4 ms·

I 100% agree with with the sentiment behind this rally, but I often feel that rallies like this in San Francisco are preaching to the choir. They make the parti

I 100% agree with with the sentiment behind this rally, but I often feel that rallies like this in San Francisco are preaching to the choir. They make the participants and observers feel better, but do little to effect real change.

northwest 13y ago
Again, it's not about either-or - unless one activity prevents you from participating in another activity. We need to take all bullets we can get and fire them in parallel (online and in meatspace). > They make the participants and observers feel better To some extent, this is good b/c it helps everybody to understand they're not "the only one around here who...".
gtaylor 13y ago
You're right, maybe they shouldn't do anything at all and just accept the status quo. Comments like this just boil my blood. Get off your tail, stop being apathetic, be a part of the solution.
- rayiner 13y ago
  False dichotomy. Rallies in San Francisco are just excuses for like minded people to circlejerk. Its a politically irrelevent city, because it has no votes in play. Want to have some actual impact, some actual chance to change hearts and minds, go protest in Utah, where you can connect the cause to the site, or DC, or heck Iowa, where you can take advantage of their natural libertarian streak and there are votes to be swayed.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- clicks 13y ago
  Rayiner: your comment is marked as dead, I think because you used the word circle.... Perhaps try re-posting without it. Edit: actually here, I did it for you: False dichotomy. Rallies in San Francisco are just excuses for like minded people to have a merry old time. It's a politically irrelevant city, because it has no votes in play. Want to have some actual impact, some actual chance to change hearts and minds, go protest in Utah, where you can connect the cause to the site, or DC, or heck Iowa, where you can take advantage of their natural libertarian streak and there are votes to be swayed.
ndesaulniers 13y ago
I disagree. The tide is turning in Congress. Since a majority of the media is incompetent, rallies are one way for the people to raise awareness. Maybe you have an idea for how we can help raise awareness?
- anigbrowl 13y ago
  You could also try putting out more advance notice. This is the first I've heard of it, and since it was scheduled for 2 hours ago I'm assuming it's already over.
- WalterSear 13y ago
  What makes you think the tide is turning?
  - pearjuice 13y ago
    We have a bunch of geeky people on the street tweeting how they are furiously protesting against their corrupted government.
  - ndesaulniers 13y ago
    While the Amash Amendment was defeated, it surprised a lot of people how close the vote was. [1] Pelosi wrote a letter to Obama that though she defended it, change was coming. [2] [1] http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/313853-nsa-foes-emboldened-by-house-vote http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/313853-n... [2] http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/politics/momentum-builds-against-nsa-surveillance.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/politics/momentum-bu...
- DannyBee 13y ago
  Hold a rally in a city other than SF. Seriously, the world outside of SF (including politicians/DC) view SF as a place of crazies, willing to protest any stupid old thing. Sad, but true.
  - LoganCale 13y ago
gnosis 13y ago
It is hoped that this rally will inspire others, and make more people aware of the issue and the opposition the people have to living in a surveillance state. The effects of protests might not be immediately obvious, and perhaps might never be publicly acknowledged. However, they can have a serious impact. Here's one important example: "Many people don't know it, but Nixon was considering using nuclear weapons in Vietnam. At that time, Nixon was also repeatedly saying that he didn't care what the American people thought about Vietnam, and that he was going to escalate the war anyway. However, according to a biography by a well-known historian, when Nixon saw hundreds of thousands of protesters on TV, he dropped his secret plan of nuking Vietnam."[1] [1] - http://www.opednews.com/Diary/Why-Nixon-Didn-t-Nuke-Viet-by-George-Washington-071231-581.html http://www.opednews.com/Diary/Why-Nixon-Didn-t-Nuke-Viet-by-...

northwest 13y ago

Again, it's not about either-or - unless one activity prevents you from participating in another activity. We need to take all bullets we can get and fire them in parallel (online and in meatspace). > They make the participants and observers feel better To some extent, this is good b/c it helps everybody to understand they're not "the only one around here who...".

gtaylor 13y ago

You're right, maybe they shouldn't do anything at all and just accept the status quo. Comments like this just boil my blood. Get off your tail, stop being apathetic, be a part of the solution.

rayiner 13y ago
False dichotomy. Rallies in San Francisco are just excuses for like minded people to circlejerk. Its a politically irrelevent city, because it has no votes in play. Want to have some actual impact, some actual chance to change hearts and minds, go protest in Utah, where you can connect the cause to the site, or DC, or heck Iowa, where you can take advantage of their natural libertarian streak and there are votes to be swayed.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
clicks 13y ago
Rayiner: your comment is marked as dead, I think because you used the word circle.... Perhaps try re-posting without it. Edit: actually here, I did it for you: False dichotomy. Rallies in San Francisco are just excuses for like minded people to have a merry old time. It's a politically irrelevant city, because it has no votes in play. Want to have some actual impact, some actual chance to change hearts and minds, go protest in Utah, where you can connect the cause to the site, or DC, or heck Iowa, where you can take advantage of their natural libertarian streak and there are votes to be swayed.

ndesaulniers 13y ago

I disagree. The tide is turning in Congress. Since a majority of the media is incompetent, rallies are one way for the people to raise awareness. Maybe you have an idea for how we can help raise awareness?

anigbrowl 13y ago
You could also try putting out more advance notice. This is the first I've heard of it, and since it was scheduled for 2 hours ago I'm assuming it's already over.
WalterSear 13y ago
What makes you think the tide is turning?
- pearjuice 13y ago
  We have a bunch of geeky people on the street tweeting how they are furiously protesting against their corrupted government.
- ndesaulniers 13y ago
  While the Amash Amendment was defeated, it surprised a lot of people how close the vote was. [1] Pelosi wrote a letter to Obama that though she defended it, change was coming. [2] [1] http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/313853-nsa-foes-emboldened-by-house-vote http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/313853-n... [2] http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/politics/momentum-builds-against-nsa-surveillance.html http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/politics/momentum-bu...
DannyBee 13y ago
Hold a rally in a city other than SF. Seriously, the world outside of SF (including politicians/DC) view SF as a place of crazies, willing to protest any stupid old thing. Sad, but true.
- LoganCale 13y ago

gnosis 13y ago

It is hoped that this rally will inspire others, and make more people aware of the issue and the opposition the people have to living in a surveillance state. The effects of protests might not be immediately obvious, and perhaps might never be publicly acknowledged. However, they can have a serious impact. Here's one important example: "Many people don't know it, but Nixon was considering using nuclear weapons in Vietnam. At that time, Nixon was also repeatedly saying that he didn't care what the American people thought about Vietnam, and that he was going to escalate the war anyway. However, according to a biography by a well-known historian, when Nixon saw hundreds of thousands of protesters on TV, he dropped his secret plan of nuking Vietnam."[1] [1] - http://www.opednews.com/Diary/Why-Nixon-Didn-t-Nuke-Viet-by-George-Washington-071231-581.html http://www.opednews.com/Diary/Why-Nixon-Didn-t-Nuke-Viet-by-...