General Discussion

Maedhros

(10,007 posts)

43. Agree completely.

Mon Sep 23, 2013, 12:15 PM

Sep 2013

The street protests of the 60s and 70s were an attempt to bring the people's message to the media of the time, since the networks were doing what they always do and presenting only establishment voices on issues like civil rights and the Vietnam War. Taking to the streets in large numbers demanded coverage on the news (and we actually had NEWS back then), and the people woke up when they saw the demonstrations on the television.

The PTB learned their lesson well. These days, any coverage of street demonstrations completely ignores the message of the demonstrators and focuses on negative factors such as vandalism and police response. Marches and street protests now serve as motivational events for the participants - which is important - but in terms of changing peoples' minds they do not accomplish much. One typically has one's mind made up about the demonstrators before they hit the street - e.g. liberals will denounce Tea Party rallies, and conservatives will denounce anti-war rallies, without either group paying the least bit of attention to the content of the demonstration.

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Writing on DU is activism, actually [View all] nashville_brook Sep 2013 OP

The 'it's not activism' meme is on fire because the 'centrists' and 'conservadems' know that Bluenorthwest Sep 2013 #1

... OneGrassRoot Sep 2013 #2

OneGrassRoot...your work is a great example of mobilizing nashville_brook Sep 2013 #5

"stop the rising yeast" -- beautifully said. and, OMG on the Stonewall to Obama letter! nashville_brook Sep 2013 #3

We had to change so many Democratic minds to make progress and those minds we changed Bluenorthwest Sep 2013 #14

if we were in therapy we'd call it a cycle of abuse. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #67

a certain faction seemly has a vested interest in the status quo. KG Sep 2013 #4

+1 nashville_brook Sep 2013 #93

+10000 YoungDemCA Sep 2013 #112

You think that's why? Recursion Sep 2013 #17

Was I unclear? I don't think so. Bluenorthwest Sep 2013 #31

Unfortunately, no - they don't [n/t] Maedhros Sep 2013 #40

Yes. "a tussle afoot for the soul of the Party", indeed. Vanje Sep 2013 #21

The Tea Party Cryptoad Sep 2013 #32

those purged GOP stalwert Vanje Sep 2013 #34

that's actually a counter-example to your point. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #36

+1 daleanime Sep 2013 #42

Excellent post.............nt Enthusiast Sep 2013 #115

First � 1StrongBlackMan Sep 2013 #105

Oh, baby! Enthusiast Sep 2013 #114

Considering that most conversations in this country aolwien Sep 2013 #6

that's a great point. i used to think that we needed to find a way to engage nashville_brook Sep 2013 #9

My sense is the lurker/poster ratio on DU and GD in particular is high Fumesucker Sep 2013 #7

i think there's also a lot of lurkers who aren't rank-and-file nashville_brook Sep 2013 #15

All that an a think tank, too! Lars39 Sep 2013 #8

I consider DU my training for activism. CrispyQ Sep 2013 #10

me too -- eggsactly. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #12

I've become much less judgmental since being on DU. CrispyQ Sep 2013 #18

I think it's an important part of activism. rrneck Sep 2013 #11

At its best, it's activism. But it's also everything from an echo chamber... randome Sep 2013 #13

if by echo chamber you mean 'toeing the party line'... nashville_brook Sep 2013 #19

"Defend & pleasure the party's leadership." DirkGently Sep 2013 #23

spit tea on computer screen. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #87

Get what you can from the 'echo chamber' Vanje Sep 2013 #50

I don't just write here - TBF Sep 2013 #16

+1 n/t LittleGirl Sep 2013 #22

Eh....no. This is a nice website for Democrats, but this isn't what I would call msanthrope Sep 2013 #20

i was actually doing both -- but that misses the point nashville_brook Sep 2013 #25

I am glad you are doing both. But I wouldn't ever think my posting on DU is a satisfactory msanthrope Sep 2013 #49

Being 'on the streets' is an outdated concept leftstreet Sep 2013 #27

Agree completely. Maedhros Sep 2013 #43

Then Occupy was a failure? nt msanthrope Sep 2013 #47

Occupy was something of an anomaly - its message certainly resonated with the public. Maedhros Sep 2013 #53

it's actually a great example of the power of social media to organize nashville_brook Sep 2013 #97

It is exactly that aspect of Occupy that, in my opinion, moves it beyond a "protest" Maedhros Sep 2013 #98

Occupy was a hybrid, and much of the best stuff flew under the radar nashville_brook Sep 2013 #94

Um, no. Voters being denied the right to vote don't need your tweets. They need poll monitors. msanthrope Sep 2013 #46

"Um," You're drawing arbitrary lines. DirkGently Sep 2013 #66

+10000000 -- Arab Spring is the prime example of social media activism. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #82

Wow! Enthusiast Sep 2013 #117

When, and if, people are worried about it, they'll respond leftstreet Sep 2013 #68

if you want to "rally" voters, the best place to do that is social media nashville_brook Sep 2013 #78

Yup. woo me with science Sep 2013 #52

This message was self-deleted by its author woo me with science Sep 2013 #58

Depends on where you live too Vanje Sep 2013 #55

I cant pound the pavement where I live Vanje Sep 2013 #62

this is one of those things that we were very optimistic about in grad school nashville_brook Sep 2013 #92

