Shareholders, investors, board members, and managers need to be aware of the right, and of the need to protest. Expressing concerns, making analytic observations, and working toward solutions are all critically important for the sustainability of the companies we co-own. Contributions for success can come from many quarters. No one person, or entity, has cornered the market on originality or creative thinking.

Human beings are homeostatic creatures; they inherently seek balance, serenity, and peace. They tend to avoid confrontation and stress. As a species, we tend to conform, we want to believe, and we want to have faith and confidence in our leaders, our institutions, and our customs and mores. However, we also have a responsibility to ourselves to “blink” what goes on around us: to challenge, examine, explore, question, and search for valid, genuine answers. Wall Street must be able to hear Main Street’s grievances if any solutions are to be derived, and put into practice. This is the real deal; it’s not a dress rehearsal. This is serious business. Respect for protest, for challenges, for differences is all part of the moral fabric of American culture.

To contact Christopher Bayer directly, please email Christopher.Bayer@TheShareholderActivist.com.