“Activism is a way for useless people to feel important, even if the consequences of their activism are counterproductive for those they claim to be helping and damaging to the fabric of society as a whole.”
That phrase was written by the great economist Thomas Sowell in an early 2000s collection of poignant essays.
More so than actually making fun of and insulting social progressives, that statement was really more of a stern warning about the dangers of activism as a personal virtue signaling pet project rather than a vehicle for genuine change.
I’m inclined to agree, and as the third national No Kings protest took place across the country, and indeed right here in Plymouth, I’d like to say that activism for activism’s sake is not only a foolish endeavor, but a waste of everyone’s time and a burden on future generations.
I share no ideological common ground with No Kings protesters for all the reasons you might expect.
Firstly, I’m not a social progressive, and secondly, getting out into the streets to participate in a glorified “I hate Donald Trump” hangout session is really missing the point of what No Kings could be if it was focused on the issues that actually mattered in the grand scheme of our nation.
Because make no mistake, focused results-based activism has its place and can be a force for tremendous social upheaval if used the right way by rational participants.
Put another way, I just wish Americans would take to the streets to fight for something long-term that actually matters.
Protesting President Trump and his administration is silly because the man is living on borrowed time.
Unless a leftist assassin succeeds where the first one failed, he’ll be gone from the political sphere come 2028.
And, if it makes Democrats feel better, he’s on the cusp of his 80s, which means that you won’t have to see him for very much longer, even if the Lord is good to him. Once a political figure leaves the limelight, that’s usually as good as dead as others take their places and new controversies and world events move in.
After all, how often do any of you, even the oldest among you, think about Ronald Reagan and how much you hated him?
The answer is almost never, unless one of his old films comes across the Turner Classic Movie channel.
Obviously, you’re free to hate the pres- ident from here until eternity. But if that’s all your movement amounts to, it’s not worth the beautiful Saturday afternoon you wasted on it.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
I really wish left wing Americans would take a moment to think about a few genuine reasons we ought to be out in the streets yelling at our government, because there are plenty.
The most obvious of which is excessive taxation, you know, one of the major issues that the founders went to war over. The thing the bulk of the No Kings movement often pretends to care about when it’s convenient.
At every given opportunity, the state shamelessly and fearlessly siphons the money you sweat for to either line its own pockets or send it off to foreign lands for reasons you’ve never consented to.
It’s one thing to be taxed eight different ways until Sunday on the things that you believe are worth living in a civilized society for. It’s quite another to have your money stolen right from under you, under the threat of imprisonment, for causes that you’ve never heard of, in places you can scarcely pronounce.
But to the point, everyone gleefully participating in a No Kings rally ought to consider Sowell’s words carefully.
Because if you’re using your time and energy to hate the president, while leaving the beast of big government without rebuke, just waiting for the chance to install the ‘Democrat King’ of your choosing, what you’re doing is useless.
Because the abuses of the state began before Trump took office and are going to continue long after he’s dead and gone. And those abuses will continue for generations more if no one makes any moves to call attention to them and mobilize the way we’ve seen nationally against a president that will soon be irrelevant.