The People vs. The Establishment: Where Have All the Protests Gone?

I admit it. I'm a closet Trekkie. No, I didn't enjoy the latest movie incarnation, nor have I attended any conventions. However, I share the Big Bang Theory enthusiasm for Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Jean-Luc Picard and the philosophies of the Star Trek franchise. More so, another character, on Star Trek: The Next Generation stuck with me. Counselor Troi, an Empath. She had the ability to sense others' feelings, thoughts. Not read minds, but open herself to their happiness, pain, anger, love and so on.  You see, the Counselor brought me back to one of the earliest lessons I learned about humanity: put yourself in another person's shoes before judging. Today, the disconnected escape that is our gadget-centric world has been exemplified for society's insensitivity. I will argue otherwise.

That fault, my readers, lies not in technology but in ourselves. We may never have the power of the Enterprise's counselor; however, those out there who are reasonably open-minded have the makings of empathetic activists. And before my readers elicit testosterone-driven behavior as a men's (or some women's) reason not to be empathetic--whether on the hetero- or homo- sexual end of Kinsey's scale--let's accelerate our warp drive, fly around the sun, and return to the sixties.

In the midst of the turmoil, drugs and social change, many, many leaders, political, religious, business were outspoken and productively enraged about the status quo; "Peace" and "Love" were not throw away expressions, empathy among many reigned. The elite establishment became battered by the tumult. Very few, in positions of power, including the well-meaning or righteous were left unscathed, e.g. President Johnson and Vietnam.

Future events after the Sixties and early Seventies, however, Watergate, Rwanda, 9/11, the Great Recession threw a cynical curve that has led many to inaction and unproductive anger leading to our current apathy. Our one shining hope--had been the election of Barack Obama, but without party unity, continuing grassroots support, a Congressional Democratic majority, the power of the Tea Party has surged and churned our democracy. We are now governed by a corporate oligarchy. That's right. "The Establishment" has returned. The gap has never been wider.

And what has become of grassroots protests? "Occupy Wall Street", a rag tag demonstration without united support among those who could make a difference: celebrities, media savvy supportive politicians, and most of all, the impassioned youth of yesteryear, petered and collapsed. Helpless rage now festers with little constructive action.

Where have all the "empaths" gone? Those who cared so deeply they sacrificed all to bring real change: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy and other notables. No, they represented the public voice, but the people who marched to Washington and faced violent resistance, peacefully, were the underpinnings. They made major strides in our history and how the world perceived us.

That worldwide respect has diminished recently. Unless we, the people of this country who have become embittered; spent, or the sympathetic media, the previously outspoken powerhouses of Hollywood, community leaders, and the shamefully quiet politicos--put themselves in the shoes of those who are even more desperate, helpless and suppressed, only then can we spur effective, action. Our only hope is empathy. That power lies within ourselves.