It can be a springboard for activism BainsBane Sep 2013 #24

sitting around your living rarely engages thousands of people at a time... nashville_brook Sep 2013 #26

I believe one needs to engage people outside of DU BainsBane Sep 2013 #29

we're all welcome to have our own private definitions of things, but nashville_brook Sep 2013 #37

okay, I agree the party doesn't bother much with what the rank and file thinks BainsBane Sep 2013 #38

engagement is the first step! :) you're more of an activist than you know! nashville_brook Sep 2013 #44

Do casual visitors to the site, and lurkers, count as "outside DU?" Maedhros Sep 2013 #45

We all have our own definitions BainsBane Sep 2013 #63

Maybe not, but it's an important part of the overall effort. [n/t] Maedhros Sep 2013 #80

The composition of views on DU get noticed. DirkGently Sep 2013 #70

DU is often at the very top of google searches. woo me with science Sep 2013 #74

Noticed that. And apparently, some who argue so loudly that DirkGently Sep 2013 #122

DURec leftstreet Sep 2013 #28

Strange. Some have been quite apoplectic about defining 'journalist'. randome Sep 2013 #30

no irony that i can see -- except that there's some who seem interested in narrowing the definition nashville_brook Sep 2013 #35

Don't both argue for the broadest definitions? DirkGently Sep 2013 #123

Actually it's not at all oberliner Sep 2013 #33

yes, there's some here would like us to think that. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #39

Given the deep disagreements on things like elective war, chained CPI, cabinet appointments, Maedhros Sep 2013 #48

i know, right? an echo chamber would actually be much more peaceful! nashville_brook Sep 2013 #85

It's not always an echo chamber oberliner Sep 2013 #89

I suppose my point is that even if it is not activism, Maedhros Sep 2013 #90

True oberliner Sep 2013 #116

Thanks so much n_brook FredStembottom Sep 2013 #41

seriously, it's the lack of "values" messaging that has screwed us nashville_brook Sep 2013 #57

! FredStembottom Sep 2013 #61

totally agree! nashville_brook Sep 2013 #126

DUrec. & bookmarking for later PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #51

The NC group feels activist, particularly with Moral Mondays. WorseBeforeBetter Sep 2013 #54

the audience is NOT larger hfojvt Sep 2013 #56

If it weren't considered effective activism by the PTB, woo me with science Sep 2013 #59

beware of those who need to beat you down. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #65

+1 leftstreet Sep 2013 #71

There are all sorts of activism. MineralMan Sep 2013 #60

Did you ever read D.U. before you came over Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #106

If I can do it from my toilet, it's not activism NightWatcher Sep 2013 #64

You can phone bank or organize a march from the toilet too. DirkGently Sep 2013 #72

given that calling, petitioning and messaging *aren't* activism, what then is? nashville_brook Sep 2013 #76

The key to Activism is Active/Action NightWatcher Sep 2013 #79

so activism for you is getting tazed, chased by dogs and arrested. nashville_brook Sep 2013 #86

First comes the thought Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #99

Those who work diligently to inform us on DU are certainly activists grasswire Sep 2013 #69

Preaching to the chior may be important, but it isn't activism BlueStreak Sep 2013 #73

i'd argue that there's a difference btwn "preaching," "teaching" and "reaching" the choir nashville_brook Sep 2013 #75

You can't have activism without action -- action outside this bubble BlueStreak Sep 2013 #108

This "bubble" is open to anyone Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #109

Few come here who aren't already part of the club. BlueStreak Sep 2013 #110

The second sentence of your first paragraph partly makes my point Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #111

Nice. Enthusiast Sep 2013 #118

Debating (or agreeing) among ourselves is not activism BlueStreak Sep 2013 #127

We are not just ourselves, we're everybody that reads D.U. lurkers and even would be trolls that Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #128

I think it's more of an "activity" than activism. It's like going down to the park and sitting in MADem Sep 2013 #77

there's certainly posters here who come to shoot the shit nashville_brook Sep 2013 #95

education is activism DonCoquixote Sep 2013 #81

great example. i might not have taken an active interest in election reform nashville_brook Sep 2013 #84

A few people here have a 'Poo Poo on DU' agenda. Rex Sep 2013 #83

Activism is like journalism, you are if you say you are. You don't need permission. nt bemildred Sep 2013 #88

strange that it's even disputed...but glad it's being examined and hopefully nashville_brook Sep 2013 #91

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Sep 2013 #96

We can tell from thread views that several more people read here than post. Starry Messenger Sep 2013 #100

that's so awesome with the pic of the day... nashville_brook Sep 2013 #103

DU is activism Hydra Sep 2013 #101

i think there's issues that make more sense to explore online, too nashville_brook Sep 2013 #102

I have been one to say � 1StrongBlackMan Sep 2013 #104

it's the "engagement" piece of activism nashville_brook Sep 2013 #125

it is not necessarily activism - but it can be and sometimes, perhaps frequently is Douglas Carpenter Sep 2013 #107

Another Kick for pissing off all the Right people! Rex Sep 2013 #113

Now, that's activism! pintobean Sep 2013 #124

Kicked and recommended....nt Enthusiast Sep 2013 #119

Not to mention that when I signed up for DU JoeyT Sep 2013 #120

+1 nashville_brook Sep 2013 #129

Of course it is... SidDithers Sep 2013 #121