Okay, the title sounds a bit reactionary, probably alarmist. But, what has happened at the Republican National Convention to protesters and specifically to Democracy Now journalists should make every citizen pause for a moment.
Pre-emptive raids were conducted before the convention even started by armed police in the Twin Cities targeting activists who were planning to protest the convention. Journalists, such as Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, who was arrested on trumped up charges, are clearly being targeted. Even someone from the New York Post (a Republican newspaper!) was arrested. These journalists were arrested while they were covering the protests. When our media is silenced, what happens next? I'm not a paranoid person, but one has to wonder, who is behind this? Clearly, these armed gunmen who are supposed to "protect and serve" have been given orders by somebody to engage in such systematic actions. Just who gave the orders and why? But, maybe those aren't even the most productive questions to ask here.
Why isn't the mainstream media covering the protests and the undemocratic responses of the police? When the media fails to report on acts of resistance, we witness a practice of a fascist state, not a supposedly free society such as ours. Is this failure to report meant to actively silence the discourse of protest and resistance and dissuade people from such activity? Or, is it that the free market really does reign supreme and what sells television advertising is stories of Sarah Palin's teen daughter's pregnancy? I think both answers to these two questions could be yes.
I tend to think that it is irresponsible to rant and rave about something as I have here without at least offering some solution-focused ideas. So, what can we do to effect this situation? Well, at some level, probably not much. Better to go charge something on a credit card or drink a beer or watch Weeds (I like doing all these things). Being an activist doesn't necessarily mean that you work for an NGO or you lobby your legislators or that you get arrested for direct actions. It means not being quiet about disturbing things like police harassment and unethical journalism. I do believe that talking about these issues, forwarding e-mails and taking unpopular stands are important. For social change to happen, it must occur in both the realm of ideas and action. And so, the ways in which we choose, or don't choose, to talk about subjects that make people uncomfortable, may be the most central practice of an activist.
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