MetaChat - Activism rant

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

30 April 2008

Activism rant Focus!→[More:] The Wells Fargo shareholder meeting was yesterday, and there were a few people out front asking shareholders to hold Wells Fargo's feet to the fire to explain their racist predatory lending practices.

At least one of the people plugging this was ALSO wearing Stop The War and pro-union hats/shirts/buttons.

This means that their anti-rascism stance will be ignored by anyone who doesn't care about the war in Iraq.

I keep SEEING this! If you are protesting predatory lending while your clothing and accessories espouse gay marriage, Palestine, and television-free living, you are diluting your message to almost nothing.

1) anyone holding a different opinion on any one of your causes will dismiss your opinion on all of them.

2) Those of us who agree with the majority of your causes think you have nothing better to do than constantly protest things and probably we can ignore whatever today's cause is because we're on your side already so why pay attention.

Have these people learned NOTHING from the right wing? DO NOT DILUTE YOUR MESSAGE!
Soundbites! Clean & Simple! Direct! The ability to get your point across in seconds! FOCUS!

And while I'm on this trip, do NOT try to convince the board of a major bank that they should change their business model on the grounds of anything similar to "the world will be a better place."

Cite numbers! Cite profit! Cite precedence! Tailor your message to your audience! Good grief.

Um. Ok. Thanks for listening.

post by: small_ruminant at: 15:47 | 17 comments

Free Mumia!

posted by occhiblu 30 April | 16:02

With purchase of Mumia of equal or lesser value.

posted by BitterOldPunk 30 April | 16:14

The reason this happens is because the cross campaign stuff has an essential internal meaning to this group of people, which do a laaaarge portion of the general campaign work in the uk. Their commitment to multiple campaigns probably won't change, but it's ofen possible to convince people to, say, wear a colour together.

Trade union badges/hats = trade unionists, who are there representing their union and are proud to show a sign of their collective nature/power. So that probably won't change either.

The point on clear communication stands and is really important. Unlikely that these folks will make an argument in light of profit, though. What they do is act as a representation of public support for skilled negotiators, meeting at a table or on the phone, who express the protesters' chants in a language the board can understand.

posted by By the Grace of God 30 April | 16:14

Nuke the Whales!

(Actually this was a great rant, s_r. My eyes tend to glaze over, also, with the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all leftwing activism.

But then, I have become a raving moderate in my old age.)

posted by danf 30 April | 16:15

oh this goes for the US too I think..

posted by By the Grace of God 30 April | 16:17

I don't mind if they just have an SEIU shirt on or something. It's the "Unionize Whole Foods!" sorts of stuff. In other words- another specific cause.

And sometimes you just want to yell "STAY OFF MY SIDE!"

posted by small_ruminant 30 April | 16:28

I loved the people who showed up waving LEGALIZE IT signs at the pre-Gulf War II protests in Portland several years back.

posted by cmonkey 30 April | 16:39

haha- that's funny! Perfect example, too.

posted by small_ruminant 30 April | 16:45

Anyone remember Bloom County? One of them showed how to hunt liberals with a bird call that would make "Save The Whales!" noises.

When liberals heard it they would flush themselves by popping out of the grass yelling "No nukes! No nukes!"

posted by small_ruminant 30 April | 16:50

One of them showed how to hunt liberals with a bird call that would make "Save The Whales!" noises.

Save the Whales! Collect the whole set!

posted by danf 30 April | 17:04

Nuke the Whales!

*shrugs* Gotta nuke something.

posted by Elsa 30 April | 17:06

As a wise man once said, there's a thin line between activism and merely being a huge pain in the ass.

posted by jonmc 30 April | 18:49

With purchase of Mumia of equal or lesser value.
posted by BitterOldPunk 30 April | 16:14

That was funny :)

posted by doctor_negative 30 April | 19:00

"Have these people learned NOTHING from the right wing? DO NOT DILUTE YOUR MESSAGE!
Soundbites! Clean & Simple! Direct! The ability to get your point across in seconds! FOCUS!"

One of a number of reasons I am no longer any sort of activist.

FREE BEER!

posted by arse_hat 01 May | 00:07

As an activisty person, I 100% wholeheartedly endorse.

And can I be bourgeois enough to add: don't show up looking like a freak! Listen, folks - nobody listens to freaks. Wear mainstream clothing. Have normal-ish hair. Be reasonable. Be approachable. Don't be wearing some getup like fatigues held up by suspenders and a ballet top and rain boots with a big straw hat. At least TRY to be taken seriously by people who don't already agree with you.

It's funny - in general, I applaud people for acting/dressing in ways that fall outside the usual run of boring conformity. But when you're advocating a political message - that's just not the time. People in positions of power need to be convinced, and it's a tough sell. You've got to talk their language and look like you've got a grip on reality.

posted by Miko 01 May | 09:58

Miko- Exactly! In particular you have to look like you have a grip on THEIR reality.

Appearance is a language. Don't show up speaking Urdu in an English-speaking country and then get all self-righteous when you don't get your point across. Speak their language, dress their language, .... blah blah blah ok enough choir preaching

posted by small_ruminant 01 May | 13:31

My brother has always been interested in politics, so he ran for a minor office in our home town, as a Green Party candidate, mostly because they needed someone to run. He won, getting the third largest number of votes of any Green Party candidate ever in the US. Which was cool, you know? So he started getting some attention from the party, and rose to national co-chair in short order, giving speeches, doing all sorts of cool political stuff, and loving it.

But he eventually quit the party, for the very thing small_ruminant is complaining about--too many causes, too much dilution of their message.

posted by mrmoonpie 01 May | 14:43

← "One night || Today on Oprah: David Blaine holds his breath. →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN