I have another, perhaps slightly more controversial opinion about why people continue to protest/complain after they don't get the results they wanted.
You know how sometimes people openly insist on something, repeating themselves over and over again because deep down, they doubt what it is they are saying? I think there is an element of this going on here. It always strikes me as so odd as a Canadian seeing how often Americans emphasize their Freedom. The flag is displayed everywhere. A symbol of liberty and pride. Over here in America, we have FREEDOM. We have so FREEDOM we even have EXTRA FREEDOM; we will export that EXTRA FREEDOM to other countries. Teach these poor backwards countries some DEMOCRACY. Teach them about the value of FREE SPEECH and what it means to live in a FREE COUNTRY.
All very noble and inspiring, but hearing it over and over again, it starts to sound a little hollow; a little like someone trying to talk themselves into it.
To be clear, I'm not trying to open up a debate about whether Americans are actually free or a democratic country. I'm just saying, it's psychological. When you know something, you know it. You don't talk about it. It's just part of who you are. When you don't know something for sure, however, your behavior is different. You try to prove yourself to everyone. You try to prove your beliefs to yourself.
And I think in the wake of the post 9/11 world, people deep down are beginning to question if they are actually free. I mean, questioning our society and it's influence over our lives is an element of almost every conversation we have these days. We're openly conversing about the box lives we lead (live in a box, drive in a box, work in a box, stare at a box, get buried in a box). We're beginning to question the validity of our organizing systems. Social, political, economical, religious, etc. Some of us are questioning our government and how much choice we really have. This whole election, regardless of what side you were on, was unquestionably chaotic and in many cases, very suspicious and almost orchestrated in a weird way. People felt like they were only given the illusion of choice. And that kind of stuff sinks into the back of your mind. You want to know you still have some kind of power, some semblance of control. So you're going to do what you're convinced represents your power; you're going to lend your voice to it, you're going to talk about it. After all, this is America. What sets you apart is the Freedom of Speech. That's your seat of power... and when you're feeling powerless, that's what you're going to be grasping for.
