The ANSWER controversy seems to be a disconnect between those

[smartvoter]

who marched and those who watched. More specifically, for the tiny window provided to those who watched.

For those who couldn't make it, the TV was stuck on ANSWER's platform, which was more about Israel and Palestine than the Iraq war. They watched patiently but eventually grew frustrated (myself included) as speaker after speaker went off on Palestine and we were thinking that the public at large will not connect the dots.

Those who marched came back charged up and were disappointed to see their fellow DUers unhappy with ANSWER and the way it was portrayed. There were very long periods wherein the only way you could tell that Iraq was even on radar were the cuts to the attendees, whose protest signs were both on-target to the purpose of the day AND vastly different from the speeches on stage. It did look, at least to an extent, like bait-and-switch, to living room watchers.

The C-SPAN audience is so small anyway that in the end, the massive turnout trumped the muddled message. All the public at large will remember are the photos of the massive turnout.

But after reading both sides for a couple of days I really do think this was an issue of visibility and perception more than anything else...

[WilliamPitt]

1. Every ANSWER rally

I have attended (read: all of them since the war started) has featured multiple speakers on Palestine, plus Haiti and Mimia and Peltier and People for the Ethical Treatment of Bananas, etc. I'm not sure why anyone who has seen/been to one of these things is surprised at the content.

In the crowd, you could barely hear the speakers.

[goodhue]

3. Indeed

It is not just an issue of visibility and perception, but also an issue of expectations. I don't get what people expected differently.

[smartvoter]

4. And many warned of it in advance. I think that the griping was as much

about the inability to see anything else, as anything else, so to speak -- that the only place you could watch anything was filled with it...

[zapp]

5. Where were you WIll Pitt? At the Washington Monument?

I was there at the ellipse and CLEARLY heard every word from every speaker until I left to go line up to march.

[WilliamPitt]

6. I was up there, down in the crowd

All over, really. The sound came and went. The helicopter didn't help.

[LynneSin]

9. Yeah, I heard I missed you at RFDs

I ended up leaving early because I was getting sick.

Oh well, maybe another protest sometime in the future

[LynneSin]

8. Some of us keep hoping that UPJ will take over

Everything I did to promote the DU gathering in DC was based on UPJ's information and website for the protest. And yet in the end UPJ allowed IA to takeover the event and put their radical speakers up on the podium.

To be honest, I kept thinking and even posting here at DU the agenda posted on UPJ's website that there would only be an hour worth of speakers and then the march would get started. One hour is perfect to have 4-8 really pertinant speakers like Sheehan, Jackson, Clark, Galloway and a few others speak about why this war is wrong and then let the marchers start marching. Then aftewards was this concert that would take the protest into the even.

It was only just this past weekend that I realize that UPJ tried to break free from IA but doesn't have the balls to hold the protest on their own without IA. It's a sad reality

[blondeatlast]

10. But that is the face of the Left to many--this time it was on national TV.

I was stuck at home with stomach flu so I watched C-Span's coverage.

All I saw was sincere, but often shrill speeches with no definitive peace message.

ANSWER isn't my cup of tea, but I harbor them no ill will, But in this case, they may have sincerely harmed the peace movemnet to some degree.

Those of us in the know, know that that is how ANSWER operates.

The "causual" Left observer may not be aware of that--and it may keep them home the next time.

I'm not worried about how DU sees the disconnect, but I do worry about how the somewhat interested on the Left do.

[LSK]

17. sorry, but some of us are new to this

We are not use to how ANSWER operates and that would explain some of our dissappointment with ANSWER and how it was all shown on CSPAN. I called people on the fence that I know to watch CSPAN and they were not impressed. I even seen a post on DU from someone wondering why only 80 people were in DC. Yes, there is a disconnect between those who were there and those who watched.

[AValdoux]

2. One comment on CSPAN coverage

There were people who were standing behind the speakers who were very detached from the speech, joking and talking. During Jessica Lange's speech in particular. The camera angle for pro-war rally was more of a closee-up without the distractions of the crowd on stage behind them. I know the crowd was smaller but the camera shot of the speaker was better.


AValdoux

[blondeatlast]

11. Admittedly, C-span's coverage was awful. Just awful. nt

[Lars39]

7. Yes!If you tuned in expecting to see the march, you were disappointed,

because it was not shown.

[WilliamPitt]

13. So go to the march next time

TV disappointed you?

I'm shocked.

[Lars39]

16. Not everyone's health allows them to.

Step back a bit and see it from those in the sticks who rely on C-Span to help keep them informed. C-Span let us down.

