Millions of women (and men) took to the streets in cities around the world yesterday to give a big middle finger to Donald Trump, and it was a lovely sight to behold.
Whether you attended one of these marches or not, give yourself a big round of applause for all the acts of resistance you engaged in over the past week. Get some extra sleep. Treat yourself to something nice. You deserve it, dammit!
Feel free to share your favorite self-care ideas below.
Yeah, I’m almost certain Pence is doing most of it while Trump fiddles.
It’s like Cheney and Bush except I actually think W has some capacity and interest for being President.
(How come our last two Republican Presidents only became President because they had something to prove?)
Official count for the King Of Farts’ coronation: 250 000.
Official count for the LA March alone: 750 000.
EJ:
But not whistles, please! At the huge Stop the War Coalition march in London in February 2003, some tosser blew a ridiculously loud whistle right behind me, and my ears rang for hours afterwards. Thought at the time that it had permanently damaged my hearing.
Actually relevant to the conversation (woohoo!!):
“They’ll Pull The Trigger,” On Trump Because GOP Has Always Wanted Mike Pence, says Robert Reich.
I agree that Trump is merely the bloviating tip of the iceberg.
@Moggie:
So true. I still remember that march: my group was sandwiched between a group of Arabs with Palestinian flags and loudspeakers, and a group of old-school trade unionists with banners and loudspeakers. We got deafened.
According to very credible reports, 4000+ people marched in Topeka, Kansas!! Governor Brownshirt was likely NOT amused. WELL DONE!!
ETA: @ SFHC
750,000 in L.A. alone?!?!?! I am up-fuckin’-LIFTED!!!!!
Speaking of Facebook memes, one that made its way across my feed a day or so ago was one showing a sidewalk after the (DC?) March was over. There were a bunch of abandoned signs off to one side of the sidewalk, leaving the road itself clear. The comment posted with it basically called feminists hypocrites for leaving all that trash behind, and thus lying about caring for the environment and stuff.
If I can figure out how to post Facebook stuff here I’ll show it to you all.
I saw that one too, Redsilkphoenix, though I didn’t investigate it.
Fishy Goat:
That piece rings true. I think Trump is kind of a human shield for the GOP. The unpopularity which they could otherwise expect to come their way during this administration will mostly stick to Trump, for a while. But as soon as that effect fades, or as soon as he does something so egregious that they take damage, they’ll dump him. Which, no doubt, he’ll take with his trademark quiet dignity.
And looking at the picture in the OP now has Pink’s ‘Raise Your Glass’ going through my head. I think I’m going to re-watch the video for that when I get home. Uncle Sam as a sumo wrestler, literally throwing his weight around.
@dreemr, @Redsilkphoenix, they left their signs at the foot of the Trump Hotel. That’s why they’re all piled up there. That wasn’t a general thing.
And even if it was the case that the protestors were making a huge mess in general? Doesn’t invalidate what the protest was about one bit. I’ll cry a river of tears that the oligarchs have to open their goddamn wallets to pay someone to clean up the mess.
@Scildfreja Unnýðnes, @dreemr,
I was wondering about that. It seemed odd to me that, if, say, only 1 out of every 1000 protesters had signs that they left behind in one stack, then there should’ve been a lot more of those signs on the sidewalk (and the road) than what was pictured there.
Makes sense that those signs were used like that in one last F-Y gesture towards Trump.
Hey guys! I actually got to go (to my local sister march)! At the last minute I was able to switch my schedule to make it work. Couldn’t stay the whole time. First time I ever went to something like that.
The march itself was actually pretty short. Had some fun signs; it almost felt like a sign fair, lol. Everyone was pointing out signs to each other. Some rararas (“Hear me roar,” “Love trumps hate,” etc). A speech or two. Inadequate number of food trucks. Three sheriffs stood on the steps of the capitol building, and as many police cars nearby, just normal stuff for a large public gathering. No issues.
A relative called, a little worried about possible violence, and I know certain media outlets have been really hyping up how peaceful it was, but seriously, it never even felt tense. It really was just, hey, let’s show up, cheer, wave a sign, walk around, and hang out.
Interestingly, the local paper (conservative bent) had three pictures, and the two biggest ones, including the front page one, were of people basically scowling and looking angry and mean. Hahaha. I mean, I guess it happened, but actually being there, I can say most people had normal faces, or even smiled. But that picture will convey to 99% of people the exact image of a straw feminist. Oh well.
Overall, I’d say it was alright. I think marches are more effective when they have a specific concrete goal, but I think it did what it was trying to accomplish. It did give people an outlet, and a sense of solidarity. It was more of a “kick-off” party to action than a protest TBH (though I see the media has dropped all attempts to clarify it was anything more than an anti-Trump protest). To the outside, the message seems mixed and muddied, but it did “make a statement” that there is a will to speak back against Trump’s conduct/words/policies, even if only through “useless, annoying protests,” as some see it.
I wish my march had done more to get participants involved in politics (as in running for office and getting educated/reliable sources). They did mention getting people signed up to vote, and had an action committee planned afterward. Then again, I didn’t stay for the whole thing, so maybe I missed stuff. I made pins for the march. Gonna hold on to those for historical value. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up in a museum someday–Wait, no. I forgot what state I live in, lol (unless it’s like, “And in this case are the paraphernalia of the harridans. Needless to say, they were pointless and lame. Sad.” –This is a future where everyone talks in Trumpspeak). Okay, enough rambling from me.