clothing and musical instruments. The Vermont marches, where I live, were pretty much all-white due to our population.
Wow, that’s a beautiful image.
My friends and I also noticed there weren’t a lot of women of color. I would not begin to know all the reasons why that happened but I think the marches that January helped ignite a wave of underserved communities and women being empowered to get elected and appointed to local, state, and federal positions where real change begins. Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and others have worked behind the scenes the past 4 years, to mentor women in the rough and tumble ways of politics and we need to keep that going.
My daughters and I were at the 2019 Women’s March in DC. I have participated in marches against injustices for 50 years. I loved being there. The energy fed off of everyone, man or woman, LGBTQ, all races, made me feel like I was being enveloped in understanding and love. It was awesome!
Someone recently suggested that we shift the label from "Karens" to "Ivankas!" <3
The label “Karen” is so unfair to all the caring women with that name. I second this motion!
I am all for that!!!
Yeah I’m never going to use that expression. “Ivankas” works for me! My sister’s name is Karin, she is a sweetheart and a honey bunny and would never dream of taking advantage of anybody else with a power-play because she’s white. She would fit in really well right here on HCR.
words well spoken.
After that day in 2017, American women spent the next 4 years saying ENOUGH! All the secrets we held to keep a toxic marriage, a toxic job, or a toxic government came bursting out as a testimony of our oppression. And as we had our day, we learned to listen to others who are systematically oppressed and ORGANIZED to change our fate.
That fate will not happen without pushback from those who feel they now have lost. These folks have used one method to maintain the upper hand - violence and terror.
The four of us (two MN friends, my young adult granddaughter, and I) invited Phyllis, an African American woman who didn't have a "posse" of her own, to join us. We five hung out together all day. Well, most of the day. Got separated 2:3 for a while, but reconnected eventually. Phyllis and I are still in touch periodically. Perhaps the makeup of our posse clouded my overall vision of diversity that day. What I do remember is having been kind of gobsmacked (in a good way) by the turnout of so many men for that march.
Yes, what a beautiful day that was. Celebrated in cities around the world, it was a joyous celebration of what’s possible.
My only negative memory of the Women's March in 2017 was standing in line for around 40 minutes for a chance at a lone Porta potty and then discovering a long line of them on the Mall. Oh well, I got to talk to my friend Beth for a long time while we crossed our legs and danced!!