Real Americans
Recently, I receive a message from an individual who declared ‘Real Americans’ would never associate with such louts and misfits as the Occupy movement (actually, his language was much stronger than that). This was my response…
Tom, last night I was down at Occupy Denver for a peace vigil. For the most part, it was a time of quiet contemplation, framed with the sun setting in almost poetic beauty over Denver City Hall. At that vigil, I met many very different people. I met people of about every race and color I could think of. I met poor and I met rich. I met people with great jobs and people with many jobs and people with no jobs. I met young people and I met old people. I met people who have had every opportunity in life, and I met people who have had no opportunity in life. I met peaceful people who followed the footsteps of King and Gandhi, and I met others that preferred the footsteps of Washington and Lincoln. I met conservatives and liberals and people of every other possible political persuasion. I met men and women who had fought in America’s wars. I met good people, and yes, I met bad people.
The previous day, Saturday, many of these same people stood before armed and armored police who used nightsticks, tear gas, pepper spray, bean bags, rubber bullets, and even vehicles as tools to impose their will on the protestors. They failed. On this quiet eve of peace vigil, all there was to be seen of them were a few police cars in a park across the street, parked upon and destroying the very grass that previously the Governor said was so important to protect.
In your last message, you wrote using the term ‘Real American’, seemingly as a club to attack myself and the Occupy movement. You did not define the term, but by context it seems you meant people that look like you, that think like you, that love like you, that worship like you, that watch the same news media as you, that vote like you, and that suffer like you. I would suggest there are many bad definitions and many good definitions of the term ‘Real American’.
Last Saturday, a small group of very diverse people proved that they were willing to be spat upon, lied about, marginalized, denigrated, attacked, injured, arrested, and yes, even risk being killed because they believe in a better America and a better world; and they were willing to sacrifice for it.
I can think of no better definition of ‘Real American’ than that.
Marla Louise
