Meetup Resist – When Politics knocks at your door

Most of you know that I have a Meetup group for women close to my own age. We are a menopausal bundle of joy, and the group’s only goal is to have fun and to be active. There are many other groups all over the world, Meetup.com offers something for anybody.

Hiking and biking, cooking and eating, writing and reading and not even the little ones get left out; people meet for playdates with kids, other’s meet to walk the dog. Not all is just for fun, there are health groups for chronic pain and groups that grief together.

Today I received an email from Meetup, and the content floored me at first:

Meetup has always served as an organizing platform for a wide range of political views, welcoming everyone from the Howard Deaniacs to the Tea Party. Meetup will always welcome people with different beliefs.

But after the recent executive order aimed to block people on the
basis of nationality and religion, a line was crossed. At a time when core democratic ideals feel under attack, we feel a duty to spark more civic participation.

Last week, we created 1,000+ #Resist Meetup Groups to act as local hubs for actions on behalf of democracy, equality, human rights, social justice, and sustainability. Already 50,000+ people have joined.

These #Resist Meetups are open to anyone who want to create a bright future that’s rich with opportunity and freedom for all.

Meetup exists to connect people so they create opportunity and make the world they want. We hope members take these Meetups forward to be powerful together. (Source: Public Meetup emails 2/13/2017)

I was born nosey and couldn’t help and had to look it up. Would there be one in my neck of the woods? Sure enough, there were five groups close by and members were signing up by the minutes -47…48 more just joined during the last 15 minutes while I was typing this post.

 

Times have changed indeed.

Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that anything like this could ever happen in my lifetime. “Resistance” that’s something out of the history book, way back then in a faraway land.

It would never happen here or in Europe. I would have bet by butt, and I would be buttless now.

 

The Meetup guidelines for the resist groups are simple:

– Be Peaceful
– Be Safe
– Be Kind
– Be Respectful
– Be Real

Join others who care about what’s happening to democracy, equality, human rights, social justice, sustainability, and other important topics. It’s ok if you’ve never been to a protest, march, or town hall — start here. You really can make a difference.

I can’t make up my mind if I want to cry, because there is a need for groups like this, or if I want to lean back with a big grin on my face.

The  message especially the young people are sending is loud and clear: “Don’t fuck with us.”

Well, I don’t cry that easy!