Today I asked my friend what she thought was the most impressive protest action she could think of. After about five seconds, she said, “The 1963 March on Washington.”
“Right,” I replied.
The March on Washington i had hundreds of thousands of participants. It took months to organize. It had first aid stations, march monitors, porta potties, loud speakers, singers, people to pass out water, bus parking. It took place before word could be spread on the internet, because there was no internet. No cell phones. Just organizers who had some experience and a simple message. Equal rights.
I’ve read that on Feb. 28 we aren’t supposed to buy anything unless it is from small businesses. It is supposed to show our power.
Against what? For what? How will we know if it succeeded? What if everybody just postpones purchases until March 1? What is a small business?
Suppose MAGA said, “We won’t buy anything on Feb. 28 to show our power.” How would I respond? I’d run down to Lowes or Dollar General and buy all kinds of stuff. I’d show them.
I have participated in quite a few local demonstrations at the Jim Thorpe Courthouse. We always alerted the cops. We also alerted the newspapers and local tv stations. We had a definite purpose, like “Stop the Penn East Pipeline” or “Save Mauch Chunk Lake, or “No Sewage Sludge on Carbon County Farms” or “Support Ukraine,” or “Stand with Standing Rock” against the Dakota access pipeline.
We always had press coverage and interviews Two of those battles we won, with three on-going. They were small demonstrations, but we had signs ready, speakers lined up, monitors to keep demonstrators from doing stupid stuff. We were organized. Phone calls were made. Commitments were locked in. We didn’t just put out a call on Facebook for people to show up.
Don’t worry. I won’t buy anything on Feb. 28. I don’t buy anything on most days. And this “action” will have about as much effect as if I go down to the edge of Beltzville Lake and toss a rock into the water.
I have the same thoughts about the purchase blackout on a single day. On the other hand, Canada’s refusal to purchase any more liquor from the state of Kentucky has had a tangible impact on Kentucky’s revenue stream.
ReplyDeleteThe permanent boycott of Walmart, Amazon, and the other biggies feels like it would be more impactful. It would also make me feel less skeevy personally, but I wonder….The huge upside to these big companies of siding with the guy that doesn’t want them taxed, doesn’t want them to have to deal with pesky environmentalists or worry about their employees’ health and welfare seems to usurp what they lose when I buy my toilet paper somewhere else. I’m not drawn to fatalism, but it feels like the “vote with your pocketbook” options are a little too flaccid for this moment.