AUSTIN ROJAS
Like many people across the left, I have mixed feelings about the No King Protests. As I reflect on my experience, I recognize that two things can be true at once. I can feel angry that it’s taken people so long to get out and protest. I can also feel hopeful that now that these people are out here, they can be pushed to do more.
These two takeaways from No Kings 2 are not so mutually exclusive. Instead, one makes the other more urgent. Because it’s taken so many so long to start protesting, we have to work harder and faster to push these people to more meaningful action. If that isn’t immediately obvious, I hope my experience of No Kings can help clarify.
As is my custom, I arrived late. Circling the largest rally crowd I’d ever seen in town, I saw signs referencing jokes and memes from the Daily Show, Late Night, Jimmy Kimmel, and Facebook. If not for that time spent in Houston, I wouldn’t have understood many of these references myself, their origins in a corner of the internet older and further right than what my algorithm lets me see.
After a loop, I found the DSA table, locked up my bike and prepared to make myself useful. The table’s location on the periphery made it easier to take an outsider’s perspective on the affair. So, as I stood there, standing on the largest crowd I’d ever seen at an event of this size, a bitterness rushed over me. That bitterness lingered during the event but would give way to optimism and energy in the days that followed.
I stood there, listening to speakers who had suddenly found a voice after 2 years of silence. Where were they on Oct. 15, 2023, the first protest for Palestine in Savannah? I didn’t hear them then nor had I heard them since. They spoke of rights, of freedom, some as bold as to call it liberation. Had they not known there was a liberation movement before Trump’s inauguration?
I stood there. Looking out over a crowd so unfamiliar from the one’s I’m used to seeing. More diverse in age, to be sure. But I couldn’t help but wonder, where were they all this time? They knew how to make signs, how to chant, how stand in solidarity. Did they learn how to do all this only after Trump was inaugurated?
I stood there. Wondering. Wondering who in this crowd didn’t care enough for Palestinian rights, Palestinian freedoms, Palestinian liberation, to stand in solidarity. Who in this crowd was hostile to the very notion. Who in this crowd had shouted down my comrades and I for speaking out, lest we “cost the Democrats” the election? Who in this crowd shouted down my partner at the time for interrupting Kamala not once, but twice—first as VP, then as candidate. Surely there were people here who had booed her and other comrades for exercising these same rights of speech they now claim to care so deeply for.
I shuffled my feet. Had it gotten hotter? I tried to loosen my jaw and exhale. As anyone at the table that day can attest, that bitterness took root and expressed itself. But, trying to be of service, I tried to shake it off.
In the days since, I’ve had time to reflect on that bitterness and anger. I’ve tried to understand it and learn from it. I have no answers yet, but hope that through reflection and this piece, we can begin to take steps forward, away from the madness, away from the lowerst bar imaginable (no kings) and towards a more democratic, equal, and just world.
If you feel bitterness, indignation, and anger at seeing people only now take to the streets, I’m with you. Fighting against monarchy 10 months into a dictator’s rule through non-disruptive rallies feels like the defintion of “A day late and a dollar short.” So, like me, give yourself that moment to just scream “what took you so long?!”
From Anger to Action
As I let that righteous rage express itself, I let it turn me towards a clarity of purpose. We’ve crossed a threshold, new players have entered, and the whole game is up for grabs. Yes, it’s taken far too many people far too long to get off the couch, away from the screen and to the streets. But now that they’re here, anything can happen.
Socialism, communism, anarchy, and every political persuasion in between will never be built in isolation. Mass political action in the public square is their natural habitat and now folks have gotten a taste of what that looks like for the first time. We know the importance of resistance, organization, mutual aid, and solidarity but for many of the No Kings attendees, this was their first foray into uncharted territory.
Speaker after speaker reiterated not letting things end with the protest. It would be hard for anyone present to have left with the idea that they’d accomplished something through their attendance. Instead, many people I never thought would be interested in socialism came up to our DSA table to ask what we had to offer and what more they could do. But let’s not get too carried away.
Trump has moved these people to march. We must move them to real action. The protest’s narrow focus against Trump reflects the priorities of many of those attendees. The bitterness I felt reflects the reality that many attendees are content with a microdose of fascism that doesn’t directly affect or offend them. Deportations, yes; mass deportations no. Horrible norms, yes; disrupting norms, no.
