The Occupy Wall Street protests went global this weekend. In cities around the world, tens or hundreds or thousands of people took to the streets and spoke out against what they view to be skewed economic policies not only in the U.S., but around the world. There were protests in Oslo and Amsterdam, Brussels and Madrid. People protested in Frankfurt and Stockholm and London, just as they did in Melbourne and Taipei and Tokyo.
And of course, Rome. Rome led the news coverage of the Occupy protests, because it turned violent. Cars were lit on fire in the streets, and about 70 people were arrested. It was, as far as the media was concerned, a much bigger event than anything that happened at any of the other protests anywhere in the world. Maybe not, but it sure seemed like it sometimes.
It is a wonder to me that people still speak of the "liberal media." There is such a thing, of course, just as there is a "conservative media," but it seems to me as though both sides spend a good deal of time misrepresenting the bulk of liberals out there. That's not necessarily the fault of the media (though it's not necessarily not their fault, either). At least a part of the problem is that a rather broad spectrum of society fits under the liberal umbrella.
The Left has doctors and lawyers and business people. It has billionaires and millionaires, and a healthy dose of the poor and unemployed. It has Christians and Jews and Muslims and atheists and a host of other belief systems besides. It has teachers and nurses and accountants. Janitors make up a part of the Left, as do farmers and pharmacists and truck drivers and cliff divers. We have gays, straights, and bisexuals. We have blacks, whites, and everything on the color spectrum in between. We have Democrats, and Socialists, and Progressives, and Communists, and anarchists. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.
To be honest, it's part of what I like about the Left, just as it is part of what I like about public schools -- we take anyone. All you have to do to be one of us is say that you want to be. We're pretty accepting, on the whole. Conservatives always seem to me like some kind of semi-exclusive restaurant where you have to know someone in order to get a table, while liberals to me are like the food tent at the State Fair -- just come on in and grab yourself a plate.
Unfortunately, because we take anyone, it means that we occasionally get jerks and idiots. Thus, Rome.
I have never been to the Eternal City, and I freely admit I want to go. I teach World History, and have taught a seminar course on the Roman Republic and Empire. My wife makes me watch House Hunters International, and for whatever reason I pay more attention whenever the people are trying to buy a place in Italy.
But come on, Rome: Shame on you. And not even on all of you, because I recognize that the vast majority of those who marched over the weekend chose not to light cars on fire or engage in violence. The majority in Rome understood that such tactics won't bring about the kind of change we're after. Hell, if I thought I could change everything I hate about politics by torching my Saturn, I would do it (and hate it at the same time; that is one dependable and well-built little car, and I've enjoyed all 148,000 miles I've put on it).
But also, shame on you, media coverage. You know full well that this was a small group of people who got out of hand, but you'd rather show burning cars than tens of thousands of people peacefully demonstrating in hopes of change. Even if you're frustrated that you can't seem to figure out what #OWS is all about, you know that it's not about that. It wouldn't kill you to say so.
I haven't been to a single protest or march in favor of Occupy Wall Street, even though I'm in favor of Occupy Wall Street. I haven't been to any protest since the one that I went to at the Wisconsin Capitol in March. But I imagine that what I might see in New York (or any of the other places where this might have spread) would look a lot like what Madison looked like in March, except perhaps for people not requiring winter jackets.
If I went, I bet I would see dedicated people working hard for a cause in which they believe, and I would see a bunch of people who didn't care that much about the cause but who showed up just to see what all the fuss was about. I bet I would see a lot of retirees and unemployed people, who have the time to attend these things. I bet I would see a lot of jewelry that was hand-made out of hemp. I would see a lot of signs that I would find moving or funny, but some of them would be misspelled. I would see a lot of acoustic guitars. I would see people wearing business casual, and people wearing jeans and t-shirts, and people wearing outfits that looked like Goodwill exploded and they were caught in the blast radius. I would see a number of people who could do everyone a favor if they would find a couple hours to go home and shower.
I wouldn't agree with every single one of these people, just like I don't agree with those who chose to engage in violent actions in the city of Rome. Still, these are my people, and I make no apologies about that. We may take anyone, but that doesn't mean that we like everyone. As my grandmother used to say: "It takes all kinds of people to make a world, but that doesn't mean you want to have all of them over for dinner." Amen, Grandma.
Keep going, #OWS. Keep going peacefully, but keep going. And for the love of God, if you need one, take a shower.