General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Party Loyalty [View all]H2O Man
(73,505 posts)that it should go viral, and hope DUers share this OP/thread elsewhere. Heck, it might even bring some new people to the DU community. (I can dream, can't I?)
Your response reminded me of an experience from back in those days. Jesse was speaking at a state university about 25 miles away from where I lived. I invited three associates to come with me to watch him. None of the three were supporters of Jesse's efforts -- because they had accepted the media's picture of who Jackson was. Not to say he hasn't had imperfections, as he is human.
The most vocal of the three kept saying, "He's a huckster, just selling 'god'." Now, I was already annoyed with this fellow, because I like to be "on time" (which, for me, is early), and he was, as usual, late in being ready to hit the road. His bit about Jesse being a fraud was beginning to take root with the other two. Nothing I loved more, of course, than arguing against these three friends.
As we approached our destination, I said, "You will see a sign tonight, that will prove to you that I am right." Shortly thereafter, we were at the university, and man was it crowded. We were in line forever, it seemed, to purchase tickets. Finally, we were right behind a couple of hippies, and the lady informed them that there was only one ticket left. The woman bought it, turned around, and handed it to me. She and her SO were going to watch Jesse speak, together, on screen in another building.
My three friends said, "Well, this sucks. Let's just go home." I said that if I saw them hitch-hiking after the show, I'd probably pick them up. Ah, the advantage of me driving! Thus, while I was seated up front, listening to Jesse, they were with the hippies in the next building. I assumed that they'd be obnoxious on the ride home. Resentful, you know. But they weren't.
Quite the opposite: Jesse convinced them. They understood what he was saying, because that man could communicate. All three were ready to campaign for Jesse.