Since we have heard Republican lawmakers and elected officials everywhere decrying the epidemic of paid protesters across the nation, one reporter and often-protester wanted to know, “where the f*ck are my protest checks?!”

As it turns out, there are many of us who have been diligently marching for various causes in the weeks since Donald Trump took office, and unbeknownst to us, we could’ve been getting paid this whole time!

Dylan Marron with Seriously.TV set out to see just where he could pick up his paid protester paycheck, as well as talking to some local protesters about why they are out demonstrating in the middle of a weekday.

“Protests like this are taking place all over the country, but our president is saying that these protesters are getting paid. And as a liberal snowflake who’s taken part in many protests throughout my life, I had to ask: where the f*ck are my protest checks!?”

“Do you know where to pick up the checks for protesting,” Marron asks. “Is it like direct deposit?”

Marron interrogated several protesters, goading them to admit that they had just been paid to attend the events. Repeatedly, the protesters strongly stated that they were at the protest not because they were being paid to, but because they believed in the issues they were advocating for.

Said one well-spoken man, “Democracy doesn’t work if people don’t get involved.”

Yes, this funny video is a nice bit of comedic relief for those exhausted at the repeated suggestion that the millions who have protested in the last few weeks were not doing so out of genuine political activism.

But it also speaks to the growing, damaging narrative and how the false idea that every protester is either a violent punk or a paid shill is damaging to our constitutional right to protest. It is easier for Senators and Congressman to delude themselves into believing that the people filling the streets and town halls are not really voters, but people looking for a paycheck.

Watch.

 

Sydney Robinson is a political writer for the Ring of Fire Network. She has also appeared in political news videos for Ring of Fire. Sydney has a degree in English Literature from the University of West Florida, and has an active interest in politics, social justice, and environmental issues. She would love to hear from you on Twitter @SydneyMkay or via email at srobinson@ringoffireradio.com