The Second Time as Farce

DNC Guest Post by Robert Hariman, No Caption Needed

Shots of the “free speech zone” set up in a distant back lot of the convention may evoke some sympathy for those protesting at the DNC, but this photo reveals what really is at stake: not much.  For all the supposed defiance, you can see that the rally is all about playing revolutionary and having fun.  Flipping the bird was a part of the 60s protests, and so you see it reprised here. But we are a long way from the anger–the rage–and risks taken then.  Also a long way from something else: the convention of the party that actually controls the White House.

(image: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post, Aug 24, 2008)