There are two phrases that made a strong impression on me years ago, and that I continually think about a lot.
- First, do no harm.
- ... to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable
Respectively, they are a caution for doctors and a statement of the responsibility for newspapers.
I am not in either of those professions, but I have a strong interest in healing and in information. I think they can go together well.
Those are thoughts that I keep in mind. I believe they should be applied to how we resist.
I do think it is completely possible that some of these protests could irritate Donald Trump. I would be fine with that, in theory, but it does seem worth remembering that he is petty and vindictive and has access to troops and weapons and courts.
That doesn't mean that we should coddle his feelings either, but I would hope that the irritating things we might do would also accomplish some good beyond that irritation.
Back when I wrote about boycotting, it is true that I mentioned the possibility of hurting Bezos' ego. The real goal was for economic impact and Bezos does not have the same military options.
Boycotting from your homes also does not collect you all into easy targets.
I am sure the protests irritate law enforcement, and I remain appalled by how easily Portland Police will declare a riot. Here's the thing: racism runs deep in our country and especially in our policing.
A Portland protest is going to involve hundreds of white people, just based on our population breakdown. Some of them might get hurt, and some of them have. However, there is a level that is not even necessarily conscious where abuse -- whether at the protest or a little while later when the officers are still irritated -- is going to be targeted at people with darker skins. Their complaints are then more likely to be ignored by investigators and by medical staff.
I know I bring up race a lot. It's necessary that we remember. There are people who don't get the option to forget.
Also, if we are causing disruptions, whom are we disrupting? The comfortable or already afflicted?
It's way easier to add more affliction to those who already have it.
You can't prevent everything. Boycotts can contribute to job losses for people who need the money and you wouldn't necessarily know that. There are things we can think about and know, though.
It might be worth disrupting traffic when ordinary people are on their way to work, but all that might do is ruin many days without affecting anyone who has any power to change anything.
Protesting outside a company that provides weapons to Israel might be worth something.
Protesting on a campus after asking the administration to divest might be worth something.
It can be hard to make real change, which is a source of deep frustration to me.
That is not a reason to give up analysis and strategy about what kind of changes we want and how we might get there.
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