Comments on: Marching for everything http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/ stargazer, muddler, muffle-jaw, cockatouch, spoonhead, hookear, gudgeon, grubby, blob, bull-rout, blue garnet, miller's thumb Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:50:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Josh http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6992 Josh Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:33:56 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6992 The thing is, the right stamps down in those bazillion different ways one way at a time. They stay on message, and don't get distracted from their current stamping-down action by the stampings they're going to administer later. The guy writing an angry letter to the editor about how gay marriage is destroying America doesn't get sidetracked by the anti-flag-burning amendment; he saves that for another letter. I agree that a rally with no clear message is better than apathy, in general. Apathy is bad. But for actually getting anything accomplished? The only message a rally like this conveys is "Oh, those liberals are angry about something. Who knows what? They're always angry about something. *shrug*" And <em>every</em> lefty rally here turns into a mishmash of a thousand different causes all flying their own banners--it's not just this one, which appears to have been designed that way. I think it's great that the immigration reform folks are marching in anti-war rallies, and vice versa. But wouldn't it be cool if they would wave an anti-war banner at an anti-war rally, instead of waving their immigration reform banners at every rally they go to? (Not singling them out, or anything. Every group does this, as far as I can tell.) The thing is, the right stamps down in those bazillion different ways one way at a time. They stay on message, and don’t get distracted from their current stamping-down action by the stampings they’re going to administer later. The guy writing an angry letter to the editor about how gay marriage is destroying America doesn’t get sidetracked by the anti-flag-burning amendment; he saves that for another letter.

I agree that a rally with no clear message is better than apathy, in general. Apathy is bad. But for actually getting anything accomplished? The only message a rally like this conveys is “Oh, those liberals are angry about something. Who knows what? They’re always angry about something. *shrug*” And every lefty rally here turns into a mishmash of a thousand different causes all flying their own banners–it’s not just this one, which appears to have been designed that way.

I think it’s great that the immigration reform folks are marching in anti-war rallies, and vice versa. But wouldn’t it be cool if they would wave an anti-war banner at an anti-war rally, instead of waving their immigration reform banners at every rally they go to? (Not singling them out, or anything. Every group does this, as far as I can tell.)

]]> By: Ted http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6991 Ted Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:12:01 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6991 Purely from a logistical standpoint, it's probably a lot easier to get a permit for one large protest march than 19 smaller ones. Purely from a logistical standpoint, it’s probably a lot easier to get a permit for one large protest march than 19 smaller ones.

]]> By: mizducky http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6989 mizducky Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:46:20 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6989 Erm ... allow me to respectfully disagree with your objection to a general march for leftist-activist causes. Personally, I think it's terrific to make connections between a variety of causes, and see how they are in fact all connected. After all, the Right feels perfectly empowered to stamp down on people in a bazillion different ways. I see marches like this as symbolic of those being stamped down realizing they have a common enemy--the Bushies and their lockstep followers--and realizing they stand a lot better chance fighting back as one group rather than a whole bunch of splintered causes. "We must all hang together, or we shall all be hanged separately." The Bushies (and their predecessors) love to divide and conquer. The best counterstrategy is to refuse to let them play that game. Yeah, there will always be rank-and-file marchers who are not good at articulating what-all everyone in the march stands for. As I see it, you don't have to be a 100% perfectly educated idealogue to be part of the movement. Hell, if we waited for that, then we'd *really* take forever to get any kind of opposition to Bush off the ground. Above all, I'm just glad to see any signs of leftward-leaning non-apathy in the populace at large. Sure beats the shit out of apathy. Erm … allow me to respectfully disagree with your objection to a general march for leftist-activist causes.

Personally, I think it’s terrific to make connections between a variety of causes, and see how they are in fact all connected.

After all, the Right feels perfectly empowered to stamp down on people in a bazillion different ways. I see marches like this as symbolic of those being stamped down realizing they have a common enemy–the Bushies and their lockstep followers–and realizing they stand a lot better chance fighting back as one group rather than a whole bunch of splintered causes.

“We must all hang together, or we shall all be hanged separately.” The Bushies (and their predecessors) love to divide and conquer. The best counterstrategy is to refuse to let them play that game.

