User:Jsonitsac/My Insane Trip to Restore Sanity

Hello Rationalwiki! I'm back from the Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear (well I've been back for a few hours, I was just watching some baseball). Anyway I figure this is a good place to talk about my experiences today. If you have any question please go to this page's talk page. Post your questions there and I will respond on this page. Otherwise, here's my story.

Getting There
Before heading into town today I looked over the schedule and decided I only really wanted to see the main part. I wasn't interested in the pre-show concert, and I didn't know that Adam and Jamie were the pre-show warmup. Keep in mind that I live only a few minutes drive from the Franconia-Springfield metro station so I figured if I left at 11 or so I would be fine. I packed a homemade turkey sandwich and headed out. Luckily parking wasn't that difficult, yes the lot was full but I was able to find a very good spot. Auto traffic coming into the station seemed lighter than what you would see there during a typical rush hour at the station. I was struck by a "Free Palestine" bumper sticker. I'm not blindly pro-Israel, and strongly believe in a two state solution, the sticker got my attention, mainly because back in 2002, as a college freshman, I attended a couple anti-Iraq War rallies which somehow devolved into anti-Israel rallies. Still, I pushed it out of my head since I figured that Jon Stewart and co. wouldn't be the same as International Answer (after all this was supposed to be a "million moderate march"). I quickly put it out of my mind when I saw the line leading into the metro station.

The crowd was composed of a lot of people, but I'd estimate 80% of them were in my age group (18-30 year olds). Many appeared to look like hipsters and a large number of them had some kind of college identification. I suspected that a group had met entirely online, since it consisted of students from the Universities of Florida, Minnesota, and a couple that I couldn't identify. I got my first look at the signs, there was this large sign with a crying Glenn Beck and what I think was a pair of pants, I couldn't quite read the words. The metro police could have done a better job with crowd control, because I wound up spending time in the wrong line. Luckily I looked to see what line I was in, it was some sort of line where you could go and pay for a farecard straight up, I, however, needed to trade one in so I then had to spend even more time in line for a farecard machine. While waiting in this line I saw a great sign, "Restore Sanity in California First!" Upon purchasing my card I managed to get a seat on a train and settled in with a newspaper sudoku for a crowded, but uneventful ride to L'enfant Plaza.

Half a League, Half a League, Half a League Onward
My plan for the day was to take the Blue Line to the Pentagon station, transfer over to the Yellow at L'enfant, then take either Orange or Blue over to the Mall and exit at the Smithsonian station (I'll post a metro map later to give you an idea of my ride). It turned out it was a bad idea. The platform in L'enfant was PACKED, more so than for the 4th of July at that station. There was no moving downstairs to get the Blue or Orange lines, just up stairs and out. Luckily L'enfant plaza is a fairly well located part of the city. While here I got my first glimpse of costumed people. Vader and Leia made an appearance and its possible they got seperated from their Storm Trooper that I saw on the escalator (this guy's costume wasn't as good as those 501st legion people but hey). The station exit I took is in walking distance of the FAA headquarters, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of the American Indian. So it is an easy walk over to the National Mall, except it typically doesn't have several hundred people doing it all at once.

So What's Your Sign?
I finally got to see a bunch of signs. On TV Jon had made a big deal about not having signs that would attract attention because of their misplaced mustaches. Luckily most of the signs and other attention grabbing things were humorous in nature. Typically they would stress the importance having a rational discourse, although they could be presented in a funny way. That said there were some identifiably liberal posters there. The most common were stickers that people were wearing saying they were pro-choice and pro-birth control. I saw several anti-war people showing up there, and many signs openly attacked Fox News. While I understood this, if you pay careful attention to what much of Jon has to say he doesn't just single out Fox, and didn't do so during the rally. Media Matters had bought a few trucks to use as a moving billboard. You could also spot a couple of gay pride flags here or there. Another common political sign were the 420 people, not totally unexpected considering the nature of the crowd. I couldn't spot many visible although I saw this person at a table passing out vegan literature and I suspected he was working with PETA.

