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Reflecting on Knock Down the House: an exploration of inspiring stories, social activism, and the impact of grassroots political campaigns.
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Reflective thinking about Knock Down the House Knock Down the House is a heartwarming documentary that accompanies four candidates who choose to run in Congress in 2018: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin. In the movie, there are several things that I found engaging and one of them is the straightforward interview of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez regarding the story of her upbringing and the drive to act against what happens to be the norm. She differed through her genuineness and zeal, and this is how grassroots activism can result in profound change of politics. It was also accompanied by the personal testimony of Cori Bush who managed to overcome her personal trauma and had to stand by the issues of healthcare and social justice, making her testimony and instance of resilience and personal belief so strong and powerful. The only thing that shocked me was just how far these women had to go and live up to the systemic barriers that were placed upon them because they believed in what they were doing because some of them were financial, political establishment, and even societal doubt. I did not know that grassroots campaigns are more dependent on the perseverance of individuals as well as the community working together more than it is on huge amounts of money or political connections. Their experiences revealed how even in strongly established political system, common citizens may defy powerful interests. All these women were political aspirants who came into the picture out of passion to solve certain problems prevailing in their societies. Alexandria wanted to conquer economic disparity and sectional fighting on behalf of working-family in New York. Not being able to access affordable health care, Amy Vilela hoped to revolutionize the health care system when she lost her daughter. Cori Bush demanded justice on behalf of the oppressed communities and opposed systematic racism and inequality. Swearengin, Paula Jean was concerned with environmental matters and making corporations accountable. They were driven by their personal experiences
and the want to impose a real change: economical justice, change in health care, racial equality, or environmental protection. These candidates were knowledgeable about their causes by having been through it and working hard as activists. Alexandria had credibility and authenticity owing to her past in community organizing and familiarity with the concerns of the local people. Being a nurse and community advocate, Cori knew a lot about healthcare issues at the time. Their knowledge and passion were propelled to their effective campaign messages, they sounded authentic and close. Their speaking on personal note had more strength and credibility to voters because of the use of their personal experience as advocates. The current process of electing the president was also of concern on watching the movie. I observed the great reliance the campaigns have on finance planning as well as on political machines that often choke out grassroad voices. It is challenging to get a person with no major financial support to win an election against a well-established incumbent as running a campaign without major funding is very difficult. This imbalance may be a detriment to the democratic principle of equal representation and narrow the political palette. But through the protestations of these women, I also found a ray of hope in their ability to survive and grass root movements. I was encouraged that the change can happen because they were not afraid to confront established authorities and succeeded in rallying people behind them. The movie strengthened the notion that we, as ordinary persons, can make a difference out of our conviction and community and this is an optimistic thought to the future of democracy.