I could hear the words tumbling out of my mouth faster than my brain could process. I was not making sense to myself, and so I could not be making sense to the listener. When the last of the questions was answered, I was thanked politely and not even asked my name. I am most certain that my interview for the German television station did not make their evening news.
The truth is I wasn't sure what world I had just entered. Was this, as the Donald would mockingly and dismissively suggest, nothing more than a very large gathering of the "Dating Game"? Or was it, as the banner proclaimed, our American Fall, an extension of the Arab Spring and European Summer?
Hours later, I stood within a few feet of Michael Moore, and became part of his human microphone as he, and then we, spoke of an American greed that had gone too far. We were one voice, the sounds of frustration echoing through Wall Street.
The reports were that this was a rally of 30,000. And that there were others like us in at least 27 cities who, in their own words and with their own thoughts, were part of the United Voice of America.
I don't know whether the sounds and the sights on the streets of Manhattan reached the chambers of Congress today, or whether they ever will. The great fear is that the very large voice of corporate America will continue to drown out the shouts of disenchantment and disillusion. All I know for certain is that, by the end of the day, this felt like something much greater than a march to nowhere.
This was, as I discovered and the rhythmic chants proclaimed, "what Democracy looks like". And to that German television crew, these are the feelings I was trying to convey but couldn't.
4 comments:
Don't be so hard on yourself. From what I was able to hear (through the crowd noise), you acquitted yourself well, and made several good points...and all the news needs is a good soundbite or two. You may have been the lead story in Germany last night!
I have watched the uprisings in Greece over the austerity measures to appease the Germans and wondered whether that could happen here. I have been delighted to see that we can still incite a revolution. It has been so long since the Vietnam protests that I thought we became complacent and were happy to watch others protest for us.
My grandfather the Communist would be proud! PB
You did good! There was a rally on Capitol Hill, just a few feet from the Capitol, yesterday!
Maybe you didn't make the German news, but they were there reporting on the event! That is something!
It is always good to know that we are not alone. To question Authority individually is an act of defiance. To do so collectively, is power. In this case, it is to say to the hierarchy who fronts for the corporate and non-corporate rich, we are not buying what you are selling any more!
Lots of Deja vu here: I remember watching McNamara come on the news when I was 18 years old at Berkeley and night after night he'd tell us how many North Vietnamese soldiers died. The numbers were so inflated that with a bit of math I extrapolated that there couldn't be that many North Vietnamese soldiers! If we killed them all, why were we still fighting? And so, I question Authority always! I doesn't help that 40+ years later I discovered how the Koch Bros. and friends "game" our democracy.
Anyway, glad you were there.... and maybe you were more articulate than you thought and did make the German News:)
Diane
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