Blog Action Day – The Power Of “We”
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Oct 15, 2012
Every year this group that calls itself Blog Action Day comes up with a topic that they hope bloggers around the world will write on. I’ve only participated twice as far as I know, and I did the same date on this blog and my business blog. This time around I’m only doing it on this blog, and this is that article. The previous articles were on the topic of poverty and food.
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This year’s topic is on the power of “we“, which I find fascinating because not only was this a calendar year where the collective “we” changed history, but this is a presidential election year, and the “we” have a another chance to select either the current leader or a new leader. I’m going to touch upon the former then talk more about the latter.
In the last calendar year we saw the governments of Egypt and Libya overcome decades of dictatorship, and we almost saw the overthrow of Syria, not by military means but by the people joining together and deciding they wanted another way. To the credit of the military in the first two, they didn’t just do their “duty” and start slaughtering the populace, which they could have easily done. Syria showed that when one just “has” to stay in power, it will be by any means necessary.
We have seen the power of “we” used in other countries in the same fashion, sometimes to the detriment of the rest of the world in my opinion, but sometimes change has to happen before things can move forward, no matter what kind of change it is. And it’s hard to ignore the power of “we” in these instances.
So, what about our presidential election? Voting is a right that people in many countries would love to have. There’s almost no corruption and, when it concerns presidential politics, millions of people go to the polls to vote. This is the best way of using the power of “we” in our country.
Except it doesn’t quite work that way. Some of you might remember my post titled I’m Black where I talked about having people question my vote for current President Obama because of my skin color rather than using reasoned decision making. Truth be told, what really happened is that leaders in black communities across the country worked hard on getting the vote out, and it was a success.
But it wasn’t the first time there was such a push. Every year since Gore decided to run for president the same thing happened, and black voter registration has increased every year, thus more black people voted. The power of “we” was in evidence.
Was that what put President Obama over the top though? Not even close. What pushed him over the top was the other side of the power of “we”, that being white voters that decided they weren’t going to vote at all. There was a decrease on the other side of around 35% that decided not to even show up, even though they were registered. See, the power of “we” can be apathetic, and in their own way participate in the process by not participating.
In 2008, just over 57% of registered voters decided to exercise their constitutional rights to vote. It was the highest turnout since 1968 when just under 61% of the population voted. Compare this to the years from 1848 to 1900 when only once did the voting populace come under 70%, and it was still 69.6% in 1852. Three times in history we couldn’t even get 50% of registered voters to the polls; apathy are “we”.
Still, it all shows that the power of “we” is strong, both for positive and negative reasons. If people decide to band together for a cause, “we” is a powerful statement. When all is said and done, if we all want positive things to happen in society, it’s up to “we” to get it done. And we can do it.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 15th, 2012 at 12:36 PM
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I’m so glad you shared this. I have gone through some time of private issues. I am going to use this to jump-start my return to my writing in my blog. Thank you and the organization for this motivation and inspiration! Sally
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 15th, 2012 at 12:37 PM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 15th, 2012 at 11:46 PM
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Certainly we can work together, but we are not “borg” and every single person should have common sense and take responsibility about own actions.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 16th, 2012 at 12:28 AM
In essence, you’ve missed the point of the article. There is power in “we”, but each person retains their individuality. You get to decide whether you want to live with your status quo or change things. Now, in your case it might be the difference between life and death, but it was that very thing in the 60′s that led to my having the right to vote. And it was the collective “we” that got it done, not one person,not an individual, but “we”. The same with all other countries including, well, the Eastern Bloc. If you’d seen how happy people were when the Berlin Wall came down and all the other countries finally broke free and into their own entities, you’d understand what I mean. Sure, things aren’t perfect, but one step at a time my man.
Of course, it also takes bravery sometimes to affect change. There probably will be more wars; that’s human nature. But there could also be peaceful protest; worked for India, worked for civil rights here… I’m just sayin’…
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Carl Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 3:22 AM
About the happy people – there are always happy and unhappy, just the news, videos and pictures are different in different media.
No, I don’t missed the point about “power of we”, I just disagree with the examples. It is all politics, when East lose, West take over and the opposite. All strong empires that have stood strong in the past have fall and another have arise. I doubt that we can talk about recent history, as history after 200 years will prove who’s right or wrong.
My point is that there are different systems, different parties, etc.. The problem is that it seems that system right now is not working well – crime levels are rising, unemployment rates are rising, debt is rising and I am not talking about USA, but about global picture.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 1:14 AM
For instance, your first paragraph in this response didn’t even address my first paragraph in any way. You talked about price of gas and stuff when first, you’re not old enough to know what the price of anything was 40 years ago, unless you’re hiding your age well, and also in my paragraph I addressed freedom, not products (home computers didn’t exist 40 years ago either and there was no Mir Space Station either, so you know), and dude, let me tell you, there’s no comparison between the kind of freedom your area of the world has now as opposed to back in the day. All you need to know about it is that there’s no one from where you lived defecting to the U.S anymore. They might have monetary differences, but no one being left behind is at risk of being killed or thrown in jail because they knew you or anyone else in your family had defected. Based on just that fact, you’re wrong; sorry to say but you are.
