Randi Kreiss

Social media mutes public outrage

Posted

The American Revolution might never have happened if social media had existed in the 1770s. George Washington might have vented his fury at the Brits on his Facebook page. Alexander Hamilton might have sublimated his anger in a flurry of tweets, and the rage of the colonists might have ended in a whimper rather than a bang.

And we might all be enjoying a spot of tea every afternoon.

Relatively isolated and informed only by occasional newspapers and word of mouth, the colonists eventually went to war against England because the only expression of their rebellion (Thomas Paine aside) was to unite and take up arms. Nowadays we have too many options; social media sucks up our energy and renders the public impotent in the face of abuse of power and threats to our freedom.

In the case of Donald Trump:

The Women’s March on Washington, set for Jan. 21, is projected to draw some 200,000 to 400,000 people who will demonstrate in defense of the many groups marginalized by Trump’s election and projected programs.

But it seems after-the-fact to me. Where were the protesters when Trump first insulted immigrants and minorities? When he threatened to ban Muslims? When he won the Republican nomination? When he admitted to sexually assaulting women because “they let you when you’re a celebrity.” We were all busy commiserating on Facebook and Twitter, but very few people mobilized, even when Trump’s tactics and words evoked disturbing memories of dictators and autocrats.

I do not understand why his racist and misogynistic comments did not send people out into the streets in protest. I do not understand why his obvious ignorance, dangerous global vision and toxic conflicts of interest did not push folks out of their armchairs. I can only think that the millions of anti-Trump people in America did not feel a need to act because they were posting and tweeting and emailing, and all that rage lost its fury in words rather than deeds.

In 1963, some 250,000 people marched for civil rights. In 1965, 250,000 marched for peace in Vietnam. In 1969, 600,000 marched against the war in Vietnam. In 1987, 500,000 marched for gay rights. In 1989, 500,000 people marched for women’s reproductive rights.

In 1995, perhaps as many as 800,000 took part in the Million Man March. In 2004, perhaps as many as 1 million marched for women’s reproductive rights.

I was among the protesters who marched in Washington to defend a woman’s right to reproductive choice. I was there with my mother and my daughter and hundreds of thousands of others to defend abortion rights when they seemed threatened by the Bush 41 White House. What propelled me out of my house and motivated me to pay for a train ticket and march on a cold and windy day was the feeling that I had to step out, had to act on my rights as a citizen to demonstrate peacefully for an issue that I saw as basic to humanity: the right to determine what happens to one’s body.

Seems to me that the emerging Trump presidency threatens all of the rights we’ve fought for through the years and raises additional concerns about protecting immigrants and minorities and the very earth we live on. The historic marches for civil rights, like the Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” gathering and the anti-war marches during Vietnam, brought about change. People didn’t just aggravate and percolate in their own spheres; they brought their angst and determination to the streets. It helped. It worked.

Now we rave on Facebook, and then go about our business.

I know that people have been gathering near Trump Tower since the election. But where are the majority of voters, the more than 60 million who voted for Hillary Clinton? Where are the people who are repulsed by the threatening words, the lies and the corrupt policies of our incoming leader?

Oh, people are angry all right. Folks are deeply worried and disturbed about the future of America. You can read all about it in their tweets.

But there’s nothing like showing up in person to bring about change. When President Lyndon Johnson was sitting in the White House in 1968, he could hear the protesters outside chanting, “Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?” I do believe that was the beginning of the end of that terrible war.

We are now in a fight for something even bigger: the basic freedoms and principles and values that have always been the foundation of our country, central to our identity as Americans. What happened to “Give me your tired, your poor”?

I hope the Women’s March on Washington goes well. I hope President Trump listens. And I hope people will continue to protest peacefully and publicly if he follows through on his ill-conceived plans and policies.

We have to stop phoning it in.

Copyright © 2017 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.