Democracy is a Funny Thing

So, yesterday was a first for me. I participated in my first political march. With the detestable violence in the Middle East, I felt as though I really should do something. And since we do not live in a direct democracy, and will not therefore have a referendum vote on whether or not current US foreign policy towards Israel is completely masochistic, I am forced to voice my feelings elsewhere.

And where better to voice one's beliefs than in a silent peace march in downtown Dallas at 4 PM on a Sunday afternoon?

We were told to wear white and not to carry any flags or hostile signs. This was to be a march in favor of an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon, not a Cindy Shehan political spectacular.

When we pulled up, we parked on the street. Right next to the "No parking - Anytime" sign. To be sure that the urban myth regarding no towing or parking tickets was true, we decided to ask a local peace officer.

ME: So, is it ok if we park here?

Peace Officer: Um, it should be.

ME: (Puzzled look)

PO: Are you two part of the protest?

Friend: It's a peace march.

PO: You two don't look Palestinian.

ME: We just care. And she's Lebanese.

PO: (Rolls up window. Continues to listen to what must be Toby Keith)


After this little exchange restored my faith in the police. We continued towards the gathering of the white-clad peaceniks. It was a cosmopolitan group. If you can call a group that is 80% Muslim cosmopolitan. The other 20% was pretty mixed. Some hippies. Some yuppies. Some kids brought there against their will by their parents.

The march itself was pretty unremarkable. It was just your average group of 300 people walking 1.5 miles around downtown Dallas hoping to achieve some political objective. What exactly did these people (and myself, I suppose) hope to accomplish out there? So what if 300 Muslims and hippies think that the US gov't is doing something stupid? 500,000 marched on those same streets a few months ago, and the immigration debate was not changed at all.

I feel as though I have been placated by this whole "democratic process." Am I supposed to feel as though a little march that no one will see and maybe a call to my senator will change something? I don't think the point of these little acts are to bring about real change. The real point is to make myself feel better.

I am glad that I participated yesterday. I think that it is important for me as a young pork-loving white person to show the Muslims that came out to march that they are not alone in their frustration and anger with the policies that are killing their families abroad. I just hate that we are given this sense that by walking around in the heat, we are actually solving anything globally. What we are actually doing is finding a community that shares our beliefs and finding some sort of peace that we are not alone in how we think. Perhaps that is all that we can hope to accomplish on a Sunday afternoon.