Living in Community as a form of protest

by Dave Bonta, co-founder of Rah Rah Community

Apr 26, 2025

Over the years I have become disheartened in the results of marches and demonstrations against "The administration" which has now morphed into "The regime". I know that they are important and a vital element in showing opposition to the policies that we disagree with. But, is that all that we can do? Nonviolent protesting is one form of resistance that along with other actions can have significant outcomes, but are they enough? Sometimes the protest demonstrations are not even covered by the mainstream media and when they are, they often misreport the number of people who showed up or the issues themselves are misrepresented. I have been to many peaceful demonstrations since I was 15 years old, and the actual effectiveness of them has begun to bother me for a few years now. Sometimes I feel like that about another act of civil responsibility, voting.

I still go. I still do my "civic duty" as best as I can with the facts that I can glean, but again it does not seem to change much. I will no doubt continue to go through the motions but it seems to me that if we want to challenge the "status quo" and usher in a better World, then we will have to do more than just vote and attend demonstrations. Again, not to diminish the importance of "Right of assembly" and to "Air grievance", we might just try to do more than being part of a crowd yelling "So & So has got to go!" in an orchestrated chant. Beyond just showing up for the rally, I would suggest that we actually live the kinds of lives that include policies that we truly are protesting for! These policies would include the basic human rights for food, water, shelter and the opportunity to enjoy a life in a clean World, unpolluted by toxic trash and safe from War.

To the greatest extent that we can, we should embrace the opportunities to live the life that we are espousing. Do we protest against attacks on Democracy? Then let us work and live in small communities, where concerns are aired, and all voices are heard in respectful ways, and power is shared and not lorded over the "other". If we are protesting continued reliance on fossil fuels, are we not hypocrites for our own continuing reliance on them? Do we rant against the transfer of our communities' wealth upwards to the top 1%? Well, then how are we ourselves offering equity to our own neighbors in our own situations? Do we believe that everyone has a right to food security, while we are not doing all that we can to help with the production of food from our gardens? Besides just "Questioning authority" we do need to start questioning ourselves. That does not mean that we stop protesting or writing letters to the editor, or calling our representatives - but we'll honestly be able to then say"I'm truly doing all I can!"

And when finally, that regime has been toppled and the big protests have subsided, you will have picked up a bonus. A dividend earned of being a good example of how to live "The Good life". A good life, in a Good World, which, at the end of the day, was what we were all showing up for in the first place!