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> being noisy accomplishes a little And a bunch of people being noisy accomplishes a surprising amount, if you can be noisy in the right channels.

by cirgue 9y ago

pdkl95 9y ago
Also, it's almost always important to be persistently noisy. A single noise event (or even a handful) can be - and often is - ignored. Silence is insidious because even after a very noisy scandal, silence eventually normalizes the status quo. The only way to counter this - and be seen as a real issue that needs to be addressed - is to be noisy in the right channels every time the problem happens, with the noise continuing until the problem is actually fixed. Protesting, letter writing, and political action in general is not a one time event. It's a force that needs to be continuously applied.
- avs733 9y ago
  This is a much more articulate version of what I posted and should be taken very seriously. The reason citizen movements so often lose out is because they are able to gather momentum for a one time event, but they are fighting against group with paid staff (not a slight just a reality) who do this full time. They are there on the same message every day. I have worked with several activist groups that can't get the 'on message' part down and can't figure out how to apply it consistently and clearly. The same ideas about vision->strategy->tactics applies the same to activism as it does to a startup. It's the different between the grand canyon and a really big rainstorm.
- cirgue 9y ago
  > letter writing Especially this: letters get way more notice than phone calls or online petitions. Many representatives actually read their letters. Phone calls typically get filtered through staff, and they generally don't communicate a whole lot to the rep unless the person calling is a significant player in their district. If you write a clear, concise letter explaining how an issue impacts you, your peers, and local/regional business, you will have a pretty solid shot at getting someone's attention.

> being noisy accomplishes a little And a bunch of people being noisy accomplishes a surprising amount, if you can be noisy in the right channels.

by cirgue 9y ago

> being noisy accomplishes a little And a bunch of people being noisy accomplishes a surprising amount, if you can be noisy in the right channels.

pdkl95 9y ago

Also, it's almost always important to be persistently noisy. A single noise event (or even a handful) can be - and often is - ignored. Silence is insidious because even after a very noisy scandal, silence eventually normalizes the status quo. The only way to counter this - and be seen as a real issue that needs to be addressed - is to be noisy in the right channels every time the problem happens, with the noise continuing until the problem is actually fixed. Protesting, letter writing, and political action in general is not a one time event. It's a force that needs to be continuously applied.

avs733 9y ago
This is a much more articulate version of what I posted and should be taken very seriously. The reason citizen movements so often lose out is because they are able to gather momentum for a one time event, but they are fighting against group with paid staff (not a slight just a reality) who do this full time. They are there on the same message every day. I have worked with several activist groups that can't get the 'on message' part down and can't figure out how to apply it consistently and clearly. The same ideas about vision->strategy->tactics applies the same to activism as it does to a startup. It's the different between the grand canyon and a really big rainstorm.
cirgue 9y ago
> letter writing Especially this: letters get way more notice than phone calls or online petitions. Many representatives actually read their letters. Phone calls typically get filtered through staff, and they generally don't communicate a whole lot to the rep unless the person calling is a significant player in their district. If you write a clear, concise letter explaining how an issue impacts you, your peers, and local/regional business, you will have a pretty solid shot at getting someone's attention.