You or others may not like the life you have now, but it’s not close to what it was like when your family members were living under the constant threat of death under a communist regime. Yeah, I know, it’s not perfect now, but you can always advocate for communism the way it was in the 60′s and 70′s, then compare that life to what you have now. I would bet that you’d say you were living in a paradise now because at least now you can travel to other countries if you have the money, have the possibility of standing out without having to be a member of the Party, and in essence you have the same opportunities to “make it” if you will, as Americans do. And it was the power of “we” that got it done, just like it was the power of “we” that did it in India, Germany, and here in the U.S.
If we’re going to compare history at least get your time down; 40 years ago we saw your area of the world as part of the Evil Empire and most of Indochina was a war zone. It’s a nasty little history that still feels pretty raw for some of us who had family members over there for whatever reason, and the Red Scare still permeated our lives. Nope, I’m not wrong on this one; not even close.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 2:23 AM
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PS: Btw, I again missed the BAD this year – to be frank, not getting too much time to blog away from regular work.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 2:25 AM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 2:27 AM
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I do believe “we” is a powerful concept. Every since the beginning of time people have changed unjust behavior whether they act immediately or they careful plan.
I think every election is a chance to get rid of something that is not working. If you voted for a certain change and it has not happened does not mean you made the wrong choice.
You can either keep making changes or give your choice a chance to formulate.
Changing leaders all the time can do more harm in the long run. The problem is we are in a now society.
It all started with Jody Wately’s song “What have you done for me lately”.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 2:35 AM
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Michael Belk @ethical behavior Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 6:14 PM
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You are so right about the “we” concept. If we as a nation really wanted to change things, all they have to do is get the majority together and “we” can definitely make a huge impact. It’s happened numerous times in the past and I believe the only way to make things happen in the present and future.
When we are united, miracles can happen.
~Adrienne
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 17th, 2012 at 2:37 AM
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October 17th, 2012 at 2:40 AM
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October 17th, 2012 at 2:41 AM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 18th, 2012 at 1:15 AM
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Well, first off, I’m glad I finally made it here.
The power of “we” is great, indeed. The people has power, and when they don’t it’s often out of fear of reprisal.
I had no idea about the figures your mentioning here. Thanks for the education. What I do know, tough, is that President Obama was not elected by votes from black folks only to be sure, a lot of whites voted for him as well, and lot decided no to vote at all as you mentioned.
Thank you for this educational piece
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October 18th, 2012 at 1:16 AM
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October 18th, 2012 at 1:18 AM
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October 18th, 2012 at 1:20 AM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 11:00 AM
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As to the power of ‘we’, the problem as I see it is that things have to get really bad before people decide to get together to try and make a difference.
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October 19th, 2012 at 11:01 AM
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October 19th, 2012 at 7:22 PM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 8:09 PM
By the way, I’m not making stuff up when I talk about that stuff. It’s those types of things that have encouraged people to band together and be willing to give their lives for change, for a better way. Sure, not everyone is brave enough to do it, but that’s why we honor those who were.
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October 20th, 2012 at 8:51 AM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 20th, 2012 at 9:52 PM
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I didn’t know that statistic about the 2008 election, and I can’t say I understand it. Were the people who didn’t vote hoping Obama would lose, or were they unhappy with both candidates? I would think that anyone who wanted McCain to win would have made the effort to cast a ballot.
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 19th, 2012 at 11:09 AM
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It is a great and effective power as long as we understand each other and communicate effectively (otherwise, the power of we can be disastrous.
Speaking of democratic elections, I have always thought, are the elections really democratic?
Do people really have the power to choose their government?
(I still believe that people only have limited power over choosing their government – after all, it is electoral college who really decides on a president).
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October 19th, 2012 at 11:11 AM
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October 19th, 2012 at 8:30 PM
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Mitch Mitchell Reply:
October 21st, 2012 at 8:24 PM
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The percentage of people who voted was 64 percent–not 57 percent as you indicated. It was the HIGHEST voter turnout EVER. That represents a power of “We” in the sense that a grassroots effort collectively worked to get people registered. The power of “we” can be felt on many different levels when it comes to politics and in just about every single case, it starts with a “faithful few.”
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October 28th, 2012 at 8:32 PM
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October 28th, 2012 at 10:05 PM
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October 30th, 2012 at 1:48 AM
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