Yesterday, October 11, 2009, was the National Equality March right here in Washington, D.C. A few friends and I took the metro to I street around 11 a.m., gathered behind the mass of people that had already been waiting for a few hours, and got ready to march for gay rights. We bought flags and were given signs, crying out for equality. We read clever slogans like, "I'll have what you're having," and inspiring stories like, "I was beaten by cops in 1976 and I'm still fighting." It was a truly amazing day, knowing that I was fighting for something in which I deeply believe. Knowing that one of my best friends and some of my family members are gay, I just couldn't stand on the side lines and let something like this happen without me. The funny thing is, I would never have gone if it weren't for the internet.
I have an account on the infamous Twitter, which is kind of "odd for someone my age" (usually, when I check Twitter with other people around me, they ask me why I would do such a thing, etc). My best friend had "retweeted" something about the march, and when I looked into it, I decided that I just had to be there. A few days later, we had plans for a few of my high school friends to come and stay with me here, and we would march on Sunday. Everything was organized over the internet. We chatted with some other protestors online, and got all of the updates on the march from the organizers themselves. Now, if we hadn't had the amazing power of internet discussion, would I have gone? As I said, most likely not.
This just illustrates one of the many amazing powers of the internet. It lends itself to reform and organization, just as speeches did at the time of the struggle for women's suffrage and the fight for racial equality. It's the same thing - we can just access the speeches quicker and can keep them with us through downloads, podcasts, etc.
What do you think? Am I right or do you agree with those who say there is nothing like physically getting together to organize?
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