Yeah, there will always be rank-and-file marchers who are not good at articulating what-all everyone in the march stands for. As I see it, you don’t have to be a 100% perfectly educated idealogue to be part of the movement. Hell, if we waited for that, then we’d *really* take forever to get any kind of opposition to Bush off the ground.

Above all, I’m just glad to see any signs of leftward-leaning non-apathy in the populace at large. Sure beats the shit out of apathy.

]]> By: Joy http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6985 Joy Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:01:00 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6985 Thus we illustrate a downside of diversity... Thus we illustrate a downside of diversity…

]]> By: McJulie http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6983 McJulie Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:39:17 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6983 I dipped my toe into protesty activism with an anti-second-inaguration event, and promptly wandered away over a very similar issue. Or, plethora of issues I suppose. The particular incident I remember was a discussion of how to symbolize American disgust over the Bush administration, and the anti-patriarchy rant one woman fired off when the Uncle Sam character was discussed. "It's okay... it's okay... we'll use the Statue of Liberty... and an eagle, eagles are good, right? Endangered species and all..." **Backs away slowly** I dipped my toe into protesty activism with an anti-second-inaguration event, and promptly wandered away over a very similar issue. Or, plethora of issues I suppose.

The particular incident I remember was a discussion of how to symbolize American disgust over the Bush administration, and the anti-patriarchy rant one woman fired off when the Uncle Sam character was discussed.

“It’s okay… it’s okay… we’ll use the Statue of Liberty… and an eagle, eagles are good, right? Endangered species and all…”

**Backs away slowly**

]]> By: Mia http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6980 Mia Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:37:17 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6980 Enter the Werdling Werdlers for Werdle. "What do we want?" WERDLE! "When do we want it!" "Werdle!" "What the hell's Werdle?" "Werdle!" You know, I'd worry about the counter protests from the anti-picklists. You don't want to get in between the pro- and anti-Picklists. Things could get ... briny. Enter the Werdling Werdlers for Werdle.

“What do we want?”
WERDLE!
“When do we want it!”
“Werdle!”
“What the hell’s Werdle?”
“Werdle!”

You know, I’d worry about the counter protests from the anti-picklists. You don’t want to get in between the pro- and anti-Picklists.
Things could get … briny.

]]> By: Josh http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6962 Josh Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:28:02 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6962 ¡¡¡PICKLES SI!!! END THE US OCCUPATION OF MY RELISH! DOWN WITH ANTS!! THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF PIE! MORE SKIN ON HBO!! ¡SI SE TIENEN HAMBRE! ¡¡¡PICKLES SI!!!

END THE US OCCUPATION OF MY RELISH!

DOWN WITH ANTS!!

THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER RUN OUT OF PIE!

MORE SKIN ON HBO!!

¡SI SE TIENEN HAMBRE!

]]> By: Cam Sculpin http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6961 Cam Sculpin Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:23:40 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6961 Certainly harder than having one march in which it really doesn't matter a great deal what you're marching for. That's a lot like having a big picnic, only with signs. Certainly harder than having one march in which it really doesn’t matter a great deal what you’re marching for. That’s a lot like having a big picnic, only with signs.

]]> By: Josh http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6958 Josh Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:15:27 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6958 How hard would it be to have solidarity and alliances mean that instead of having one march with 20 groups, each bearing their own message, you have 20 marches, each with their own single-issue message? Pretty hard, I guess. Who wants to march 20 times, 19 of those for things you don't really care about? *sigh* How hard would it be to have solidarity and alliances mean that instead of having one march with 20 groups, each bearing their own message, you have 20 marches, each with their own single-issue message? Pretty hard, I guess. Who wants to march 20 times, 19 of those for things you don’t really care about?

*sigh*

]]> By: Cam Sculpin http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/comment-page-1/#comment-6956 Cam Sculpin Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:50:13 +0000 http://www.sculpin.com/journal/2006/09/05/marching-for-everything/#comment-6956 <i>Several marchers said they didn't know what they were saying in Spanish, but recited the slogans regardless.</i> Oooh. So tempting to try to hack the crowd, isn't it? You might be able to get <em>them</em> to speak for the turtles, as long as you did it in Spanish. For all they know, they were. Several marchers said they didn’t know what they were saying in Spanish, but recited the slogans regardless.

Oooh. So tempting to try to hack the crowd, isn’t it? You might be able to get them to speak for the turtles, as long as you did it in Spanish. For all they know, they were.

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