2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Heckler/disruptor Patrisse Cullors appoints herself the spokesperson of black people [View all]scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)so being a friend, she figures she'll give me a chance to try out my sales pitch and invites some of her other friends to show up, too.
As it happens, among those other friends of my friend, are several who've just lost a sister, a brother, a child, a cousin. They are carrying a lot of heavy grief and pain, they aren't much interested in my sales pitch for my start-up.
The friend who invited me, who is also friends with these other guests, figures that the truly deeply horrible shit they've gone through really takes precedence over my little presentation. So those grieving, wailing friends get the attention instead of me.
So, how does a genuine human being behave in such a circumstance? Get upset about not being able to deliver your sales pitch as originally expected? Or sit back, let those who are mourning grieve in whatever fashion they choose, and offer them the only thing you really can offer at that point, a listening and sympathetic ear.
They don't want your 12-point economic plan, they want to know that you actually CARE. They want you to get what they feel.
Bernie should have felt honored that those protestors thought highly enough of him that they hoped by showing him their grief, he would take it to heart and work harder to do something about it.
He was given a challenge to up his game beyond "I marched with MLK in the 60s". As the saying goes, "What have you done for me lately?"