There are a lot of people in my life who just don’t see the point of going to rallies or marches. Fortunately there are quite a few who do, so I have people to go with. The people who don’t see the point can be pretty vocal. So I am going to try to explain why I do this, and what the point is.
- It feels good to give support to the things I believe in with my physical presence. It feels good to speak together with others with a full voice.
- While marches and rallies don’t always get much coverage in the mainstream media – especially if they don’t have the big numbers – these days everyone is taking photos and posting them madly all over social media. The word gets out. It is meaningful that these particular people showed up. If you’re worried about astroturfing, you see the pictures of people you know who were there and it’s real.
- It’s a great feeling of connection. With the community, with other people and other issues.
- It’s a way to remind ourselves and others that there are goodhearted people in this country. People who care.
I guess the bottom line is, it feeds me. It gives me energy. It gives me a break from feeling frustrated and helpless. I recommend it.