This past Saturday, hundreds gathered in our capital for the March for Science, brought on by political debate over global warming, possible depletions of funding for science from the federal government and the general concern for the search for accurate, factual information.
I was visiting family in Burlington, Vermont, and passed by some signs left on the street after the protest ended. This, in addition to the countless photos I saw on Facebook and Instagram from what seems an endless stream of political protests since Trump took office, struck a chord.
It’s not that I have a problem with people who do protest or even the protests themselves. What really bothers me is that (it seems like) protesting has become a popular hobby for the elite class of our society.
Attending a protest is, for many, a way to express frustration and dissent with the current administration and the culture of today. It’s awesome to see people getting motivated, taking time from their Saturdays to speak out for what they believe in and hoping to inspire others to do the same.
It cannot, however, be considered a way of helping a community in need or resolving a problem by itself only. Political organization must go beyond a Saturday march. Consider this: The majority of struggling Americans do not care that you marched; in fact, they may not even know a march occurred. They care about feeding their children, finding a way to work without a car and making it to that next paycheck.
While you pose with a poster that may have taken hours to detail and draw, people are suffering real-life situations daily and cannot even hope to have their voices heard. The march is not about you or your face or how many likes you get on Facebook. It is about something much bigger, something that can be transformed by changes in behavior and attitude within our own society.
It starts with realizing that we are a part of the problem. It starts with acknowledging that while we may think the problems lie beyond us, we ourselves are self-consumed, sexist, racist, obsessed with reputation and elitist.
Is it better to be concerned with the problems of society and the world while you treat people within your own life poorly, or should we start with ourselves and work our ways out? Many people I know who care so much about “changing the world” are rude and intolerant.
Maybe with the increase of protests these past few months, there will be an increase of volunteerism. According to Newsweek, the percentage of Americans volunteering is at its lowest in a decade.
Most of the volunteer organizations I become involved in are run entirely by a few overworked volunteers and are in serious need of funding.
Volunteering makes a significant impact on communities by offering services to those who need it most, free of charge. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24.9 percent of adults volunteered at least once in 2015 compared to 29 percent in 2003. The number already started out low, but it has been declining every year.
I asked students on campus, some who have attended marches and some who have not, how they view political protests.
“I’m aware that a single march might not change much and in all honesty probably isn’t going to alter anyone’s views, however, it’s extremely empowering to be surrounded by people who are passionate about the same issues you are,” said Kali Fillhart, a sophomore studying anthropology. “I go to marches because I feel like my voice is being heard, and even if nothing policy wise or socially changes, in the very least I feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself.”
Bradley Anderton, a senior studying economics and intern at the General Assembly, finds them mostly ineffective.
“Of course, there are notable exceptions; the Civil Rights and the Tea Party movements for example,” Anderton said. “The real question becomes what separates the successful movements from the rest? The answer is organization. The issue with most protest movements, even big ones like Occupy, is that there is not a centralized chain of command, nor is there a focused message.”
Anderton also showed frustration at, what he perceives to be, a lack of focus on the end goal.
“There are no real policy proposals and what binds the different factions together is anger at the ‘establishment’ and ‘business as usual,’” Anderton said. “I get it; I really do, but if you want change to happen you need a plan. It is one thing to get people out on the streets in the hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousand even, but what comes next?”
What comes next for a successful movement is turning out people to vote, lobbying for specific policy changes and in my opinion, voting with your wallet. I have harped on sustainable fashion before and I will again, because just as organic foods came into grocery aisles, so can clothing made in an ethical and environmentally friendly way. And the volunteer organizations I mentioned? They are always, always looking for funding.
Political scientist E.E. Schattschneider famously penned, “The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent.”
The elite distinctly have an advantage over those at the bottom, and that advantage needs to be organized into action, not reemphasized with a new profile picture.
