Democracy is cumbersome, slow and inefficient, but in due time, the voice of the people will be heard and their latent wisdom will prevail.
– Author unknown but often attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
The reactions to the Women’s Marches in several cities in the US and many other countries this past Saturday differ. One’s view really depends on which side of the political divide one stands. Some perspective is sorely needed.
The ability to demonstrate is a right that most democratic nations enjoy and must always be upheld. It is an integral and very important part of the democratic process. In the US, demonstrations are as old as the Union itself. To illustrate my point, I’ll dwell on examples from 2002 to the present day.
Starting in 2002, there were demonstrations in the US and across lots of other countries against the plans of President Bush to invade Iraq. This biggest one was on February 15, 2003. Over a million people demonstrated worldwide. The Republican administration never listened and invaded Iraq. The whole world is still reeling from the consequences of that war.
A month or so after President Obama took office, the Tea Party demonstrations started. The group was protesting run-away government spending as exemplified by the bail-out programs (TARP and the Stimulus Package). Later, other protests were organized against Obamacare. The Democrats never took the Tea Party serious until it was too late. The party played a consequential role in the trouncing of Democrats in elections in 2010, 2014 and 2016.
So if shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, over 3 million women are out protesting to raise awareness about women’s rights, isn’t that par for the course? We’ve seen from the two preceding administrations that the people know they have a voice and they want that voice to be heard.
Maybe instead of the name-calling and shaming, these protesters need to be listened to. Maybe they need to be engaged. Maybe instead of writing them off as liberals and feminists, one needs to work with them to find a common goal. The fact that they may have voted for the losing candidate does not matter. Remember the Tea Party!
History tells us that disregarding such protesters can have dire consequences. Just as the Tea Party did, they could organize themselves into a grassroots movement that could influence elections for years.