Democracy, and why it’s important

A little over one hundred years ago, just a mile away from where I write, thousands of immigrant workers had their wages cut.  They thought they were powerless, but reached a breaking point, and refused to work.  The powerful mill owners threatened them, and called their actions illegal.  The strike became violent, even deadly, and the mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts stayed shut.  The poor laborers tried to send their children out of town to friends’ homes, because Lawrence was dangerous, and food had been cut off.  At the railroad station, desperate parents were arrested for trying to send their children away.  After many bitter, violent, mostly winter months, the strike ended without a satisfactory conclusion.  Still, the eyes of the world were on the defiant immigrant laborers, and the plight of people with no voice was finally heard, and when they found they could speak to the world, they profoundly declared that they wanted a way not only to live, but to have hope, when they said, “We want bread and roses.”

Today, tens of millions of undocumented people live among us.  Most people turn their backs; they’re powerless. They live in fear of being seized.  A large number of them could reasonably be called refugees, from Central American countries where human rights are ignored.  We are bound by international treaty to receive and care for refugees, but it’s inconvenient to do so.  Instead, we have taken to calling them ‘illegals’, which I find offensive to the point of obscenity.  They have no voice, but you know they all want bread and roses.

Today, the poor, largely colored people in America suffer through an injustice system, lack of basic rights, predatory capitalism, and a long list of indignities.  They want bread and roses.

How do all of these people get bread and roses?  Does it matter to you and me?

It matters a lot to you and me.  The line between middle class and poor is getting blurred, and many of us are in the blurry area.  It doesn’t take much to fall out of Experian nirvana (and aren’t mysterious credit scores just another indignity?).  Even if you manage to stay on the path to suburban bliss, can’t you see the heavy hand reaching for more and more of us?

Eventually people without bread will demand bread.  They deserve bread and roses.  If they are not given a voice they will still make themselves heard.  The voice we all need is our own share of the American government:  Democracy.

I have heard that the US has the worst rate of participation in voting among developed nations.  I don’t know if this is true, but I instinctually know it’s at least close.  I’m pretty sure that it’s because the people have become increasingly disenfranchised.  Elections seem to be decided by the rich, who have access to obscene amounts of cash, the ability to manipulate a byzantine legal and electoral landscape, and the ability to push dissenting opinions to the margins.

We need to get our democracy back!  I can think of no other way than to educate as many people as possible in civics, and aggressively promote voting.  Marginalized people don’t need to live in a country dominated by three credit score companies, mega-rich players, and a rigged justice system.  The peaceful path to giving voice is a robust democratic system.  We all need our daily bread.  We need our roses, too.