Mar 8

Mar 8 Diluted

Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

“Nothing was delivered
And I tell this truth to you
Not out of spite or anger
But simply because it’s true
Now, I hope you won’t object to this
Giving back all of what you owe
The fewer words you have to waste on this
The sooner you can go
”

— Bob Dylan, Nothing Was Delivered, from The Basement Tapes (1967)

On Saturday, January 21, 2017, an estimated 250,000 people turned out for the Women’s March on Chicago. Today, several hundred people gathered in Daley Plaza for the International Women’s Day March. I was shocked as I approached the plaza just before the rally kicked off. Large portions of the plaza were empty, including the area designated for the media. I had assumed I would have to fight for position.

While television camera crews were present, I saw no video footage from the rally on the 10:00PM news. One station did cover an early St. Patrick’s Day parade in the suburbs, as if the annual vomit-fest will not get enough coverage next Saturday.

To put it bluntly, apathy prevailed today, or maybe demonstration fatigue. Women may have “come a long way baby,” but given Donald J. Trump’s attack on DEI, women’s and abortion rights are anything but secure, particularly following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) by the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 597 U.S. 215 (2022)

Notably, no big-name politicians bothered to show up, although a few candidates did.

All credit goes to the demonstrators. Their signage was top notch, both in terms of color and phrasing. Those attending were enthusiastic.

Aside from the acute shortage of demonstrators, the biggest problem with the rally can be attributed to the speakers. Some were eloquent; one might even say poetic as they talked about equality. Too bad that many others strayed from the today’s central topic, women’s rights. While there were references to workplace equality, as well as abortion and reproductive rights, too many speakers focused on Gaza, Iran, and Donald J. Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. All are important issues, but all have been the subject of multiple rallies and marches over the past year. This was not supposed to be another anti-Trump rally, but that is what it shockingly became. When a demonstration is about everything, it turns into another Seinfeld episode, which is always about nothing.

By marching directly to Trump Tower following the rally, the organizers undercut the event’s visibility. They would have greatly increased its visibility by first heading to Michigan Avenue, and then marching north to Wacker Drive. Better yet if they had staged the rally in Federal Plaza, which would have meant a longer march.

Virtually every rally now ends with the marchers heading to Trump Tower, as if Trump himself were the high rise. Trump Tower as an endpoint has become trivialized. Had the organizers been more creative, they might have had the march end in Millennium Park, where they could have staged a performance of some sort.

When the marchers arrived at Trump Tower, the rally quickly fizzled out. Yes, there were a few speeches, but not a lot of angry chants or songs.

Those in charge need to do some serious thinking before announcing next year’s event. First, and foremost, they need to develop a marketing campaign. Everyone I spoke with said the event was poorly publicized, which may account for the poor attendance.

Second, the organizers should rebuild the event from the ground up. Some street theatrics could make the occasion relevant once again. Cleverness needs to replace what has become a tired formula. The ten of thousands of Chicago women who no longer show up have voted with their bodies. The organizers need to give women a reason to attend and celebrate womanhood.

Finally, I was surprised by the absence of the pink “pussy” hats from years past. I did not see a single one of the trademark hats that provided some branding for earlier rallies and marches.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]