You Can Find It All At The Mall!
Upon crossing the street I reached my first obstacle: the port-o-johns. No, they didn't smell, but they were ringing the side of the street I had to cross and there were few gaps in-between them. I did, however, spot one. I lowered my head and squared my shoulders and forced my way in through any gap I could find. I managed to keep my balance as I crossed the chain and was finally in to the main crowd. That said I was also three feet from the port-o-johns. It wasn't too bad, however. As a I was arriving the National Anthem was being sung. When I recognized what I was hearing I came to a halt and respectfully put my hand over my heart and listened to the anthem. Then it was rally time.

I couldn't quite focus on the rally early on. First, I wasn't at a good angle to see the big screens and the volume sucked. I could barely hear any of the sound and there were several distractions. First there were more signs, like "Odin Says Relax" being held by a pair of Vikings. A clever political one that I saw was a picture of Bush taking responsibility for his administration but thanking us for blaming it on "the black guy." Also, the sea of humanity was really cool. There were people in the trees, people climbing over the port-o-johns (thank you for stopping that officers). The steps of the west wing of the National Gallery of Art were totally covered with spectators. I couldn't quite see the end, but I couldn't quite see the stage either. This was a really really really impressive gathering of people.

Still the sound and pictures were bad. I could largely see what was going on; I'm nearly 6' tall and I had a good enough angle on the screens. But sadly I couldn't hear much in the beginning. During father Sarducci's benediction the chant from my section was "louder louder..." Mavis Staples' song sounded like it was going off and on, and while I got the gist of Sam Waterston's poetry reading I couldn't quite get all the jokes. The sound situation gradually improved, possibly because I kept working my way closer to the loudspeakers, possibly because the sound people finally got off their butts or some nice combination of the two. Still, I thought there was a lot of fun to be had by all.

Be Our Guests...

 * The Roots: Missed them


 * The Mythbusters: I only found out they were there when the called them up on stage at the end of the rally, later my brother explained why they were there. GRRRR!


 * Sam Waterston: Always lends an air of class no matter where he goes. It might have been better if they got an actual poet to read Stephen's poem at the rally but


 * Yusuf: An interesting choice, to say the least. I understand the idea, attacking anti-Islamic fears by featuring a prominent Muslim singer.  But I don't think he ever really apologized for the Rushdee thing, just said that it was "taken out of context" or something like that.


 * Ozzy: A nice contrast to Yusuf, to say the least. However, when I heard Colbert interrupting Yusuf I kind of predicted that he might come out because "Crazy Train" was the only "train" song I could think of that could fit.


 * The O-Jays: Just Wonderful


 * Kareem Abdul-Jabar: Again, a great grab I thought.  Go right after the anti-Muslim people by pointing out a prominent (no pun intended) Muslim-American.


 * Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy: I saw them on Colbert, and I think they performed the same number they did on the show.  I really couldn't hear them.  Their presence wasn't a big surprise to me, especially considering how Staples was a veteran of the Civil Rights marches.


 * Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow: I don't know much about music, but I don't think this is a combination I would have predicted in a million years. I wish I could have heard their song (lousy sound system).

I was a little shocked by who wasn't there, Oprah. After all she was a big supporter of the rally and helped to promote it. That said she's also promoted Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Jenny McCarthy. Still she is a big name it would have been nice to either incorporate her in a skit or let her speak.

Formidable Opponent
It was kind of fun seeing this staple of the Report in person. Typically Stephen will debate another version of himself, he being the only person worthy to debate him. But this time he was going after Jon who was talking about the value of sanity. Yes, he was being over the top, but his over the topness was for a purpose: to basically show how absurd the media has become. He did a good job playing up the fear angle, showing how it is nearly inescapable watching the TV news. It really does seem like that is how things operate these days. Furthermore, I took that they were saying that today's hyper-partisanship was the result of all this fear. They did a really good job skewering this.

I forgot to mention. I quickly realized Jon's "Corbomite Maneuver," it helps to be a Trekkie. Also when Colbert mentioned the cylons, if you heard somebody screaming "Bring Back Caprica!" that was me. Now for some tranya.

