What Democracy Looks Like
October 1st, 2007I’ve long held the belief that man should be anti-war in general principle and pro-war only in specific cases, which is rooted in a view of the world that says “Killing is wrong but sometimes you have to kill,” so when I claim to be “pro-war” in Iraq or anywhere it is with the ideal, “wish it would end soon, with peace and good for all” in my heart and “leaving would be disastrous for everyone” in my head as I do feel the pain of those whose lives have been forever changed by the war but I also think of the genocide which would occur in our absence. Since I can remember, I’ve made every effort to understand the world in which we live and the events which occur everyday with an eye toward the situation as a whole, and that need to inspect the world’s complications with a fine-tooth comb in an effort to feel the complications has caused me significant grief over the years, external and internal, from people who believe that I should be more militant about political and economic affairs and from my own conscience which makes me question whether those with harsher assessments of the world than I are right. I don’t think that they are as I do have convictions that I fight for and defend, but I reason my goal as getting at the truth and an open mind is integral to that. As a result, I converse with everyone about everything. I read The Nation and National Review. I don’t get upset when opposing views are presented to me, unless they are presented without class or preamble. That’s how I justify being in Students for a Democratic Society, being pro-War and spending the weekend in Washington D.C. joining the march on Washington, which was a delightful experience, and while I didn’t make a huge secret of my tempered support of the war in Iraq, I only received sharp words from one person, and that was perfectly fine. I didn’t badger anyone else, either.
We rode the bus from Chicago to Washington D.C., joining up with people from Minnesota, and we gathered in front of the capitol at eleven thirty, listening to the speeches of activists, which was a rather interesting experience in and of itself. One woman went up there and used the word mothafucka about forty times in three minutes in an effort to rally the crowd against Washington’s politicians. Another person went up there and spoke with tender affection for Robert Mugabe, who is one of the world’s great tyrants and if George W. Bush did half the things he’s done the crowd at the demonstration would lose their minds. Someone I spoke to for awhile began to talk to me about the Korean War and how America had caused it by invading North Korea — something that is inaccurate by any analysis. She went on to tell me that we were responsible for what’s happening in the Sudan, not because we didn’t intervene and end the conflict but because we caused it with our capitalism. That is not a subjective statement: it is unequivocally false. If any foreign power is to be blamed, it should be the French and the other western European countries which were right there when it all began, encouraged it and then did absolutely nothing to stop it and help the people of Darfur. Of course, there were also “9/11 Truth” shirts and banners, everybody was wild over the “JENA 6!” and Marx’ ghost ruled the day, and while I felt out of place at significant points in the weekend I didn’t feel any great shame. I enjoyed myself.
Last night, I spoke with my friend Rob about the weekend and he said, “So you were with the Hate-America-First Crowd?” and I said to him, “No, not really. I mean, yes, there were a few Blame America First! people but overall, it was people who don’t believe in War and are begging for social justice, with different meaning for different people there.” I stand by that, even though I was appalled by those who idolized Kim Il-Sung and Robert Mugabe, because I spent the weekend being gregarious and investigative. I must’ve had good conversations with at least thirty different people and smaller-but-still-good conversations with a couple dozen more. The rally itself was interesting as well. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to lead a portion of the march in chants at various parts of the demonstration, and I enjoyed the chants, although there were some I simply wouldn’t join out of principle (Who is the terrorist? Bush is the terrorist!). My favorite was, “Tell me what democracy looks like!/This is what democracy looks like!” (but I went and ruined it by telling my friend, “I like this chant, but it isn’t entirely true — it’s definitely a part, but not the only one.)
I’ve been considering this writing since yesterday morning and decided that beyond my thoughts on the people I meant, I should write about the implications of the protest and general activism. With no desire to hurt anyone, I’d like to say that I don’t think this protest has many implications for the future. The war will rage on whether democrats or republicans are in power and even I generally believe that we should stick it out. That isn’t the point of the protest, or of joining it, or of enjoying it, however. Or at least it isn’t for me. For me, it is about appreciating those who take their convictions to the streets and work to remedy what they believe to be great ills. It is about a people’s passion for the world and their desire to witness change, and that is something that I applaud even when I disagree with their actions as that is what democracy looks like and I was honored to participate in their protest.