The anti-Iraq demonstration on the mall in Washington was all well and good. Not huge by historical standards, but it's always good to put some bodies in front of the capitol and show either support or rejection.
Since I was 3000 or so miles away, I watched it on C-Span. What I saw was both happily familiar and extremely discouraging. Happily familiar because I participated in many such demonstrations against the Vietnam War in the streets and on the Mall, and in Oregon during the weeks before the current war.
Extremely discouraging because what I saw on TV was a lot of people yelling into a microphone, and a lineup of various causes and factions that, while worthwhile to consider, distracted from the message of the day.
First, it did nobody any good to stand in front of a microphone and scream angrily. I'm as angry as anybody, as anyone who has read any of my postings here knows, but the series of belligerence that presented itself on my TV, while perhaps effective in a large outdoor gathering, trivialized the arguments against the war and the Bush administration.
Am I calling for more politeness? No. Well, yes. I count myself in with the angriest of the speakers, but I know how to use a mic and I know what works on TV and what doesn't. Yelling into a mic doesn't play well, except with the people who agree with you to the letter. Hell, I'm on their side and it annoyed me. Imagine how it played elsewhere.
You know what it's like? It's like watching a play performed in a theater, but shot for TV. The actors are playing to the balcony because they have to be heard, but to the viewer, it appears as though the actors are overplaying everything. Everything is exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness.
Thankfully, nobody watches C-Span.
And another thing. Stop with the chants. It was one thing to yell "Hell no, we won't go," even "Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh, NLF is gonna win" in 1968. It's another thing to keep chanting the same things over and over and over and over. Get a new tune. Better still, don't chant. I don't care if it makes you feel good. It pigeon holes you. It dates you. And it annoys me.
And variations don't work either. It's old media. It's medium hot. All it does is get on people's nerves.
As far as allowing every group who has an axe to grind that might be the least bit close to the issue at hand? Keep the message simple. Yes, we'd all like the Palestinians to have self-government, but keep them off the podium at an anti-Iraq war demonstration. It only confuses the issue.
I took away this image from watching on Saturday: Somebody dressed in a big winter coat, standing in front of the microphone yelling, with steam billowing out of their mouth. Spit, too. I know they were trying to rally those in attendance. It didn't look that way. It looked like something I wanted to avoid.
These demonstrations need to be re-thought and brought into the 21st Century.
This also appears on huffingtonpost.com
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1 comment:
Tom --
Read this post on Huffpo, but tracked you down here to comment for a couple reasons....#1. I knew I'd go over their word limit. #2. you're a neighbor - I live in Idaho. #3. First time I ever read a post twice, trying to pin down my thoughts.
My first reaction was (before I read your bio) "this guy works around the broadcast media", followed by "Tom, Tom, Tom, you're showing your age!"
The one line that captured me most was something about how yelling into a mic was only ok if you were talking to people who agreed with you. Well, yeah. That's why they call it 'demonstrating' instead of 'convincing'. Our college demonstrations against the war in Viet Nam weren't meant to be calm or eloquent productions designed to get Barry Saddler to sing "Eve of Destruction" rather than "Green Berets". They were more in the mad as hell and not going to take it anymore category.
Forget changing the neocons and war profiteers...there is no way in hell you'll ever convince the average and rather stupid American voter with a common sense or humanitarian argument. We are a nation of individuals with an overpowering desire to be a member of a group. The day Bush walked into the White House as an evangelical, polls showed that suddenly 10 to 20 percent more of us became religious. My daughter (a U of Portland cum laude who spent her sophomore year at their campus in Austria) and I discussed this a few weeks ago. She had just returned from spending Christmas in the Czech Republic. Americans are a surprisingly isolated and poorly travelled society with almost no understanding or empathy for the culture of others, even our closest neighbors. We consider Mexicans simple minded and uncleanly and we're convinced Canada has a terrible health care system...both notions horse shit...but Americans believe and perpetuate this type of crap because someone told them to, not through first hand knowledge or even simple internet research.
Every day, something new comes along compounding my derision for the people I stand next to in line at the supermarket. The latest was a new poll reporting 1 in 4 of us believe Jesus is deffinately showing up again, in 2007. While I doubt 1 in 4 of us understands the roles of our three branches of government. Or could name 4 amendments in the Bill of Rights.
The Karl Roves (always found it interesting that fascist spells it with a 'K') understand how easily led Americans are, and how civil their liberal opponents act. With the former play the 4 note instrument: school prayer, abortion, gay marriage and flag burning (FLAG BURNING????? keerist!) and with the latter, blatantly steal two elections and know we'll discuss it to death.
So, to make a short story long, sorry...and as ridiculous as I feel "chanting" (and boy do I), I admire everyone who planned, organized and marched in that demonstration. Because I didn't.
And I truly understand your desire to make it a more polished and presentable and palatable production for the American public. After 15 years as a dj and promotion director here in Boise I do. But you know what? Fuck them.
If they aren't smart enough to spend 2 hours googling to realize Colin Powell's UN speech was 75% doggydoo, then we'll lead them instead. And it's not like they listen to the words...they just pay attention to how large the herd is. They'll come over, one by one.....who's yer daddy?????
Thank you for your post.
cynically yours,
Suzie Hoover
p.s. My husband died after a year and a half struggle with cancer. I very much want to see your film. Would you mind e-mailing me on where to buy a copy? Appreciate it.
suzhoov@hotmail.com
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