[smartvoter]

18. It's not always easy depending on life circumstance -- especially

when you're talking about D.C. to people in the west.

[WilliamPitt]

19. Understood

But don't be surprised when TV lets you down.

[smartvoter]

20. Agreed. nt

[Catrina]

22. Since we are waiting for the news

of the imminent death from cancer of a close family friend, and taking care of another cancer patient, going through treatment right now, it was not possible to be there.

I wish that were not the case, but it seems like I need to apologize to you for that. I'm sure others with similar reasons for not being there, are sorry they couldn't just abandon a sick child, or parent to be there, also. Apologies to you from all of us!

However, many of us did work with Veterans' groups and others to help get others there in any way we could.

The bottom line is it may have been a great march, but only 300,000 of the millions who could have participated, at least vicariously, don't know that. The march was not on television, and yes, believe it or not (again, sorry to offend you by not being able to think and feel as you would like) some of us were very disappointed by that.

I have no idea whose fault it was, but there was no march on television, anywhere ~ all I saw was a huge crowd in the beginning which diminished steadily to around a dozen, after which I thought the coverage would go over to the march. It did not, it ended with about three lonely people, and a few stragglers on the screen.

Why is there such a negative reaction to people commenting on the fact that coverage on C-Span would have been preferable to no coverage, and maybe fixing it next time? It seems to me that if you don't identify a problem, you can't fix it. I don't know whose fault it was, but I don't see how this benefited ANSWER either.

[Just Me]

12. ANSWER gives a platform to numerous human rights activists,...

,...from around the world, not just re the Palistinians.

[LynneSin]

14. Yes, but a bulk of the people attending are there about the war

Stick with the topic instead of diluting it. Sure, it was pertinent to this protest that we also talked about what happened in the Gulf Coast but those 2 topics alone would have made for a fine set of speakers

[CAcyclist]

23. I don't agree

This is a perfect opportunity to inform like-minded people of other important issues. I don't agree with all the grievances, but I agree with some of them.

I don't see any other group stepping up to the plate to organize a rally. I say don't criticize ANSWER if you're not prepared to take over and do it yourself. What hurts our movement is not to be doing anything. What hurt our movement was the lack of rallies this last year - not the radicalness of the organizers.

[LynneSin]

24. Actually, I disagree

United for Peace and Justice was also trying to organize this protest but IA shut them out with all their unnecessary speakers. And btw Planned Parenthood/Naral have also organized DC protests which reached close to 1mil people back in 2004.

And you're right - I should be informed about other issues but not when those issues start getting too radical and alienated the core of us attending the protest.

The message gets too diluted and we stand for absolutely nothing. Better to pick a few important topics (war, Bush, Katrina) and focus our message on that.

[Just Me]

25. Would you kindly provide direct UPJ links supporting your assertion?

I considered the event a united effort among a wide variety of advocacy groups,...mostly human rights advocates. ALL the speakers WERE CENTERED upon human rights abuses. War IS an abuse of human rights.

Unlike the right-wing propaganda machine, these groups do SPEAK on behalf of many isolated populations of humanity that are being oppressed. Although I understand the frustration of folks who desperately seek a unification of voice, you have GOT TO REMEMBER that, democracy is an environment where all the voices have an opportunity to be heard.

[seabeyond]

15. you are right. that is how i observed it saturday, a watcher

i wanted to see the marchers. i didnt know if answer continued their speeches which resulted in us not seeing the march. probably wouldnt have gotten to see the march anyway

but i agree with your post. and i have concluded the same as you

and yes, the march was a resounding success,......even though.

[moddemny]

21. Nope, Nope, Nope......

I was at the March and I don't like ANSWER, I am glad when I was marching someone else was in front of a computer posting the problems with ANSWER. No disconnect here. Some people have a problem with ANSWER's scattered message, I have a probelm with the Stalinist bent. Do the Haitians want a communist country? a little Cuba? Stalinist don't believe in God, I wonder why the Palestinians let that part of ANSWER go, after all many Communists are true infidels. I don't think ANSWER helps anyone's cause. I didn't like them from day one. At the RNC in New York there were a lot of passerbys who joined into protests spontaneously and when they heard some of the ANSWER propaganda they were disgusted abd I don't blame them.

[blondeatlast]

26. I was thinking of posting an almost identical thread. I was sick w/ stomac

flu, so could only watch on the tube.


Iam well aware of ANSWERs method (and ability to get things organized) but those not aware of them would have been pretty disturbed by what C-Span offered.