“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” - Frederick Douglass
By Richard de Bruin
There are many tales and fairy tales about people being granted wishes by various magical creatures. Made in haste or a fit of greed the wishes consequently and almost every time then backfire on the people who made them. What first seems good fortune usually ends up costing them, sometimes dearly. When I did a little search to find a good example, the sheer number of results pretty much bogged me down. It is a very common theme, an old one too. One of the most well-known from antiquity would be the legend of King Midas and the golden touch. Having everything you touch turn to valuable metal may seem like a smart idea, it makes eating or getting dressed rather problematic. Let alone hug your loved ones. Be careful what you wish for lest it come true is a time-honored and universal folk wisdom.
When the people rise up in their many millions it is a bit like finding a genie in a bottle. They only need to spell out their wish and there is very little the powers that be can do but to accommodate. Now I do not mean to suggest or affirm the idea that rights and essential freedoms are gifts bestowed by governments and ruling powers, absolutely not. I am purely talking about the mechanism, the process, the dance. When the masses rise up in such numbers suppression by the ruling class becomes too costly or simply impossible, they have no choice but to listen to the demands of the people.
However, very much like that genie in a bottle, who doesn’t like being forced to fulfill anything and always mischievously tries to make his goodies backfire, so too the governing powers will look at the demands and see how they can make the most of it for themselves, by giving the least to the people. The quality and quantity of the demands thus become extremely important. Poorly articulated and it’s a given the people will not get what they wanted. Too many and too fragmented demands and the governing power will pick and choose and sooth the masses back to sleep. Take a look at all the different protests and revolts around the world and see how this game of demands plays out in its various ways. Let us take, for instance, the Occupy Wall Street protests and compare them to the recent protests in Brazil. Occupy with its cacophony of pursuits and slogans, its unwillingness to formulate a central, formulated set of demands, eventually achieving little if anything. In Brazil, very well-articulated demands, delivered almost like bullet points, and one by one, the Congress and government are implementing them. Arguably, a cheaper metro ticket is very easy for government to consent to, but still, there is stark contrast in terms of refinement here.
The demands have to be wide enough to be inclusive, as to keep the people united, and narrow enough to not allow governing powers any wiggle room. Remember, we are dealing with governments that claims to adhere to the rule of law yet blatantly violate every law ever written. Such governments would need to be confronted with ironclad demands they cannot weasel their way out of.
So just a thought, but what if instead of waiting for the moment the masses rise up and leaving what will become the central demands up to the moment, why not anticipate and not have them ready beforehand? If I had the means and opportunity, how would I go about it? One way perhaps would be to select a small group of competent people. Smart people, the exceptional people. A council of sorts, with handpicked individuals from different backgrounds, different expertise, with different political affiliations or with none at all, assemble as broad and diverse group I could manage. Foremost people of integrity and all on the same page when it comes to the fundamentals, with a genuine desire to restore or bring about a true rule of law. I would invite them and gather them together to draft a list of demands. A compact set of principles we want to see brought into being and adhered to. In clear, indisputable language and terms so there will be no tricks and evasions. A set of demands the fast majority of the people could agree upon and unite behind. Maybe even so universal, mass protest movements around the world could pick it up and make it their own. Rally around the very same demands. Why not? Do the people, wherever they might be, in the end not all want the same things? Justice and human dignity, an end to corruption and cronyism, a true representative form of government, openness and transparency, an end to financial enslavement, a free press and all these basic common needs and wants? For once and for all a recognition of our natural and nonnegotiable rights as human beings, not to be infringed upon ever again?
During Occupy there were some initiatives to crowd source such a document on the internet. Let everyone have a say and all be co-writer together. Needless to say, it took less than a few hours to become an incomprehensible monstrosity. Instead of a draft just endless pages of meaningless chatter and disagreement. No, that won’t work. A single demand for the whoever-happens-to-be-president to step down? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. We have seen it over and over. The demand has to be just right. Not too long and not too short, not too wide and not too narrow. Specific, yet inclusive. Tailored, yet comprehensive. Written with thought and precision and spirit. Just so, hitting the sweet spot.
Maybe it is a silly daydream but I wish I had a pot of gold to try and make it happen. If discontent is the engine, our ride will also need a steering wheel too no? In this play I see, discontent is the first act and second on stage is the demand. There is a third act too. In the meantime, next time you see a mass protest spring, pay attention to the signs and slogans, the calls and the demands. Perhaps in it already lies an indication of how effective the movement will be.
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