To the pundits, politicians and others distressed by waiters unwilling to wait on Sarah Sanders, and wondering what happened to common decency:
I am mortified by your measured, modulated, and mealy-mouthed expressions of concern about the state of the country. (And no, I am not advocating violence.)
Where is your outrage?? A white paper might be more genteel than asking Trump's henchmen and women to leave a bistro. But which is going to get three-year-old children out of cages sooner? My bet is on the one-on-one, face-to-face protest documented in videos and tweets gone viral - affirming for the nation that Rome is indeed burning.
Yes, yes, I know of your claims that there are “more appropriate” ways for people to demand change - writing an op-ed for the local daily paper, voting, petition drives, calling electeds, running for office and other examples.
But see, if I am a refugee from El Salvador, still learning English, with a minimum-wage job, I am unlikely to get a meeting with the editorial board of my daily paper. Or if I have missed work to cast my ballot and later sent home for “better” IDs as many as six times, I might conclude (to quote someone I unsuccessfully encouraged to vote): “Ha! They don't want my vote! They just wanna haul my Puerto Rican ass in for jury duty!” And as for organizing ... How many people have the ability to take off work, forfeit pay, hire a sitter, and pay for transportation so they can attend regularly-occurring organizing meetings, demonstrations, etc. for a year - or two - or three?
Your preferred social change methods are not reliably available to the people who need them most.
So if I'm waiting tables and in walks Sarah Sanders, who says kidnapping and caging kids is biblical (even as well-spoken professionals object) ... Why would I pretend this is a day like any other and that it is my pleasure to serve her?
Asking Sarah et. al to leave the Red Hen restaurant was a gutsy, bold protest that serves as a call to action to the rest of us to make our voices heard, even – especially - when we have to shout.