Our work is cut out for us then. The people who attended No Kings, for better or worse, are some of the warmest people in our local area in terms of political engagement and politics. To be sure, there are latent radicals among us who weren’t there, but they elude our regular channels of engagement. We should continue to strengthen and expand channels to reach those people, but we also need to recognize the opportunity before us.
We must expand their vision from the singular to the systemic. It’s something we’ve tried to do for multiple issues since at least 2020 and policing. It’s something that we’ve seemingly failed to do. So how can we do it effectively?
What Next?
To lay a claim on knowing what we should do would be the height of hubris. I have no idea what we should do, but I do have thoughts on what we can try. While yes, things can always get worse, we on the left are not powerful enough to make them worse ourselves. Let that give us the freedom to experiment with new methods and messages to bring more into the movement.
I believe we should dedicate time and resources to learning how to create compelling short form videos. Not just for chapter social media, but for all of us, as individuals. I believe this can be useful based on anecdoctal insights from No Kings and my recent experience living with my more liberal-minded parents.
First, many of the signs I saw at No Kings referenced memes from the average No Kings protestor’s corner of Facebook. Being very online is not limited by generation and short form videos are the internet’s cultural currency. YouTube gets 5 times more monthly visitors than Facebook even. Additionally, everyone has their preferred influencers and creators that they follow and share. Adding our videos to this mix creates a potent steppingstone for No Kings attendees looking to do more.
Second, older generations are most influenced by their children. This isn’t speculation, it’s borne out in marketing data showing that children influence their parents purchasing decisions more than other marketing channels. Learning how to create convincing short form videos will also let us develop efficient and persuasive speaking skills. Not only will we be able to show our family our videos, it can also help us in our conversations with them. Now obviously talking at your parents or loved ones like an Instagram influencer is not ideal, but the choices of evidence and learning what makes for an effective message will be helpful.
We should likewise take some time to learn more about who these attendees are. While yes, the crowd was the oldest of every protest I’ve ever been to, that doesn’t mean these people are entirely unmovable. The best way to move them is through messages that speak to their interests. We have solutions for every age, let’s not hide them. The affordability message is huge, but that’s not all we have on offer.
I think democratic control of the economy could resonate with folks across generational and ideological lines. Right now, millions of Americans’ retirement plans are built on an AI bubble. They did not decide our entire economy should be rigged to a climate menace that produces nothing much of value. When that bubble bursts, they will be left holding the bag and without enough to retire. We should push them to consider why oligarchs should be the only decisionmakers and why those people should be allowed to tie up their retirement on risky bets?
The other parts of their retirement may also be bound up in companies complicit in Israeli apartheid. I confess I do not know too much of the data, but I believe evidence exists showing that when apartheid fell in South Africa, people invested in those companies lost huge. Let’s learn more and push these folks to consider getting on board with BDS and other action liberatory movements.
In all, I believe that as frustrating as it was at first, the No Kings rally opened my eyes to the opportunity and challenge before us. Moving these people will not be easy but it is essential. Our movement needs people, yes. But more importantly it needs people who share our values and who understand the importance of taking more aggressive action to repel the fascist threat in our time and build the future we want.
AUSTIN Rojas
Another idea might be to provide historical lessons. I find that many believe a better world is possible, but not achievable if that distinction makes sense. They believe that the forces amassed against us are too powerful to completely eliminate. Capitalism, oligarchs, fascists, we could never live without them the thinking goes. My experience as a historic tour guide showed me that a new perspective on the past does wonders for our lens on the present.
Far too much of our history, and as a result our expectations of the present, is based on a great man theory of history. We believe that the past was shaped and reshaped by “great men” or for the liberal, “great people.” We also have adopted a Whiggish interpretation of history which argues that liberty and progress increase over time. The combination of these two allow the liberal to simply wait for the great person to arrive who will then increase liberty and progress. Let’s amplify histories of mass political action getting people wins and show that we can follow in that trajectory instead.
In all, I believe that as frustrating as it was at first, the No Kings rally opened my eyes to the opportunity and challenge before us. Moving these people will not be easy but it is essential. Our movement needs people, yes. But more importantly it needs people who share our values and who understand the importance of taking more aggressive action to repel the fascist threat in our time and build the future we want. Forget liberals searching for the “Joe Rogan of the Left” and embrace a truly bottom up influence campaign.