Citizens of a righteous nation would be filling the streets by now, demanding the ouster and

[Atticus]

imprisonment of the racist misogynistic sociopath squatting in our White House. They would stay there, blocking traffic and bringing business as usual to a full stop until Trump was evicted and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue cleansed of the stench that has so fouled the atmosphere of our nation.

Sadly, the above scenario is about as unlikely as Donald Trump appearing on TV this evening to tearfully apologize and resign.

[jberryhill]

1. We were all waiting for you

Maybe everyone is waiting for one person to start.

[Atticus]

8. Who knows me? What platform do I have from which to urge any concerted action?

You know and I know that we need visible and impassioned leaders to sound the call.

I would answer that call at great inconvenience and risk--- as I have done before.

[Calculating]

2. Sorry, we have jobs and stuff

[virgogal]

3. That's what elections are for.

[walkingman]

4. America is a racist nation. Always has been since it's founding. I'm beginning to wonder if that

will ever change. The biggest change I have seen is that after the 60's it was not acceptable to be openly racist. Now it seems to be a badge of honor. For God's sake our President doesn't make any bones about it. What else could be the explanation?

[BKDem]

12. I was proud of this nation for electing Obama

It took a pig like Trump to trigger the backlash.

[Hortensis]

5. What nation is that? Certainly all advanced nations are

off the list, including all of Europe.

Remembering that persecution is mosty limited to noncitizens and people just "mistaken" for them. Until, of course, they can get away with going after large numbers of the rest of us and the typical American no longer feels safe. That day isn't here yet, though. Yet.

I don't judge societal behaviors against some imaginary ideal humanity has never met, but against how normal people might reasonably be expected to behave.

I do expect people to stand against evil by voting. And I expect people to require truth and search for it, a standard some are not emotionally suited to and occasionally painful for all of us, but I do anyway. After all, basic as they are, we were all given 12 years of education at public expense to equip us for it, and what could be less demanding or dangerous (so far) and more responsible than those?

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

[BigmanPigman]

6. If you want to see that kind of mobilization and numbers by Americans

you need to give them a reason and issue that is part of their everyday, personal lives...like their smart phones. Threaten to take those away and half the country will be out in the streets in minutes.

[StarfishSaver]

7. Are you organizing a march?

[beachbum bob]

9. America too lazy to do that. Now take away Xbox and cellphones

then we see something

[ck4829]

10. First thing's first, read this book

https://www.aeinstein.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/FDTD.pdf

And then spread it around

[Backseat Driver]

11. Under the heading: "Fool me once...

I heard the call in the pit of my gut, and cleaned out my savings to go to DC to protest invading Iraq. It's what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday and be a part of my "righteous nation." Jokingly, my grown kid and her husband went along to save me from getting arrested. Alas, it was January; 13 below zero as we crossed the Appalachians, but we arrived 2 hours too late to march. We got our reserved room and walked around to see the memorials: Lincoln, Washington, Viet Nam wall, and the beginnings of the new WWII in what remained of the day. Had a fantastic late dinner (for the B-day) and back to the room to crash and return home next day. Fat lot of good it did to rebuke the Puke in the WH... That feeling in the gut still hasn't abated, and the savings acct is still deficient of those funds to do that, so NO! No returning to the city of my honeymoon; no flag returning to its staff at home until these maga-ts no longer lay claim to govern with such evil. There's not much sense even phoning a Congress Critter that doesn't listen either though I've done it because he's bought, too. People in the streets around here only happen at street fairs. Not fooling me again!

PLEASE VOTE BLUE; get behind a great candidate since it appears to be the only way the "citizens of a righteous nation," diverse but still not "free" yet still brave, will be able to remove the Seven Deadly Sins made manifest to the world in this POTUS and the gangsters, cults, and the simply wrong-headed, rich and poor alike, that threaten to turn us into the newest and Greatest SH*Thole nation of all.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

13. This country was built on racism. It's a feature, not a bug, and people voted for Trump

because what's happening now is exactly what they wanted. There's plenty each of us can do, though.

[Atticus]

14. Thank you. I agree. I realize my OP is extremely idealistic and some choose to ridicule the

naivete, but maybe it will nudge a few more toward the "ideal" side of "normal".

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. "maybe it will nudge a few more toward the 'ideal' side of 'normal'."

What does that look like, to you?

[Atticus]

16. Like people speaking out about what they already feel; calling out racism, misogyny and

ignorance in real time---as it happens. The more of us who do this, the easier---more "normal"--- it becomes for others to join us.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. I would argue your approach in the OP has the opposite effect.

Your premise sets the reader up the fail: We are not marching in the streets, we are an unrighteous nation, and it's unlikely that we will do so. Even though it's true, how is it encouraging? How does it motivate people to speak up against racism and misogyny? Shame is a powerful motivator, but only when coupled with a commitment to change. If your audience doesn't have that intrinsic buy-in, it's hard to read this

Citizens of a righteous nation would be filling the streets by now, demanding the ouster and imprisonment of the racist misogynistic sociopath squatting in our White House. They would stay there, blocking traffic and bringing business as usual to a full stop until Trump was evicted and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue cleansed of the stench that has so fouled the atmosphere of our nation.

Sadly, the above scenario is about as unlikely as Donald Trump appearing on TV this evening to tearfully apologize and resign.

and not come away thinking, "Wow, the OP is right -- if no one has organized a march, we really must deserve this fate we're in right now, and it's difficult to find a way to get out of it, I feel hopeless."

I've seen a lot of it on DU lately, and I'm starting to feel like the constant message of hopelessness and despair is by design. Don't get me wrong, things are definitely shit. Our country, as I said, was built on racism, and that framework must be explicitly addressed and dismantled. Many in the country are bigoted in some way, which also must be addressed. But gesturing at the whole large problem and saying, "No one's organizing a large action to address this large problem, ugh it sucks" is a great way to increase despair.

I encourage you to read up on some of the theories around activism and follow activist voices on Twitter. If you're truly interested in changing the way people think in the hopes they will turn it into action, there are a lot of people you can learn from.

[Atticus]

18. I lost you when you jumped to "we really must deserve this fate we're in right now,

and it's difficult to way to get our of it, I feel hopeless." I just cannot understand how anyone might get there from reading my post. The reaction I had hoped for was "I could/should be doing more to oppose the Trump regime."

I regret that I apparently left too much to be interpreted and I regret that you felt the need to lecture me about what I need to learn. I'll leave it at that.

[Initech]

19. There are no real Christians anymore.

They've been replaced by a brainwashed, lunatic fringe, hate filled, conspiracy theory loving cult. If there are real Christians, they are few and far between.