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This is just an opinion because my personal experience with protesting is null, but isn't the strategy of protesting in hundreds of communities ineffective? It

This is just an opinion because my personal experience with protesting is null, but isn't the strategy of protesting in hundreds of communities ineffective? It's easy to ignore or contain 50-1000+ protesters [1][2] at some 600 locations (see Occupy Wall Street), whereas a centralized protest (maybe in DC?) of 70,000+[3] will hear their voices ringing across the world. It's easy to feel like your working together and making a difference with someone across the globe, but really to be heard you need to work together,as a team, in close proximity. Change isn't easy. [1] Wrong: http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/ows_gallery_1212/ows_gallery_05.jpg http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/ows_gallery_121... [2] Meh, street performers pull bigger crowds: http://media.syracuse.com/news/photo/10265946-large.jpg http://media.syracuse.com/news/photo/10265946-large.jpg [2] Here we go: http://wakingamericaup.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/i-have-a-dream-2.jpg http://wakingamericaup.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/i-have-a-...

DougN7 13y ago
I tend to agree. I thought protests were going to be focused in state capitals for that reason. Maybe I need to pay more attention :)
- oddball28 13y ago
  I should add that: I don't think this idea is bad, it's great! And I certainly appreciate the organizers making the effort and taking the time to do this. I just fear for this cause sharing the same fate as OWS.
lettergram 13y ago
You're probably correct, however starting off, if you start with say 10 people protesting on a local public street you may get 10 new people to notice you. After a time you can double, triple, quadruple, etc. your numbers. Then go to DC with 70-100,000 and get attention.
- oddball28 13y ago
  After giving this more thought, I agree. Large demonstrations don't happen over night, and it's necessary to start somewhere and gain traction, with the ultimate goal of snowballing into a large centralized demonstration. Maybe what's needed is an agenda that clearly works towards such a demonstration, one that's broken up into attainable goals/milestones. If demonstrators don't feel that they're continually making progress, they lose interest -- or maybe its hope that they lose. And at some point, you need strong leadership to reign in all the pieces.
whodoneit 13y ago
The US media is outstanding at blacking out protests with hundreds of thousands or even millions of participants if the protesters agenda run counter to that of the government or other large corporations. See for example the anti-war protests in the run up to, and after the invasion of Iraq. A good thing to come out of all this might be that even right wingers realize how difficult it actually is to get heard in a supposedly democratic nation.

DougN7 13y ago

I tend to agree. I thought protests were going to be focused in state capitals for that reason. Maybe I need to pay more attention :)

oddball28 13y ago
I should add that: I don't think this idea is bad, it's great! And I certainly appreciate the organizers making the effort and taking the time to do this. I just fear for this cause sharing the same fate as OWS.

lettergram 13y ago

You're probably correct, however starting off, if you start with say 10 people protesting on a local public street you may get 10 new people to notice you. After a time you can double, triple, quadruple, etc. your numbers. Then go to DC with 70-100,000 and get attention.

oddball28 13y ago
After giving this more thought, I agree. Large demonstrations don't happen over night, and it's necessary to start somewhere and gain traction, with the ultimate goal of snowballing into a large centralized demonstration. Maybe what's needed is an agenda that clearly works towards such a demonstration, one that's broken up into attainable goals/milestones. If demonstrators don't feel that they're continually making progress, they lose interest -- or maybe its hope that they lose. And at some point, you need strong leadership to reign in all the pieces.

whodoneit 13y ago

The US media is outstanding at blacking out protests with hundreds of thousands or even millions of participants if the protesters agenda run counter to that of the government or other large corporations. See for example the anti-war protests in the run up to, and after the invasion of Iraq. A good thing to come out of all this might be that even right wingers realize how difficult it actually is to get heard in a supposedly democratic nation.