January 21
Jan. 13th, 2017 08:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI don't know whether it's because of Steven Universe or Teen Vogue or what
( representation matters )
but a number of my older friends' elementary and middle school aged children have decided that they want to join the march on the National Mall next Saturday. Since I happen to be conveniently located, it looks like I'm going to be hosting between fifteen and twenty people in my apartment. I ordered some Blu Ray movies for the kids, bought $500 worth of alcohol for the adults, and made reservations at two restaurants, a choux crème delivery service, and a taxi company. I also went to an art supply store to buy poster board, paint, glitter, and poles.
Political activism isn't always fun, but there's no reason it can't be. I think political activism should be about people coming together and finding solidarity in friendship and community, and that parents should absolutely bring their tween girls and boys to political rallies if the kids ask them to. We're going to take pictures of each other and put them all over social media while smiling and looking fabulous as we turn out to protest fascism for all we're worth, and it is going to be awesome.
( representation matters )
but a number of my older friends' elementary and middle school aged children have decided that they want to join the march on the National Mall next Saturday. Since I happen to be conveniently located, it looks like I'm going to be hosting between fifteen and twenty people in my apartment. I ordered some Blu Ray movies for the kids, bought $500 worth of alcohol for the adults, and made reservations at two restaurants, a choux crème delivery service, and a taxi company. I also went to an art supply store to buy poster board, paint, glitter, and poles.
Political activism isn't always fun, but there's no reason it can't be. I think political activism should be about people coming together and finding solidarity in friendship and community, and that parents should absolutely bring their tween girls and boys to political rallies if the kids ask them to. We're going to take pictures of each other and put them all over social media while smiling and looking fabulous as we turn out to protest fascism for all we're worth, and it is going to be awesome.
no subject
Date: 2017-01-14 02:14 pm (UTC)And that you enjoy cleaning, because your apartment will probably be a disaster afterward.no subject
Date: 2017-01-14 06:30 pm (UTC)I'm... actually really worried about this. I've put together small survival packets for everyone, which include trail mix, hand warmers, a piece of paper with my address and a hand-drawn map from the station to my apartment, and prepaid Metro cards (which you can buy in bulk at a discount, thank goodness). I don't think there are going to be riot police separating and attacking the protesters, but one never knows.
In any case, I'm extremely sensitive to cold, and the smaller kids probably aren't going to want to be outside for more than an hour anyway, so what's probably going to happen is that at a certain point I'll take an Uber home with whoever wants to come with me. The able-bodied adults can stay and yell as long as they want, but no one is going to be catching hypothermia and passing out in a huge crowd of people on my watch.
I've resigned myself to being exhausted for the next few weeks and there being glitter in my apartment for the next several months. I am a super introverted and neat-freaky person, but once I said "yes" to one person I couldn't very well start saying "no."
I also secretly feel that, if this administration is going to be as bad as it's shaping out to be and some sort of apocalypse or postdemocratic dystopia does in fact come to pass, I might need these friends to return the favor.