Some Thoughts On Last Weekend’s March
So, I went to the march last Saturday, and it was okay.
The highlight? Getting a chance to chat with Hilzoy (Obsidian Wings), Jay! (Best of the Left Podcast), and Thomas “Newsrack” Nephew. (eRobin, were your ears burning, by any chance?)
I’ve seen discussion here and there about how protests, rallies, marches, etc., are things of the past. Relics of the drug-induced, hippie-crazed flower child love-in acid rock fest that was the 1960’s. To which I can only respond I’d love to change the world, but I’ve bang a gong, get it on, and a-help ‘im a-drink-a his wine.
Protests can be an effective form of street theater. What’s good about it is that there is no “audience,” everyone is an active participant. They can also be a scattered experience if not effectively organized.
Instead of trying to make out whether last Saturday’s march was a good thing or a bad thing, I’d like to suggest an Alternative Hypothesis: there are ways of protesting the actions of the government other than a march or writing letters to Congess. It’s about time we started to look at some of those alternatives.
Consider, for instance, the AIDS quilt display on the Mall. Any image of the display to this day hits me like a solar plexus punch. It does so in a way, that bypasses any arguments, any prejudices, any baggage that might be associated with the subject of AIDS. It bypasses the logical mind entirely, and convinces me at the level of it symbolism.
Or, consider Gandhi’s Salt March. A brilliantly conceived non-violent protest, marching to the sea to make salt. To arrest someone for what amounts to a domestic activity could only be the act of a tyrrant, but that, of course, was the point.
Certrainly, an effective protest need not be somber. One of my favorite examples is a bit of political theater from Michael Moore that he turned into a short film. To protest the lack of choices for candidates running for Congress, he started a write-in ballot for a ficus plant. He’d introduce the ficus at rallies, put together a solidly pro-ficus platform, and even had the ficus challenge other candidates to debate. As the word got out, people from all over the country began running ficus plants in their districts.
The year isn’t 1967, it’s 2007. It makes sense to me that the form and methods of protest need to be adapted to fit this time.
January 29th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
You had better been saying good things! Not seeing you and Thomas was a big part of the regret I felt about missing this march. Maybe in the spring.
I don’t separate marches on D.C. from the other protests you listed - especially the Salt March. Marching on centers of power is something people have done all over the world since there were centers of power and grievances. It’s effective and intuitive. I’m curious as to why we on the Left consign the activity to the dustheap of “the sixties.”
January 31st, 2007 at 6:31 pm
We said only good things, of course. I just mentioned that you wouldn’t be coming, and why. How is all that coming along?
Like you guys, I’m a little nonplussed by the kind of criticism that, say, Steve Gilliard or Mahabarb level at these demos. Mahabarb kind of goes back and forth, so maybe I’m missing the nuances.
My account of the march (and a bit more on the issues you and althippo are discussing) is here: Our day at the demonstration.
February 1st, 2007 at 8:44 am
I don’t think that ficus thing was very effective. I’d never heard of it until I read it here.
Maybe they should try a philodendron instead.
February 1st, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Just not a Titan arum: spectacular — but smelly. Still, I’d vote for one over a good many human candidates.