You remember Colin Kaepernick, the controversial quarterback who was fired from the NFL for taking a knee during the National Anthem. Do you remember what he was protesting? If you said racial injustice, you would be correct. Specifically, he was concerned about the large number of black people who were shot in cold blood by the police, but the police were never found guilty of murder. Problem was, his manner of protest provoked controversy over whether an NFL athlete has the right to protest during the National Anthem. Instead of debating why so many black people are shot by police, the issue became centered on the protester and the manner of protest, and not the issue that was being protested.
So allow me to define what I call The Kaepernick Effect:
The Kaepernick Effect—Any protest which backfires because attention is diverted from the problem being protested, to the protest itself.
There are myriad examples of the Kaepernick Effect. One example is Viet Nam War protests in the 60’s and 70’s. The Vietnam War was a horrible mistake from the beginning. More than one President is to blame, but Johnson and Nixon deserve the lion’s share of blame. So students and young people took to the streets protesting this unjust war. Yet Nixon rode into office claiming he had a secret plan to obtain “peace with honor” as though it was honorable to bomb men, women, and children to smithereens. He also exploited older middle-class fears of younger angry protesters, by claiming he stood with the vast “silent majority” who trusted him to win the peace (even as he escalated the war.) He branded anti-war protesters as long-haired, spoiled, dirty, drug-taking, flag-burning, rebellious youth. Basically, he exploited the Keapernick Effect, so that many Americans became more concerned about the protests and those protesting in the streets, than the horrible war his administration was perpetrating on the other side of the world.
Not long ago, I heard of another example of the Kaepernick Effect. A radio program was talking about the history of activism for gay rights. They spoke of one protest in the 80’s where the protesters occupied the street to promote their cause. The unexpected consequence was that motorists who simply wanted to drive down the street were prevented from doing so, and consequently became frustrated and angry at the protesters. So instead of winning support for gay rights, the protest only increased antagonism against gays.
Protesters face a paradox. To get attention, they need to do something drastic. If they do something drastic they increase the likelihood the protest will backfire due to the Kaepernick Effect.
Recently I found a book with a fascinating title, and an even stranger author’s name: “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television,” published in 1978 by one Jerry Mander (gerrymander?) Personally, I love to come up with fictitious names that have hidden meanings such as Justin Case or Willie Duit. But Apparently Jerry Mander is no nom de plume, as the book is dedicated to his parents, Eva and Harry Mander.
Mr. Mander was an expert on media and advertising, as well as demonstrations and protests. He describes the above dilemma of protesters. Naturally, he blames television, and the quest for any protest to be covered on television:
I watched and participated as they changed their…commitments…to focus on television… Actions began to be chosen less for their educational value or political content than for their ability to attract television cameras… Dealing with communities was slow. Everyone spoke of immediate victory…
Rallies brought more attention than press conferences. Marches more than rallies, Sit-ins more than marches. Violence more than sit-ins…
Accelerate the drama of each successive action to maintain the same level of coverage. Television somehow demanded that. As the stakes rose, the pressure mounted to create ever more outrageous actions.
One recent example of the Kaepernick Effect is when Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to the despicable housing conditions for immigrants at the Southern Border as “concentration camps.” Instead of everyone focusing on the horrendous conditions innocent children and their families are being subjected to, Fox and others had a field day saying such comparisons were “deeply offensive.” For the record, I admire, respect, and mostly agree with AOC (as well as Colin Kaepernick.) Unfortunately, Trump supporters are exploiting the Kaepernick Effect to shift focus from the despicable treatment of children to whether or not saying they are “concentration camps” is politically correct.
I have no intention of blaming Ocasio Cortez for her comments, as she seems to instinctively know that the television and internet media might not pay attention and give coverage to her views on this issue if she didn’t used such terminology. The correct level of outrage to express is a slippery slope—too little and no one pays attention; too much and the focus shifts from the problem, to the protester. Even the Beatles recognized this dilemma in their song Revolution:
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world…
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out…
You say you got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan…
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow…
If we were to play the blame game, we could also blame the media. But the media covers that which gets the most attention. It gives viewers what they want. I have found this to be true even writing for Daily Kos. The more timely and sensational my diaries, they more attention they get (and the more likely they will be condemned or even banned.) But when I write scholarly pedantic diaries going into detailed solutions, such as changing plurality voting to a much more fair and democratic system, few want to see the plan. The same is true for those here who have written extensively about gerrymandering. It is far more entertaining to read diatribes about the latest Republican outrage, than to see the plan to prevent them from stealing the elections by gerrymandering districts.
