I just got back from a Labor Day protest

[EnergizedLib]

It was a good time, did some marching, exercise. I started some, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ and ‘Let’s Go Gavin’ chants, also helped escalate a ‘Hey, hey. Ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go’ chant.

We were peaceful, only held up traffic to cross the street, protested by a county courthouse, several hundreds showed up. We could make signs for free. I wrote, on one sign, ‘Workers are the backbone of America, not billionaires.’ Another said, ‘Pro America, Anti Trump’.

Feedback from cars was mostly positive. Many waved, gave thumbs up or did the peace sign. We got a handful of middle fingers. I heard one shout, ‘Donald Trump is my savior! Trump 2024!’

When I hear someone say, ‘Donald Trump is my savior,’ what I hear is, ‘I am pathetic.’

I mean, I *could* be a MAGAt, but that would require me to forego any principles, to suspend any and all semblances to reality, to stand for absolutely nothing except fealty to a wannabe tyrant, which sounds like a miserable way to live.

What I found most unsettling is the majority of the people who honked, gave peace signs and thumbs up gestures looked to be Boomers, the majority of the middle fingers looked like young, Gen Z types. As somebody who’s a millennial, getting close to his mid-30s, I worry about the generation behind me.

I completely ignored any and all finger gestures, refusing to give them what they wanted. And I would encourage all of you to do the same when you’re out protesting - they don’t matter, so don’t treat them like they do.

And for your signs, I think it’s best to have positive signs or mixed tone signs, not to paint yourself in a bad light when protesting out in public - don’t draw negative attention to yourself.

But I believe that was my first protest, and believe it or not, I didn’t receive a single red cent for my Labor Day protesting, no Soros check or anything.

[SheltieLover]

1. Ty!

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. Me too, lots of people but not very many young people and I have no doubt

That most of the people under 35 years old in this country have no clue what’s going on and think that we are a pain in the ass.

Saw a dermatologist the other day for the first time, a very young woman who was actually originally from Germany but I detected no accent, she saw my “woke, it’s not the insult you think it is” T-shirt and we discussed how much we hate the piece of shit. I then asked her how crazy is it that the CDC director was fired and all of the vaccine people were fired and that Kennedy piece of shit was taking away our vaccines; BRACE YOURSELF , she had no clue she hadn’t heard any of this.

Worse is she told me none of her fellow physicians ever mentioned any of this and we are in a very liberal city in a blue state.

[EnergizedLib]

4. I mean

Kamala won the voters who paid attention to politics and knew what was going on. The felon overwhelmingly won with uninformed voters.

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. Actually, Kamala won the majority of voters

?si=izDc2n2w20fAJ0lm

[luvallpeeps]

3. Right on!✊🏽n/t

[paulkienitz]

6. My experience was a little different -- protestors were mainly old, a lot of honking drivers were young

This was in Vacaville, the gateway between the Central Valley (traditionally red) and the Bay Area. And only one angry MAGA yell this time -- usually I expect a few per hour.

[Jarqui]

7. My first protest was against the Vietnam War in the 60s

I've never received a penny for any protest.
I never even considered someone would pay protesters.
We were there for the cause, law, policy or principle or whatever - not to make a buck.
I don't know of anyone personally who was paid to protest.

I think you offered some good advice.

[EnergizedLib]

11. I'd rather hate trump for free

Than worship him for all the money in the world.

[slightlv]

8. Kudos to you and everyone else who protested this weekend!

I was there with you in spirit. My rural little city doesn't do much. To join a protest, I have to travel to the "big city" about an hour away. Used to be, that wouldn't be a thing. These days, it is. Not only is money for gas tight, but my body just won't do the protests anymore. On top of that, I worry about leaving my hubby home alone for an afternoon. And he wouldn't do well if I took him with me.

I gave it my all in my youth... and I still give it my all in spirit these days. damn this body, crapping out on me when I need it to function most.

[EnergizedLib]

12. I also had to go to a city about an hour away

As my rural area I’m currently in is pretty red.

[slightlv]

14. Same boat... have you been gerrymandered out of existence, too?

I *love* the city I need to travel to for protest participation. When I moved up here from Texas, it was where I first settled in. Lived there for over 10 years, and watched it grow from a small but thriving area, with lots of green spaces, to now where it's wall to wall buildings. I think it lost something in that interim. I loved the green spaces; the parks, the horses in the fields. And the architecture they've used has such a "hard" edge to it. Steel and black. Heavy black casings for stop lights. But oh, is that area a richness of food tapestry! And tho the "city" may have taken over the green spaces, the people are just as friendly and open as when I first moved up here. I wish driving it wasn't such a near impossibility for me these days. I'm not ready to have my keys taken away from me, but I am smart enough to know how far and when I can safely do the driving.

[DownriverDem]

9. Many who came of age with Reagan

still support the repubs.

[EnergizedLib]

10. Dubya was president for much of my younger years

I’ve voted blue in every national and Congressional election.

Then again, I grew up in a Clinton household.

[a kennedy]

13. Thank you, and ya make me proud EnergizedLib!!