Moral Monday strikes its tent
Published June 24, 2014
by Civitas Review online, June 23, 2014.
So it was just a show all along. At the Monday rally at Halifax Mall, the Rev. William Barber announced that it was the last Moral Monday rally. It was no longer going to be Moral Mondays, he said. Now it was "a Moral March … to the polls!"
So the protesters aren't a powerless, oppressed class with no other way to make their voices heard. They plainly expect to exert their influence at the polls, which of course is where they should exert their influence. Obviously, they don't really think they'll be kept from voting by nefarious conservatives. Their outrage has been a show, and it's time evidently for protesters to go about the real business: drumming up votes.
So like a traveling show that has finished its run, the Monday protest crew is striking their tent and heading out on the road — though, as of this writing, with one more fling with civil disobedience. The plan seemed to be to fill the halls of the State Legislative Building with protesters ostensibly in study groups, then finish with a big finale of people trying to get arrested.
For it's time for the show to move on. The crowds have subsided. The energy is palpably less, though Barber tries to use his voice to keep the crowd roiled. But slogans and shouts can only go so far. Barber seems as full energy and anger as before, but the reception seems tamer. Even rage becomes mundane after awhile.
The newspeople on hand looked bored. Protesters marched into the State Legislative Building, and gathered in "study groups." I wandered past the press room, and the journalists inside seemed more intent on getting stories out than in paying attention to the protesters. Of course, when the hollering begins, the news folks can rush out and get a few quick pictures and quotes, then go back to their real work and the real news.
We'll see in the fall, of course, what effect the protests have had. But that seems to have been the plan all along.
June 24, 2014 at 9:20 am
Norm Kelly says:
The imMoral Monday protestors may have rolled up the sidewalk, but I can't imagine the media is ready to let it go. I expect Barber to be seen on TV and in 'news' papers on a regular basis so NO ONE is allowed to forget their story.
The idea of purposely getting arrested seems ridiculous. I guess it does SOMETHING to keep the people in the news; their cases won't come to trial until July, August, September. The longer the perps can extend/delay the cases, the closer the case will be to the election and therefore remind the low-information/demoncrat voters about their useless protests. And it's almost guaranteed that the N&D and WRAL will cover every trial and stuff a mic in Mr. Barber's face to get his reaction.
And in the meantime, the N&D will continue to remind us how the Republican legislature is doing everything in it's power (and then some) to disenfranchise black voters, how they absolutely hate teachers, how they want the public education system to fail, how Communist Core is the savior of public education but the Republican legislature is determined to eliminate it because the 'high standards' might improve public education and take the sails out of the Republican desire to support/enhance religious education. The N&D will continue to place blame for the coal ash ponds & spill squarely at the feet of McCrory.
Even though the racist, elitist, minority group of angry protestors who attempt to claim they are being moral have gone away, the demon-supporting allies in the media will continue to carry water for them. It's not time to fret yet about their disappearance. Unfortunately. I'll be glad if they aren't in the 'news' so much any more, but I don't expect it. I will just have to ignore certain 'news' stories, just like I always have to do.
June 24, 2014 at 10:06 am
Rip Arrowood says:
Sounds like sour grapes from a little league team who's getting blistered....
June 24, 2014 at 9:37 pm
jacob jacobs says:
What a stupid article. I am an educator and the anger is at an all time high. Moral Mondays started during EOC testing with schools and before educators got out for the summer which is the only reason there were not even more participants. Also, the legislative session was cut short to avoid all of the protests. So no, the anger has not died down in the least and you will find this out in November. Oh, and we won't be idle in the months before November, rather, we will be working our fingers to the bone to oust the Republican Repressers.
