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Nevada's recent Democratic Convention kicked up quite a fuss this past week with some media sources reporting acts of violence by Sanders supporters, while others contend that the reports of thrown chairs were exaggerated. A lot of Sanders supporters feel they've been unfairly misrepresented by the media and insist that a few bad apples should not cast a shadow on Bernie, his policies or the movement that he inspired. However, one fact is not in dispute: Chairwoman Roberta Lange did receive threatening phone calls and text messages from pissed-off Sanders supporters.
Bernie Sanders is my favourite candidate in this race. And yes, Canadians can have a preference in the U.S. general election; there's such a long history of collusion between the Tories and the GOP that we tend to develop a preference for which American politicians will be meddling in our affairs. Bernie is my favourite; so I address this article to his supporters, particularly the ones who felt compelled to send threatening, vulgar text messages to Roberta Lange.
First of all, do I even have to point out that threatening another human being and participating in a coordinated harassment campaign are deplorable actions? Do I really have to explain why digging up someone's private information and sharing it online is a gross violation of that person's civil liberties? Do I honestly have to fall back on the tired maxim of “you're only hurting your own cause by behaving in this way?” Shouldn't the fact that threats and harassment are wrong – unequivocally wrong regardless of any misconduct the target may or may not have committed – be enough to motivate you to avoid such behaviour? If not, then I question the moral foundations of your so-called revolution.
And speaking of revolution, I don't care for that word. Understand that you're talking to someone who is well aware of the fact that eliminating poverty is an achievable goal, who recognizes the current neoliberal policies embraced by the United States and its allies as a threat to human survival on this planet.
That's me speaking at Zeitgeist Day in Athens just two months ago. I'd be the first person to tell you that the current system has to go. But I don't like the word “revolution” because it's inaccurate. I prefer the word “transition” because that's what's really happening. Building a sustainable economy that is predicated on equality and respect for human life will take time.
So, let's get one thing out of the way. The need for transition is real. Clinton supporters often accuse Sanders supporters of wanting to “burn everything to the ground.” They like to paint Sanders supporters as a group of extremists who are more concerned with getting revenge on the evil bankers than they are with building a habitable society. Putting aside the deplorable actions of the BernieBros, it remains an immutable physical reality that capitalism does not work.
You can analyze it from a hundred different angles. Whether it's the work of Thomas Piketty, which demonstrates that market economics leads to an inevitable increasing wealth gap, or the research of Richard Wilkinson, which illustrates the health problems suffered by societies with greater degrees of inequality. Whether it's the fact that market economics requires us to burn through natural resources far faster than the Earth can replenish them or the life threatening conditions imposed by climate change: however you want to slice it, capitalism doesn't work. The Sanders supporters are not wrong to press for rapid political and social change. It's not about compromise. You can't compromise with physics. Our business model is destroying this planet, and if we want to survive as a species, we must change that business model. That is not an opinion; that is fact.
However, the “ends justify the means” approach to activism employed by many Sanders supporters is simply inexcusable. Did Roberta Lange try to undermine the democratic process by unfairly excluding Sanders delegates? You know what? It doesn't matter. Because even if every allegation against her is 100 percent true, that still doesn't justify threats of physical harm and a coordinated harassment campaign. So, I'd like the Sanders supporters who threatened her to really stop and think about what I'm about to say.
You seem to think that social change is easy. You seem to think that it's a simple matter of putting the right people in office. Elect a socialist, and your job is done. Why do I say that? Because you make it so abundantly clear that you have one goal and only one goal. Put Bernie Sanders in the White House and let him sort everything out. You don't ask the question, “What happens after the election?”
When you harass Clinton supporters and tell them that they're too stupid to know what's in their own best interest, it doesn't occur to you that you might be burning a bridge. That you might need those people at some point in the future. Thoughts like that don't cross your mind because you're not interested in serious activism. Serious activism means reaching out to people who don't share your viewpoint, galvanizing them into a unified movement. When you send threatening text messages to democratic party leaders, it doesn't occur to you that your divisive behaviour makes it that much harder for real activists to have a frank discussion about the problems with our system and the alternatives available to us.
Social change is hard. Real activism is hard. It often involves toiling away in relative obscurity; it often requires you to be willing to sacrifice opportunities for personal advancement in order to stand by your principles. No matter who's sitting in the White House next year, the fight for a better world will go on. I'm an environmentalist, but if I'm going to have any hope of preventing climate change and resource overshoot, I need allies. I need Black Lives Matter activists and proponents of economic justice. I need feminists, LGBT advocates and people who oppose imperialism. I need their insight, their guidance, their unique perspectives.
It's not enough to just stop climate change. We have to stop climate change in a way that considers the subtle issue of environmental racism. We have to stop climate change in a way that does not compromise women's rights. We have to stop climate change in a way that does not destroy the delicate economies of developing nations. So if I'm going to win the fight against climate change, I need diverse voices to guide me.
What I don't need is people who resort to death threats and harassment when an election doesn't go their way. If that's you, then take these words to heart. You're not an asset; you're a liability.
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