I’ve Just Begun to Resist

I couldn’t bring myself to watch the inauguration on Friday.  I boycotted it in solidarity with Congressman John Lewis.  It wasn’t about being a sore loser as some Trump supporters like to suggest.  It wasn’t about shirking my patriotic  duty to watch the peaceful transition of power as others seem to believe.  It was the beginning of my resistance against this president and what he stands for.  If his next moves are like his first moves, then I will resist him with all my might. I must admit that it was gratifying to see on the news that some of the stands were nearly empty during the inaugural parade.  Of course, the Trump spokesman held a news conference to blame the media for showing less than flattering numbers present at the inauguration, even shouting, “There were a million people, period”.  No surprise there.  There were not a million people.  But we have a president whose ego was likely bruised by the low turnout and the record number of protesters who showed up the following day.  With public favorability on inauguration day at only 32% according to polls reported by CNN, it’s no wonder.  I was actually gleeful about the crowd size at the marches on Saturday. It means that I am not alone in this resistance.  I won’t be a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

I’m proud of my fellow citizens for showing up in mass at over 600 protest marches on Saturday.  Reportedly there were more in D.C. to march on Saturday than were there to attend the inauguration.  I had an important  service project commitment with my sorority on Saturday that precluded my attendance at a local march, but I began watching the DC march on C-Span early in the morning!  I could only be there in spirit watching my friends and  Facebook Friends live stream or post pictures of their participation from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura and D.C..  My son texted me a video of the march he attended in New Orleans.  I am elated that protest marches happened all over this country and abroad.  But this cannot be the end of the resistance.  It has to be the beginning of an ongoing movement like the Tea Party.  We can’t have another 99% movement that made an important point, but then fizzled out for lack of organization and leadership.

I can and will continue to resist by using my time, my energy, my pen, my voice and if need be, my body.  I will financially support the candidacy of people who stand for social justice values. I might even go back to knocking on a few doors!  In two years, I will vote!  And I’ll remind my family and friends that they need to show up for these mid-term elections, too.

I realize a few things:  If I  want our country to regain the dignity of the office of the president, then I must protest.  If I want an ethical president who also pays taxes, then I must protest.  If I want equal pay for women, then I must protest.  If I want clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, then I must protest.  If I want access to health care for my fellow Americans that does not leave anyone bankrupt, then I must protest.  If I want all working  people to earn a living wage, then I must protest.  If I want a nation that takes sexual assault seriously, then I must protest (and wear one of those funny pink knitted hats).  If I want a just criminal justice system where the police protect and serve everyone cause “Black Lives Matter“, then I must protest.  If I want to protect the rights of people to love and marry whom they wish, then I must protest.  If I want women to retain the right to decide when and if to have a baby, then I must protest.   If I want more clean energy, greater access to education, a fair and just immigration system, and fewer wars, then I must protest.   My protest will always be non-violent.  Non-violence is essential to me, not peace.  I’m from the “No justice, no peace” school of thought.

That said, I care about a lot of issues and I may not agree with my neighbor on every one of them.  And that’s okay.  We may have to agree to disagree at times, but I can no longer be afraid to dialogue with people who think differently about issues.  It will never be a good practice to listen only to those who agree with me.  Extremism grows when people only surround themselves with people who are likeminded and then only hear one side of an issue. These closed associations drive people further and further from reality.  As humans we need to engage with people who have opposing views on issues to find the actual truth and best policy.  Mom was right when she would say, “There are two sides to every story”.   Listening to opposing views will make us all better in the end.  I admit that it’s challenging and uncomfortable to pursue opposing viewpoints.  But getting the news only from Fox or only from MSNBC is polarizing.  Listening only to conservative or liberal political pundits is also polarizing.  This year, I’ve got to start listening to both sides a lot more and then think critically about where I stand on every issue that matters to me.  If nothing else, hearing and understanding the other side may strengthen my resolve if it doesn’t change my mind on some issues.  I want the best for human kind, so let the best arguments win.

That said, for me the jury is out on Trump; he’s got to go and so I’ll keep protesting against him, non-violently.  Unless, he wakes up and has a “Come to Jesus” moment and drastically changes his ways, then let the resistance continue.