Jon's Speech
So now we come to the heart of the rally. Thousands of mindless minions waiting for their dear leader to address them and give us orders (okay I'm kind of speculating how some commentators will probably spin it). Despite the tone of fun and games this speech had a really serious message. He was focusing on two major things - hyperpartisanship and how the media fuels it. I thought his analogy to traffic in the Lincoln tunnel was spot on. Ultimately we care about results, be it the results of getting a functioning government, or getting out of Manhattan traffic and into New Jersey. His words about bridging divisions were excellent. As he was saying them I thought over to the museums lining where we were. Our country had divisions going back to 1776, and yes they got nasty. But Thomas Jefferson wasn't throwing bombs at Alexander Hamilton and John Adams while the Red Coats were occupying Boston and New York. Over all it was a spot on speech but what I'm not sure about is if he's right.

Jon places the blame on the news media for exacerbating the flames of hyperpartisanship. He did a good job in his montages showing left wing and right wing commentators continuing to throw invectives at each other, and basically implied that the media was what was driving this. But I'm not 100% sure. I wonder if it is a chicken and egg problem, one that continues to build upon itself. Still, perhaps somebody could get this message.

Getting Home
Getting home was an adventure in itself. It seemed that day Washington was much like the hotel California. Throughout the rally I was kind of close to the Air and Space museum, but I had been gradually working my way northwards across the mall towards the National Archives. When the rally let out I decided the best bet was to head to the nearest street and continue towards Penn Quarter where I could grab a bite in a restaurant I knew, relax, let the crowds dissipate, then hit the metro to get home. This plan was interrupted nearly as soon as I tried to execute it.

The street was clogged with people. Making things worse was the fact that the police needed to get their cars out of that street to wherever they needed to go. So several horns and sirens blared and dispersed the Doc Browns who were protesting the destruction of Hill Valley's clock-tower moved out of the way. Still it was a logjam. I eventually got out of there and, for the first time all day, I actually got (poor) cellphone reception. After calling my mom to let her know I was okay and that I'd be home as soon as possible I strolled around the National Archives. On its sides it had inspirational quotes about the value of history. It got my mind thinking. This was a country that dealt with slavery, depressions, Hitler, etc. One that made mistakes, seemed impossible to keep together yet survived. My thought was that even if the teabaggers got control of the congress their damage would be limited, and things would be better.

Meanwhile, I was also looking to get something to eat. My first try was a Penn Quarter restaurant named Teaism. It was slightly expensive, but it was a very good place for Japnese/Asian Fusion cuisine. They also have a good selection of teas and have some of the best "microbrew" sodas I've tasted. Still, the line was way out the door and I decided to punt. I worked my way to Chinatown. DC's Chinatown is no longer a real Chinatown. Since the Verizon Center opened in 1997 gentrification had hit the neighborhood very hard. The only real Chinese thing about it was the fact that businesses were required to have their names in both English and Chinese on their signs. Chipotle, a standby that my brother and I would go to for Capitals games was out, the line was probably longer than at Teaism. I decided to wander the neighborhood a bit more. That's when I found Chinatown Express. I had eaten there once before after attending a job fair and I was attracted by its promise of home made noodles, made on the spot. Like every other restaurant in town the line was out the door, but I didn't feel like going elsewhere. It was nearly a twenty minute wait but you know the place is good since it was a hole in the wall; that and it was also clear that the health inspector hadn't been by recently (I don't think crabs are supposed to float in the middle of their tanks upside down). Eventually I got a table and sat across from a nice man from North Carolina. He had apparently taken a train from Raleigh up to Washington for the rally. We made some small talk, but soon I finished my stir-fry noodles and it was time to go.

The nearby metro station was Gallery Place-Chinatown but just as I got down the notoriously broken WMATA escalator I soon learned that the station was closed because it was overloaded. Making things even worse for Metro was the fact that Howard University was holding homecoming and there was a major horse show at the Verizon Center. So, I had little choice but to walk around for a little bit. I chose to get some soft serve ice cream before leaving and finally boarded a train back to Virginia.

