LOUDER

Submitted into Contest #45 in response to: Write a story about activism.... view prompt

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Yes, Anarkiddy, the activists are our most powerful tool for justice! See that man, walking, without a care. And see the group approaching him? There’s a divide between the two; philosophically and somewhat physically. The lone man is disobeying our rule of sociality. If you go anywhere, you must be accompanied by Tovarishi. Even if it is but one, you are still in compliance! Why you ask? Because the single man’s thoughts are dangerous! You will learn this all in school. In the group society is safe. The larger a group we become, the safer we all individually are! Ah, they approach, look at the encounter. Take notes, you will tour with them someday.


See the confrontation, the question, ‘Why are you alone, friend?’, and the retort, of no matter. Don’t let his words fill your head. Forget them. There’s no justification for being alone when there’s so much injustice that needs to be acted against! That is why we are in groups in the first place, to confront those against us. See next, the second stage of the confrontation. They will absorb him or he will run. This is when we put upon him another question, of whether he is against us or with us. It is a somewhat polarizing process, the confrontation. To push over those wrongdoing people that sit upon a fence. There is no reason why a single actor could possibly be against the good that our group is trying to bring about. It is our way of recruitment, because the third stage is his decision..


Ah he decided to run, a pity! Watch, he has confirmed his guilt. Without words he has spoken out against us. The shape his body takes as he runs away from our truth is the admission! It is but a matter of time before he submits. He must, because they will speak to him until he does. The voice of a group is strong, and his will will fade! Let us catch up. Hurry, young one.


In the alley, hear them shout! Oh such excitement they must be feeling. To be part of such a beautiful community. To be the force for good. To be making change in the world. Watch, they do not lay a hand on him, but he is on the ground in pain nonetheless! His mind is changing, see. It is quite a painful process, the chemistry of the brain correcting itself. Our words are infinitely reasonable, and correct. He has no choice but to comply with them. He has his ears covered but it matters not, we have a specialist! Look how she positions the loudspeaker above his head and speaks the cold truth to him, ‘You are with us or you are against us!’ He screams his wretched, evil scream but it is of no matter, we have more voices! See his voice drown and die against the group. Ah, there it is, his writhing confirms it, the fourth stage: submission. 


Some history for you, because it seems you have a want. We used to use other more persuasive techniques to recruit members, but we found that the time gained from beating them caused them to have to spend time recovering. Even the best of them, the ones who submitted in mere seconds, still caused the group to lose its dynamism, its speed, when trying to confront other people. The group is only as strong as its weakest link, and so we transitioned to the verbal approach rapidly. This is the new good, and we confront those of the group who think otherwise! They are well intentioned I am sure, but we must progress forward. 

There, another one, the woman with the bags. Let us confront her, and rejoin the protest in greater numbers! Here, you pose the question to her. Go ahead, like you just saw. 


Louder! Say it LOUDER! Fill her ears with the truth! Alright, boy, get out of the way, watch me. 


That was quite a strange confrontation. Take it as an outlier. Did you see the blood draining from her ears? Obviously she could not hear the truth we spoke to her. She must have been at a protest and gotten injured. We will take good care of her. Wherever she is headed. If but only I had a way to communicate with her to stay with us for her safety. She will likely be confronted many more times tonight. Some group will be equipped to break through to her. No, we cannot stay with her. Let her be. We will join the protest now.


Why are we protesting? What a foolish question. Someone has told you, yes? No? It is because there is injustice being perpetrated against us! That is why we speak out. Their group, while smaller in number, has more power. What kind of power? Ships and tanks and bullets and guns, all the things in this world manufactured for the express purpose of evil. They have laws, they have systems. All these things are for justifying the projection of that power. They have power, and we, the society do not! What a foolish idea. Our ancestors were fools, all of them. To allocate power in the hands of the few, instead of the many? They were wrong. But now, look at us, fixing the failures of our forefathers!


We, the people, know what is correct. We feel it. We know it. We know the good, and we know the evil. The activist’s job is to guide the ones who do not yet know towards the truth. The infinitely reasonable and correct truth that we have. Our good. The good. They are unmistakably the same!


There it is, the protest! Let us join them, stay close, hold my hand, we are going to the front. Submit yourself to the beauty of it, thousands of people together in synchronicity! The heat, the love, it’s all here. Now that we’re at the front, see those men, the ones in black facing us, they are the evil ones. You can tell. They all stand there, doing the same thing. All of them, so similar. It’s sickening. Like clockwork mechanisms wound up to run. It’s inhuman. They are inhuman. That is why you must not worry about them. They are the ones who cannot be changed. Then why do we yell at them? Very good question. We yell because we care. We want them to change. To be less like them, and more like us. We give them near boundless opportunities to be on the right side. But hear now, here comes a chant. Join in, it is a good one! 


They lower their guns at us, but stand firm, and do not yield! We are on the right side! LOUDER!


June 10, 2020 13:30

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