Internet Activism anyone?

[HamiltonHabs32]

Just wondering if anybody knows these types of numbers off the top of their heads?

- the Number of members and unique hits DU has?

- The number of left wing bloggers and blog readers on the internet?

- the number of hits websites like media matters, guerrilla news etc.. get?

Think maybe next time there is a massive rally being planned like the presidential inauguration or the RNC or the WTO. Do you think large sites like the ones just mentioned could work together in organizing a rally. Every time you see a rally its so disorganized and sometimes the protesters just look silly. If for just one protest the activism world (peaceful people) could try working together and creating a large organized rally, it might get some respect and maybe turn heads get people talking again.

If Little Johnny is sitting down watching fox news will his old man, and images of a protest show up as usual it shows two guys with bandannas tied around their faces and gas masks on tight, flipping a car then getting beat up by riot police. So Johnny turns to his ma' and pa' and asks "Why is he getting his there ass whupped" and his parents say "ooh he hates the president and god". Thats it case closed, Johnny looks back at the TV and the reporter is literally saying "Yes folks, as you can clearly see that man has a gas mask, probably because he hates the president and god"

The best way to get at the media is to give them a show, if you have a large protest with thousands of the media expects violence its what the cameramen are instructed to shoot, its what the journalists prepared to report that day (yes prepared to report, as in before the story happened) Its the only reason they are there to get violence to report on tv.

I know the largest groups of peace activists are all just a couple clicks away from each other, they are all over the internet. A frequent visitor on DU could be a neighbour with a frequent visitor of MichaelMoore.com and they may never know. They probably both go to the same rallies and fight for the same causes and don't even know it.

Problem is the same people who would rally against the WTO are the same people who rally against the war one drugs, separation of church and state, anti-abortion, families of WTC victims, Iraq mothers etc... all these people show up to a WTO or whatever rally and they section off with the group they are affiliated with.

Large internet communities should co-operate, we are all generally fighting for something, why not combine our forces like Voltron and rally together. Gay people did it, and look how far they have progressed in the past 10 years.

Any and Every group that goes to Rallies generally has a website, I'm sure if you read DU you probably read other sites that are associated with your main area of concern, whether you fight for the environment or against the Republicans there are other websites out there with large followings following these issues daily. I'm sure the leaders of media matters are aware of DU and I'm sure the members of fark.com know about Guerrilla news. Like I said were all just a click away, but we are all searching for something the boob tube does not provide. Answers maybe?

So Gay people started having parades and look where it has got them, In the news, whether its viewed as positive or negative they have caused an impact. Personally I think it is positive, I think being afraid of gays is just up-surd. Being young I thought it was just the thought of two dudes going at it that makes straight guys wanna hurl as the reason for blocking gay rights. I always said to myself "well I do like watching lesbians, and what goes on between two dudes in their bedroom is none of my business, who am I to stop two people from being happy."

Everybody likes parades look at the thanksgiving day parade it attracts thousands of people and media coverage from EVERY top network, what is the Macy's parade? Usually a big commercial, a march of different corporations, I haven't watched a parade in the past few years but the last time I did floats were being sponsored by generally large Corporations. Now just picture the Macy's day parade but you replace the Pepsi float who's main theme is "Everybody Loves Raymond" with the DemocraticUnderground float who's main theme is "Gannon-gate", or the Media Matters float whose main theme is "Fox News" add in an environmental group with different floats about saving the earth etc... You get the picture.

Naturally you would want your entry in the parade to be witty, you could have the adbusters who's main theme is "no blood for oil" entry as a large marionette bush crushing an oil drum and laughing. Imagine with a few dozen people marching behind it with signs and slogans. Then a parade commentator saying to the home audience "Well here are the adbusters, wow thats a beautiful float they have, it was hand crafted by 20 hearty volunteers from Oregon" Then he describes the cause they are fighting at the rally. Did I mention activists groups usually have the best artists out there?

Now Generally the point of a rally is that it ISN'T organized, many would be happy with just thousands of people walking down the street, thats all fine and dandy however there are people at those protests who sometimes want more attention on their issue and thats when a McDonald's gets set on fire. By having a parade it may not stop these people but by having a grand extravagant parade from different freedom fighting groups around the nation people might take notice. If for once a large organized protest can look like a parade of peace maybe left wingers could get some more credibility.


- SO you take a scene like this, you get all the people off the streets and onto the sidewalks, You let a bunch of floats go by from diffrent peace organizations and cheer them on loudly, when the parade is done you fill back into the street and follow.

If no network will cover (and they wont) A website could be set up to feature a live web cast, you could have the host of Democracy-Now and the dude from TruthOut doing commentary as the floats go by (ala Regis and Kelly). People would flock the net looking for more information, as oppose to tuning into Everybody loves Raymond.

Little Johnny is sitting down watching fox news with his dad, when a Fox News reporter does a quick blurb about a protest on TV "Well Bob, it looks like this Violent display of anti-Americanism has suddenly turned into a parade, as over 10,000 marchers on the street suddenly stopped and lined the sidewalks clearing the road..Now floats, visual masterpieces I cant describe" Johnny's father quickly turned off the TV, Johnny however being accustom to the ticker on the bottom noticed a web address fullparade.com he went to the computer and there he was able to watch the parade in full...no ads, just a bunch of links to the organizations involved


We don't want the situation to get worst then it already is do we? The evidence is pilling up and sometimes I think only people who use the internet know the real news. Nobody up here that I speak with knows about Jeff Gannon, few people know that Iran and Syria are an alliance, Few down south know that no WMD were found, few even know what a workers union is and think shopping at Wal Mart is good, some still think that Global warming is a hoax, hell some still believe the world is flat.... But they know the price plans of every cell phone company off by heart.

Just an idea, everybody loves a parade.

/or were all too lazy

[kk897]

1. Hamilton, I love your description of the parade!

That's good creative thinking, and I'd love to watch it (or participate in it).

Here in Columbus, Ohio, there's an annual event called the DooDah Parade which is similar to what you're describing, except that it's only partially political. A lot of times the parade entrants are just a bunch of yay-hoos in goofy costumes, but there's almost always a considerable (and witty and creative) left-leaning contingent participating. The parade always gets coverage, too, and people think of it fondly. It's been around for at least as long as I've lived here, more than 15 years, but I don't know how it got started.

[HamiltonHabs32]

2. nice one

Our town just started having gay pride parades a couple years ago, I live in a pretty hick town in southern Ontario, but it still didn't cause much fuss, I wasn't around to see how it went. Apparently there were a couple protesters but that was all.

I'll have to check out the doodah parade sometime, is it during hockey season? I would only go to C-bus if I got a chance to see Nash and Zherdev on the ice :D