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In the next few days, I'll be posting some
photos from the anti-war protests that happened in Washington over the
weekend. But before I post most of them, I wanted to put up this image,
which summed up a lot of it for me.
I've been to a few protests in Washington. And
more and more, they seem like pale copies of something from the past. They
have a mardi gras, party atmosphere. It seems a lot like trying to get on
ESPN's SportCenter, where the most creative sign and slogan wins. The
protestors all seem largely mid-20s and about 90% white. They are, more than
anything, happy, which seems counterintuitive to me.
The whole protest these days just seems tired
and scripted - as if someone said "this is how we've always done it, so get
on the bus." A good chunk of the crowd just seems to want the experience of
being arrested. And "the message" is all over the place, with
representatives from PETA, the Green Party and people in t-shirts that say
"I Support Iraqi Vegetarians."
Anyway, maybe I'm wrong -- I hope I'm wrong --
but the scene on Saturday just seemed like rehearsed impotence.
But beyond all that, this photo summed up
something for me that didn't come across in the marching and chanting and
protesting. An unfinished sign simply reads "We will" -- so non-specific,
and overflowing with hope.
I really, really hope it's right.
(9/28/05)
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