This is going to be short, because I’m tired and need sleep.
A little background and three quick anecdotes to share.
I work at a club in NYC playing music. While the part of town and its people are clearly of the liberal bent it’s not always as vocal about such views as I’d like it to be, for my taste. I never leave the home without a political button on my jacket, such as Tax The Rich or Occupy Wall St. My t-shirt tonight said “I Am The 99%.” I’m always looking to strike up a conversation.
People come up to sing with us. One British woman came up and said she had just gotten back from Antarctica. She described how pristine it was and then had an unequivocal message for the assembled, “Climate Change is real folks. There’s no denying it.” I was elated to hear such a pronounced statement at a rock club. On top of it, she sang wonderfully, doing a great version of the Pretenders “Brass In Pocket.”
Later on a tall black woman came up and was asked about herself. She said she was in involved with medical marijuana. To which I asked her how many stores were in NYC. She said there were five currently. She said she hoped to be part of the program. Progressive liberalism in the air at the club felt good.
But the cherry on top for me was sitting waiting for the late night subway. There was a group of young black and brown kids sitting nearby. One of them, a man in his early 20’s probably, dressed flamboyantly in an orange fur jacket, black boots and a piercing through his nose, smiled and said, “I like your button.”
Bernie Sanders 2016.
Little ripples. Maybe insignificant in the big boiling political kettle. But I’d like to think they’re happening all over this country, wherever and whenever people are made to feel open and included about speaking their thoughts in public.
These three at least gave me faith tonight.