By the time I got to my car I was totally exhausted, but hungry to hear what the news radio was saying about this little pice of history.

Final Thoughts
I had the radio on in the car as I was leaving the Metro parking lot. On it was a journalist for CNN shilling his documentary about the Tea Party. The anchor asked him a question "what did you think about today's rally?" His response was that today wasn't about issues, it was about satire. Don't you realize that satire is about issues? Yes, the ralliers were satirizing tea partiers but that was as a direct response to their over the topness. We would be over the top in terms of our moderation. I believe that this was simply to parody the Tea Party, nothing more

So what was our issue Mr. CNN journalist? It was you and your company and competitors. We were upset with how you push finding controversy over finding truth. We were upset with how you stoke the flames of hyperpartisanship in order to boost ratings and fulfill your mission not to inform us but to entertain us. Yes, this rally was in Washington, but I don't think that a rally outside the CNN center in Atlanta, 30 Rock in New York, or wherever Fox is based, would have been as poignant. Those places aren't as symbolic as the National Mall. We weren't protesting politicians, people of faith, or political activists, we were protesting you Mr. CNN guy. If you paid careful attention to John's speech and his work on TV you'll find that most of the condemnations were directed against the media.

But will this make a difference in their coverage? I don't think so. The Fox and MSNBC crowd are too entrenched; the ratings for their networks are good so why, from a programming standpoint would you change it? Likewise CNN is too caught up in horse race coverage to even see the forest for the trees. A few days before they had their political round table (as if 8 talking heads were somehow better than 2) discussing whether or not this would have an impact on the election (which it wasn't even about!). I can easily imagine how this will be covered on the three cable networks:


 * MSNBC - Hundreds of thousands turn out to demonstrate against Fox News and the Tea Party (Despite the fact that I saw several people in the rally whom I saw wearing tea party gear!)


 * FOX - Jon Stewart leads hundreds of liberals to Washington in a cult like manner to promote far left causes.


 * CNN - How will this effect the election in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2096...

Let's remember that journalists are people too and if the story is something they don't want to hear about or talk about, because say it produces uncomfortable feelings, they will ignore the message.

There are some people out there condemning the idea that satirists were leading a movement and trying to get a message across. Believe it or not that is what good satirists do. The only real way to disarm some of these people is through humor, plain and simple. Why? Because they are the ones acting absurd. If you're being routinely satirized chances are that you deserve it. If you believe that the president has a secret conspiracy to turn America into an Orwellian hellscape, or that Republicans will be using government forces to barge down doors to stop you from masturbating than you deserve to be satirized. You can't have sane conversations about how to make a difference in this nation with people who will then go on the radio, TV Keith Olbermann, or online and call you fascists, totalitarians, for having different ideas. Dwight D. Eisenhower talked about America's vital center in the 1950s and how it was important to ensure it was steady.

Now, I'm not saying all ideas are equally good. Bad ones ought to be tossed aside and good ones should be promoted. But the way in which we screen these ideas is totally broken. I'm not calling for outside censors to come in and fix it, I'm asking for each and every one of us to stop when you hear something and try to evaluate it. If you can't judge it on its merits, then defer to somebody else. In my mind this requires education. No you don't need a Ph.D., but if everybody were taught about what makes a good argument and what makes a bad one in elementary school we'd be better off.

So will this rally make a real difference or any change? I doubt it. That said I have a nasty habit of being a pessimist.

Q&A
If you have a question please ask it on the Talk Page not here. I'm happy to answer as many as I can.

Blue
User:Blue Writes:
 * 1. Your title is Jsonitsac/My Insane Trip to Restore Sanity… just pointing out Well RW isn't a blog so I had to put it under my username. Also the trip home was kind of crazy and I thought it would make a good title.
 * 2. What did you think of Jon's final speech? (btw, I was also there). Loved it, when you wrote this I hadn't gotten to this part of the post yet, but now you can read all about it. Jsonitsac (talk) 15:37, 31 October 2010 (UTC)