At first I was a bit sceptical of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
It’s not that I wasn’t sympathetic or that I wanted it to fail. I didn’t even really think we’d see a lot of conspiracy and woo in the movement.* I think I just misunderstood the idea of the protest.
I assumed it was going to be a few people outside for a few hours, which would in turn get completely ignored by the media. But after a few days turned into a few weeks, and plans have been made for cities from Vancouver to London, I’m starting to come around.
This movement is especially promising after a spat of elections with falling turnouts and returning lacklustre incumbent governments (a more detailed analysis of this to come, probably after the Saskatchewan election). People are finally appreciating the key point that elections have very little to do with democracy.
This is worth emphasizing. Democracy is about citizens taking control of how they are governed. Elections are the absolute lowest wrung of that involvement.
To simply vote is to barely get your feet wet in the way your government is run.
The most obvious example of how little elections matter is the great disproportionality of our electoral system. Governments are routinely given supreme power in this country with as few as two in five votes, and in some cases the popular vote is completely disregarded in the representative makeup of the government – as was the case in Newfoundland’s recent election where the NDP came second in the popular vote, but were usurped from their place as Official Opposition by the Liberals who focussed their votes in a smaller number of seats.
Beyond our faulty electoral system, few policy provisions are decided on voting day. The media likes to talk about the “ballot question,” which has some merit when parties advocate for different actions on a specific interest, but often there are subtly differences and a voter may like some bits of one platform, but not trust the crooks based on their past deceptions.
This is why the protests give me hope – they represent my peers stepping up to the discussion and demanding change.
But protesting (while respectable and worthwhile) is not the only way to affect change.
One key action that more secular progressives** need to take is to actively get involved in the political process.
A great example is Justin Trottier’s recent run for provincial election under the Green Party of Ontario banner. While I disagree with his chosen party, it’s an important step. Here in BC, I tried (and failed) for a Vancouver School Board with COPE.
Besides running for office, there are many more ways to bring our issues forward.
Every party has local constituency associations and typically allows these groups to bring forward resolutions that can influence party policy. I recently joined the Vancouver Point Grey BC NDP association and put forward my own motion calling for the end of public funding of private schools – secularists in Manitoba should take note given yesterday’s story.
I know there’s some trepidation among many about joining a political party. I think this is entirely unfounded. Few members of any political party agree 100% with the party platform. The goal is not to defeat that diversity, but to use the collective will to advance a common agenda. This is worth an essay of its own though, so I’ll leave it here.
My simple point today is to go out there, protest in the street, join your favoured party, and push for the changes you want to see in the world.
*There’s the oft-repeated claim, but never evidenced, that both the left and the right (or the Democrats and the Republicans) have equal amounts of crazy. The fact is simply not born out by the evidence. For every 9/11 Truther there’s a mega-church full of Armageddon-worshipping Christians, for each anti-vaxxer there’s a corporatist Libertarian squad ready to quote Ayn Rand. The biggest hint is a quick examination of where the power lies. Few woo-pushers have any influence (besides Oprah, but hers is a corporate-influence), while the Evangelicals wield tremendous power.
**That’s twice I’ve used the phrase without defining it.
