My friend Linda, who is the best organizer I know, has been somewhat critical of the Wall Street demonstrators. She said the other day, “I wonder how many of them voted.” She thinks they are like a flash mob. (Another way to define a flash mob might be “flash in the pan.”) She points out the demonstrators have no articulated goals. How will they know when they won?
All of those things are true, but I am still pleased. First of all, it is nice to see signs of life on the left. Secondly, the demonstrators are so young. Ok, I’ll admit things are a bit inchoate, but we also need to remember that the first Tea Party demonstrations were also rather vague. It was only later the Tea Party became a spokesman for the ultra-right wing of the Republican Party. Who knows, this may be the beginning of a grassroots movement on the left. At least we know there are other people like us out there.
As for the demonstrators not voting, both the women’s suffrage movement and the civil rights movement achieved success although many of their participants were not even allowed to vote. Maybe voting is overrated. Maybe it is time to take to the streets. You don’t even need picture ID.
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