What will be the next flagrant example of the Kaepernick Effect? I don’t know, but I suspect there will an outcry against Madonna’s violent music video depicting the horrors on gun violence. Watch all those who are oblivious to the need for gun control, claim the need to control Madonna. Go too far, and one generates more interest in the protest that what is being protested.
Last Tuesday I participated in our weekly Anti-Trump rally on Main Street. I was late, as I had to take my dog to the vet for an emergency. (She’s fine now.) But I was there in plenty of time to join about a dozen or more protesters for lunch. One of the first questions someone asked me at lunch was how I felt about the border camps being called “concentration camps.” I told them I read an excellent article in Daily Kos by a Jewish writer who expressed outrage that those who aren’t even Jewish claim to know what offends us—and what really offends us is not the choice of words, but the inhumane policies perpetrated by the Trump administration. Although I agreed with the writer, and everyone at the table agreed with me, the Kaepernick Effect had taken its toll. Instead of talking about the children, we were talking about whether or not the language used to describe the conditions was appropriate.
Of course we are concerned about the children. But I wonder what the effect of the Kaepernick Effect has been on those who exclusively view Fox News Fiction. I bet they perceive the problem is not at the border, but is with radical liberals like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rosie O’Donnell.
So what can we do? We can do what we have been doing ever since Donald Trump was inaugurated. Every Tuesday, from noon to one, we gather in front of Lindsey Graham’s office on both sides of Main Street holding up signs protesting the latest outrage. Usually we get about thirty protesters each week, even though over time different participants come and go.
We are so well mannered, that the police rarely even come by to check on us. We police ourselves. Instead of antagonizing local businesses, we patronize them and they welcome our presence. Instead of burning the American Flag, we proudly wave the American flag or wear T-shirts of the flag displaying our patriotism. We strive not to obstruct traffic when crossing the street. Mind you this is in Greenville, SC, which allegedly is the heart of Trump country.
At least it was. Although there are no television cameras and no obvious media attention, we are interacting directly with the community—and seem to be slowly making a significant difference. Over time, more and more passers-by come up and thank us for what we are doing. More and more cars honk their horns with approval, smiling, giving thumbs-up, and expressing their support. They are delighted we are there, speaking truth to power. It has gotten to the point where is seems far more people agree with us than disagree with us. At first supporters were few and far between. Now Trump supporters are few and far between, but seem angrier than ever. All they have left is mindless outrage; they have no reasonable arguments.
But there is an unexpected consequence to such protesting on the protesters. And it’s positive. Some who have stood on Main Street have run for office. They are getting involved politically in our community. They are attending conventions. They are taking over and energizing the Democratic Party in Greenville. Our extreme pessimism is turning into optimism. We can make a difference.
I sensed this when I called a regular attendee at the protest to ask her to tell the group why I might not be able to make it. She told me she really doesn’t have the time or the desire to show up every Tuesday—yet she is almost always there. I asked why she comes. Her answer was profound; “It keeps me sane.”
I noticed the same thing. After a while we all suffer from outrage fatigue and seek escape from politics and the realization that Donald Trump is slowly destroying our country. It gets to the point we can’t even watch the news. The news is stressful, and under stress humans are designed psychologically to do something. Sometimes this is called the fight or flight syndrome. We must either fight the cause of stress, or flee from the source of stress. The easiest way to flee is turn off the news on TV. To escape by not thinking about how awful things are becoming. Go out, get drunk, party, see a movie—anything to forget about the Orange Menace ruining the country.
Unless, there is something we can do. We can show up on Tuesday and take to the streets. We can hold up our own sign for everyone passing by to see. One side of my sign simply says IMPEACH. The other side reads, Trump is an Outlier—An Out and Out Liar!
We appear innocuous, but we are making a difference. Plus we are avoiding the Kaepernick Effect.
I just never thought this would be fun. But it is more than just fun; it is our support system. So at the end of each rally, after the group photo, after announcing where we are going for lunch, I call out…
“Keep coming back; Democracy works if you work it!”