Major cities in the US reported six-figure crowd sizes, possibly eclipsing the turnout from last year's historic protests. I'm not surprised. As I wrote on the year anniversary of the 2016 election, Trump is both cruel and historically unpopular.
True to his delusional, gaslighting, and lying form, Trump himself got on Twitter and pretended that the marches were a celebration of him and his "successes":
Folks, if I ever found myself with nothing to live for, I would find it in me to live only so that when this piece of shit kills masses of people, there will at least be someone other than him to write history.
Donald knows full well that the #WomensMarch2018 isn't a celebration of him or his "successes." Like all misogynists, he thinks he can speak fabrications about women's experiences into reality just by uttering them.— Fannie Wolfe (@fanniesroom) January 20, 2018
The anti-Trump resistance is real, and it's being led by women, just as it should be. Today, I want to share two related observations about the revitalized women's movement:
One, much like the mainstream media largely missed the Trump-Russia story when it was happening in real time during the 2016 election, their coverage of the women's movement is largely inadequate. For instance, on the day after this year's Women's March, Nina Mast at Media Matters noted that "the major Sunday political talk shows were nearly silent on the historic protests, only briefly mentioning the topic across all five shows."
I posit that the mainstream media is largely overlooking this women-led movement in real time, precisely because it's led by women. Men still rule in the media world and they primarily view only other men as leaders of political movements. See also, their endless fascination with Trump voters and the assumption some have that Bernie Sanders is the leader of the resistance.
As I tweeted over the weekend (excuse the typo, ugh):
Of course it is, because it's led by women, while the media is ruled by men who look primarily only view men as leaders of movements. https://t.co/j4nSM8ayWS— Fannie Wolfe (@fanniesroom) January 21, 2018
Secondly, Louisa, on Twitter, had a very good thread about the embedded misogyny that some activists show when mocking women protestors as suffering from a lack of coolness. From time to time, I see people sneering at "soccer moms in pink pussy hats." Like Louisa, I think that while some newer activists might have a lot to learn, we should be embracing the people who show up, are operating in good faith, and who are enthusiastic, rather than ridiculing them and tearing them down.
As a related point, I've seen some commentators say that it's "easy" to show up for a march and that anyone can do it. And, like I said on Twitter, I think that assumption should be interrogated. Protesting is political labor, and it's actually not easy for everyone.
I'll add that we should also interrogate the assumption that showing up to a March is "easy." For many, it's not - eg, if you have a small child, lack transportation, are sick, are disabled, work on weekends, and/or fear police presence.— Fannie Wolfe (@fanniesroom) January 21, 2018
All in all, I'm pleased that the Women's Marches had another huge turnout, even as it remains a tragedy that the marches are necessary at all. Onward, we continue resisting.
And don't forget to register to vote, if you haven't already.
Related:
Me, at Shakesville last year: Women's Marches Prove Historic
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