I know it might be heard to believe, but it has only been three weeks and three days since Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States. Seem longer? It has for me. A recent article in the Washington Post compared the surge of commentary and political opinion on social media to attending an opera. “Like opera, social media is dedicated to amplifying human utterance so that a single voice communicating an intimate thought may be heard by hundreds, even thousands of people.”
“But the attempt to experience and broadcast information about things that deeply move us, in a public forum, has left many people across the political spectrum feeling emotional, wrung-out and exhausted. Opera may have some practical tips to offer anyone who is feeling drained and hoarse, literally and figuratively. There’s a difference between raising your voice to make yourself heard, and degenerating into mere screaming.” That may be the hard part. We all know how to scream, but we are now being encouraged to “Resist.” What’s the best way? Ghandian nonviolent civil disobedience? Political activism aimed at the Congressional election in 2018? “Throw the scoundrels out!”
Social media is indeed a powerful tool for mass communication, but people also need to “connect” in a very traditional political way. And I think we will have to start from the ground up with family and neighbors. Only three weeks and three days have passsed and we still have a long way to go. So let’s “Persist” (thank you Senator Warren) and “Resist.”
Ray Myers
TechtoExpress 