It's Not Wise To Upset A Wookie...

Hey Everyone!!

A few weeks ago, I shared a video where someone in progressive media had asked someone in mainstream media why they're always so quick to kowtow to the right in terms of the way they frame the stories they report on, and even which stories they choose to report on at all. And the answer was, perhaps unsurprisingly, because the rightwing is full of a bunch of snowflakes who meltdown at the slightest hint of anything that hurts their feelings. And they make their displeasure known by voicing their complaints.

The story reminded me of a scene from Star Wars: A New Hope where Chewie and R2D2 are playing chess and R2D2 makes a move that Chewie doesn't like. Han advises R2D2 to appease Chewie even though he's in the wrong with regards to the rules of the game because "it's not wise to upset a wookie." C3PO objects and observes that "nobody worries about upsetting a droid." And Han's reply is, of course, the crux of the matter, "That’s 'cause a droid don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

Republicans have made themselves the wookies of the American political system, so everyone, from the media to our elected representatives, is afraid of offending them. And we logical, open-minded progressives have made ourselves the droids. Nobody worries about upsetting us. But there's nothing stopping us from changing that.

Not literally, of course. Please, for heaven's sake, no pulling any arms out of sockets or any other kind of physical violence. But we can make our displeasure known in other, non-violent ways that will still garner attention and make people think twice before crossing us. Does that mean mass protests that shut down roadways and make it impossible for businesses to function? Sure, why not? As long as those protests remain non-violent, that sounds like a great idea to me. After all, it worked for people in France.

Or how about mass campaigns of calling and writing to the offices of elected representatives every time they vote or say they will vote in a way we don't like? Better yet, how about if we show up en masse and voice our displeasure in person? And I know a lot of people find it distasteful when elected representatives are confronted and criticized in public venues, but as long as those confrontations remain non-violent, I see no problem with them.

The point is, we can make life very uncomfortable for anyone who holds public office but doesn't represent our political agenda. And we can certainly make our displeasure known to mainstream media outlets that bias their reporting towards the rightwing simply by calling their offices and calling them out on their bullshit. And if that doesn't work, we can boycott their advertisers and call those companies and tell them why.

Yes, it takes a bit of work to be a wookie, but our numbers are large enough that we can use them to force the oligarchs to listen to us. And if we're loud enough and disruptive enough and persistent enough, we can force them to the same conclusion C3PO reached, "Let the wookie win."

Peace!