Starting conversations

 Necessary Trouble Georgia stages a weekly demonstration supporting workers at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

People show up with signs supporting people who got into medical research and are now worried about their jobs. The demonstrators say you can see the appreciation in the faces of the workers as they leave the main campus at closing time.

Note the distinction between “demonstration in support of” and “protest against.” Demonstrations in support of beleaguered groups seem like a good way to start conversations.

Being in support of something implies that you are opposed to something else. But the place to start the conversation is with the support of people who deserve it. Battle lines, if they must be drawn, can be drawn later.

A lot of beleaguered people deserve support today. I hear a lot about teachers who are afraid they will be fired if they teach history truthfully.

I can see a demonstration of support in front of a school in three signs:

• We support teachers.

• No rules against truth.

• And the name of the organization putting on the demonstration.

That might start some conversations among people who are likely to vote.