Rally to Restore Sanity / Keep Fear Alive

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by hilsmom

I am sorry if you didn't feel welcome, Fairfaxian. That is a real shame, because I think it was generally a pretty welcoming bunch. Sure, the crowd was overwhelmingly liberal, but I think most people who were there were just there to enjoy themselves. FWIW, I agree with quite a few of your bullet points and am CERTAINLY no fan of Marion Barry. I have friends on all sides and enjoy a spirited debate, but at the end of the day, political views do NOT a good person make.

Denton, I think to blame Stewart and Colbert for apathy in the under 30 crowd is completely misguided. The Under 30 crowd is notorious for apathy and poor voter turnout....especially in midterms. Stewart and Colbert have NOT caused it. I have only not voted in one election since I have been of age, and that was the one when I first moved to DC area after college and just did not feel informed enough to go vote in VA. I instead went to DNC headquarters and made phone calls for a couple hours. I think what you heard was a bunch of excuses and it would have frustrated me as well, but don't blame comedians - that's just silly.

I get a little upset when people say they get all their news from Stewart and Colbert (shoot, even my own husband is guilty of this), but I'd rather that than knowing nothing at all. And it is a sad state of affairs when people trust comedians to give them more facts than the government and traditional media - which really WAS the point of the Rally the other day, if you were paying attention.

No, No, No, I am NOT blaming them for the apathy this year among the young! I was responding to someone saying that those people who watch the shows are more likely to vote. My point was, Not this year are they more likely to vote.

Thanks for jumping to the incorrect conclusions about my post and then accusing ME of not paying attention!

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by The_Fairfaxian

That would make sense. Even though I did nothing that displayed a support of their cause, I did nothing to indicate that I was against their cause neither.


Neutrality is one thing. And that's what I mostly dealt with during the second and smaller "Tea-Party-Counter" rally. But explain the subtle signs of being unwanted and lack of camaraderie I faced while at the rally. Did they expect me to be at the Howard Homecoming? is that "my place" according to the rules and hierarchy of their society?


Trust me when I say I am not voting for a bunch of extreme right wingers just because a few people were exceptionally welcoming and well-mannered, and I was spared any racial strife. I can't stand their partaking in the division of this country in the same way I can't stand the extremist liberal "if you don't fit into our image of what you're supposed to be as a Black man in America, we'll despise you" vibe I get. Thing is what I experienced at the event was just an overload of the extreme liberal yuppie/hipster cliquishness, douchebaggery, and covert prejudice I face every day while living in DC.

I guess what led to my discomfort was considering how most of the demographic who attended the event were mostly 18-30 whites and Asians from suburbs and "trendy" neighborhoods of places like DC, Philly, NYC, and Boston, the same demographic and location of people who are populating DC in mass numbers and the same sub-group whom I have faced the most rudeness and prejudice from. Now if I went to a rally that instead attracted liberals from the Western states or even liberals from the South, my experience would probably be way more enjoyable.

Apologies for being a sour puss, but I just felt like I was watching a massive party that I wasn't wanted in. As for the rally itself, I couldn't barely hear a thing during most parts as the audio was very inconsistent. There were a few interesting signs that I took pictures of. But the attitude of the crowd is what turned me off completely to the event.

But as a conclusion, all of the three rallies I've been to reflect none of what I support. The Glenn Beck rally represented very narrow and imposing right-wing views. The "Counter-Beck" rally was targeted to the Labo(u)r/Working class, which although I don't have anything personal against them, the working class that I dealt with tends to embrace either the "hood life" perspective. And the recent Restore Sanity/Fear rally was more correlated to where I am socioeconomically (and I do enjoy Stewart and Colbert) but it was too freaking crowded and some people in the crowd were just too damn pompous to deal with. I just wish there was a rally for the solidly-stable middle, non-trashy lower middle, and non-pompous upper middle class where my beliefs were more reflected. But then again, these are probably the ones that aren't able to travel to DC for this kind of event due to the economy and other obligations.


Glad to hear that you (and many others) had a good time nevertheless

Good post. You sound like my kinda people.

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Thanks for jumping to the incorrect conclusions about my post and then accusing ME of not paying attention!

My last paragraph wasn't directed at you - just the middle one.

It just sounded like you were upset about Stewart and Colbert for some odd reason and somehow tying it to apathy. I was completely lost as to how those were tied together.

Many of the people at the rally the other day probably WILL vote, which is a fabulous thing. Will all of them? No - maybe they don't like ANY of their choices. I'm not particularly thrilled with my options all the time, either. But I have already said, I won't just be apathetic about politics like some others in my age cohort/peer group. I believe that if I don't vote, I don't have a right to complain - end of story.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by The_Fairfaxian

I guess what led to my discomfort was considering how most of the demographic who attended the event were mostly 18-30 whites and Asians from suburbs and "trendy" neighborhoods of places like DC, Philly, NYC, and Boston, the same demographic and location of people who are populating DC in mass numbers and the same sub-group whom I have faced the most rudeness and prejudice from. Now if I went to a rally that instead attracted liberals from the Western states or even liberals from the South, my experience would probably be way more enjoyable.

I'm originally from the Upper Midwest (Michigan) which has a heavy democratic-voting working class (white - and black for that matter) population segment to it.

Generally speaking, thinking of white 'working class' in MI..they just simply are not interested in Colbert/Stewart. Most of them are not very politically active anyways...and seem to respond best to soundbites, which would draw them into the Tea Party, but mostly along fiscal conservatism lines - smaller government is a better government type of thinking. Then they kind of stop thinking about politics altogether after that. (Which is unfortunate, but is as it is).

The ones who ARE into the Democratic Party and working class...I believe they are called 'blue dog democrats' (or I've heard that reference somewhere that seems to describe this type of behavior)...but basically for working class rights. They also aren't particularly interested in acute political satire or reaction to Tea Party types either. They just want to work their job and not be exploited, and get a fair wage, etc. Hence, the unions, etc. They seem to make up the bulk of voters in MI and that area that keep those northern midwest states voting solidly blue in elections - despite lacking all that many 'liberals' in general.

Yeah, you are probably right about the demographics of the Rally. I suppose it would attract more that element that you describe.

(Just as an aside, the same types that are pouring into DC, and that you saw at the Rally, describe the same kind of people I saw in abundance out on the West Coast - San Francisco in particular).