I posted the following comments in a non-public forum. Several people have asked me to re-post it here for access. Any references to other discussions should be easily interpreted. =============================================== Several recent posts on here have addressed risking jobs and intimidation because of expressing views in public. I have also read about areas and neighborhoods that were extremely unfriendly to Democrats and/or progressives in general. I think this is an extremely important issue that needs to be discussed. The comments below are strictly personal. They are presented without charge, and with a satisfaction or your purchase costs returned guarantee. First, don’t risk your job. However, don’t be intimidated into silence. In fact I suspect you will find far more people of similar mind live around you than you knew. I live in southwest Arlington, an area very similar to those described above. In 2008 I was an area coordinator for the Obama campaign (responsible for organizing several precincts) in my own city. We conducted dozens of small group meetings in homes, restaurants, parks, … Regularly we would have people surprised to find neighbors and friends attending with whom they had never discussed current events or ideas because they thought they “were the only progressives in the neighborhood”. This discovery of like minded acquaintances empowered people to speak out where they never had before. No, we did not carry Tarrant County for Obama. It remained one of the “reddest” large counties in the nation. However, we did elect Senator Wendy Davis & Representative Chris Turner from our districts. Both upset entrenched right wing Republicans who had been expected to roll to easy victories. I firmly believe one of the reasons Texas has been such a wasteland for Progressive ideas over the past decade is because for years we surrendered the public discourse without a fight. By this I don’t mean calling Republicans names. I do mean entering the discussion with reasoned, fact based, presentations of ideas and philosophy. Most people you will meet are busy living their lives, and don’t have or take the time to really delve into political ideas or the underpinnings of our government. It’s not that they don’t think it’s important, it’s just that they are busy, paying bills, taking care of families, trying to stay afloat in an increasingly difficult world. If people are only exposed to one set of ideas, and are regularly told that “this is a fact”, “that is a fact”, “this is good”, “that is bad”, with no countervailing discussion, the presented argument becomes part of their world view. However, it works both ways. The more people who, without too much rancor, present reasonable, documented, thoughtful arguments for progressive positions, the more “acceptable” these ideas become in the public mind, and the sooner we will regain civility and rationality in Texas politics. P.S. & keep on registering new voters, AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL VOTEERS HAVE ACCEPTABLE PHOTO ID’s.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 22:13:41 +0000
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