How To Overcome Fear And Climb Out Of The Bunker, Part 3. A Short Primer On How To Do Resistance Organizing--
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How To Overcome Fear And Climb Out Of The Bunker, Part 3. A Short Primer On How To Do Resistance Organizing--
My wife Martha just briefed me on a news story about a young woman who went to a pharmacy to get a refill of her birth control pills. The woman behind the counter, wearing two crosses, looked in her system and told the young woman that she could not do the refill.
When asked why, she said "call your provider." When questioned why, she was told the same thing.
The young woman made the call and was told she was covered, and was asked for the details by the provider. She told her the location and the pharmacist. The provider told her they had had this trouble before and asked to speak with the pharmacist, then told her the customer was indeed covered.
After hanging up, the pharmacist told the young woman that their inventory was depleted, and had none in stock. (For those who remember the days before and after the Civil Rights Act, this is what Blacks and other minorities went through for hotel rentals, apartment rentals and home purchases, etc)
So, what does one do in those circumstances? Trash the pharmacy? Scream at the idiot behind the counter? Call for the manager, who is likely enabling all of this?
None of those things are sufficient, because personal satisfaction should take a back seat to fighting for principle on behalf of all others facing similar treatment. Here is what could follow:
Young Woman: "you are wearing a cross. If you are a Christian and are lying about a life and death matter, that is a mortal sin. I'll give you one chance to atone for it. Take me behind the counter and show me you are out of stock."
Christian Pharmacist: "absolutely not!"
Then you walk out, go home, and call up the members of your Church, women's group, family and friends, and come back with a van load of people to set up a picket line to demand the pharmacist be fired. Call the press and get them there. Hold a press conference which you livestream, and post it on Social media. And go back every day until you are either all arrested and jailed, or the woman is fired. Forget about getting your pills there, get them elsewhere. Go back to make the pharmacist the ugly face of America's new fascist theocracy. Campaign to get the pharmacy's certification to operate pulled.
Take the plunge, go ahead and do it. Call an abortion rights advocacy group or local Planned Parenthood, and alert them, ask for a pro Bono attorney, and line up bail money first because you may have to take a arrest. Print an informational leaflet and distribute it to stores and passersby. Video everything for the record and for security purposes. Keep it peaceful and stay classy. Reserve a meeting room someplace to have a strategy meeting for those ready for the next phase, and make a plan.
This is what the Civil Rights movement did. They didn't post memes or send out emails. Their dignity and human rights were at stake, therefore they put themselves at risk.
Maybe this is not a perfect strategy for everyone. Every organizing situation is different. The point is to overcome fear and timidity, take the first step whatever it means, to set an example for others. In the real world, not here on Facebook. Use FB to report on what you do IRL during or after.
The first wave of women to do this blaze a trail for those others who will be inspired. Don't "lose your sh*t". Organize! Be aggressive. Be like a Suffragette!
