Another big right wing flop
While talk about massive trucker protests has been dominating the media for the last week or so, the true power (or lack thereof) that the movement holds was on full display on Sunday for those who cared to see. Despite right-wing outlets calling them the “freedom convoy” and talking of a movement that crossed borders over into Canada, and more mainstream media outlets inadvertently amplifying the message, the movement was just one big embarrassing flop.
As much as the GOP wanted it to happen, truckers protesting vaccine mandates did not show up to blockade the Super Bowl in large numbers. It doesn’t necessarily come down to what they believe in – it’s just that the majority decided it wasn’t worth showing up at one of the most secure events in the world to cause disruption and get arrested – for a cause that does little besides emphasize Republican talking points.
The reality is that with anything else, people would rather avoid the larger inconvenience – such as losing their job. That’s why the percentage of people who have lost their jobs due to refusing to get vaccinated has always been relatively low. The Super Bowl protest, however, shows that even those who are still holding out aren’t nearly as powerful or determined as they like to pretend they are.
There’s still a protest of unvaccinated people scheduled for March 1 in Washington, DC, but it’s not very likely that the event will see a large turnout, and may suffer the same embarrassing fate as this weekend’s. Generally the worst thing right-wingers can do is appear impotent or weak in the public eye – and the failure of the Super Bowl protest is the greatest example of that – as it erodes any support they might have from every day people and stirs infighting in their own base. This is how we beat them.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making