When Will Americans Resist? | Mickey Z.

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Photo credit: Mickey Z.

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

July 5, 2013

“It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.”

- Tyler Durden

When I posted a photo of just some of the 33 million (!) Egyptian protestors who took the streets in late June, inevitably, the comments led us in the direction of this musing: Why can’t we get even 33 Americans to show up at a rally on a regular basis?

A friend suggested I write about this and I suddenly recalled that I’d once before addressed this topic -- in early 2009. The resulting article reflected my frustrated state of deep cynicism at that time. While the connections I’ve made and experiences I’ve shared via Occupy Wall Street since then have helped make me a less pessimistic commentator, I still feel there’s value in the angry (bitter?) words I wrote more than four years ago.

“Protest” is definitely not a verb in the United States
I began the article by defining the term “protest” (definitely not a verb) as it pertains to the United States:

“Wait for UFPJ or ANSWER to stage a parade (I mean, demonstration) on a weekend afternoon so no one misses work or school or in any way disrupts the flow of commerce. Don't make a sign; the organizers will make one for you. March in an orderly fashion, be polite to the occupying army (I mean, cops), and be sure to stay in designated free speech zones. Blame the Republicans. Wear costumes. Make puppets. Exclude anarchists. Hold a candlelight vigil. Sign a petition. Chant. Vote for a Democrat and hope for change. Need I continue?”

(My use of the word “occupying” makes me grin now, and a caveat: I’ve turned 180 degrees on the use of costumes and puppets. They put the reach in outreach!)

The question I posed in 2009 has become more urgent than ever: “With the stakes never higher than they are now, why aren't activists ramping up the pressure and looking beyond tactics that are allowed by those in power?”

In the article, I ventured “five guesses” to answer my own query:

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http://worldnewstrust.com/when-will-americans-resist-mickey-z

[blkmusclmachine]

1. .

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[cheapdate]

2. I'll do what I can,

but I have to be a work everyday. I can sleep in a park, but my wife, two kids, 11 cats, 2 dogs, and 1 rabbit need a roof over their heads.