The Problem With Protest Rallies

by Brian on 01-23-2010

First I’m going to straight-up admit I don’t have the disposition for them. I just don’t like sitting or standing in any audience or crowd. But I have reasons as well.

In a way, the bigger the crowd, the less social it becomes. Of course it’s social in a really basic way, but there isn’t much genuine interaction.

Everyone’s attention is fixed on one figure at a time who’s front and centre. They tend to degenerate into recitations of the most simplistic slogans. Ideas are made blunt, words are rendered almost meaningless in order to reverberate and hold everyone’s attention. There’s very little openness or freedom to converse or break off and reorganize around emerging themes. Planned speakers say what they more or less planned to say. Everyone is subtly or not-so-subtly pressured to agree — if they didn’t already. Everyone goes home having reinforced the same ideas they went in with.

These anti-prorogation rallies around Canada will probably accomplish something, but they’ll also perpetuate the same old problem of politics-as-theatre that prevents genuine conversation and collaboration from occurring.

There are times when protests are very helpful, there are times when protests are necessary (though I’m not sure where exactly to draw the line), but they are never sufficient and I worry they distract people’s energy away from doing other stuff that might be more effective — even if less noticeable.

The web is a great tool for bringing people together, but that’s just the beginning. The web can do much more than bring crowds together to complain. Where the web is really maturing as a medium is in its ability to bring people together to learn and create something new.

We can and should use the web as a platform for collaboration, to share information and improve our ideas, to suggest problems to solve, attracting participants and identifying experts, deliberating and assigning tasks, signaling intent, cultivating mutual trust, facilitating ongoing feedback and discussion, and aggregating everyone’s progress with different aspects of complex projects.

This is what I meant when I wrote about reseting the agenda for democracy. We haven’t nearly explored the full potential yet. We have a long way to go.

We have more than just a voice, we have imagination; let’s start using it.

*** Update @ 3:35 ***

Attended the #noprorogue rally here in London — primarily to observe, but also to see if I could meet a few like-minded people and promote a more collaborative approach (unfortunately I was reminded I am not a natural activist, nor politician; I ended up mainly observing).

I was hesitant to go because the list of speakers made it look like an NDP event. That ended up being more or less accurate (apart from a speech by one Green candidate and some remarks from Glen Pearson, read on his behalf). Someone was handing out NDP signs that were made for the occasion, and a number of union flags flew above the crowd.

Most of the rhetoric was straight-up anti-Harper and anti-Conservative. Not much in the way of non-partisanism or trying to build anything. Tim Carrie from the CAW even brought up the damn gun registry, before starting in on pensions and putting people back to work in manufacturing. There were more than a few corny inflammatory jokes — the same kind that conservatives make about left-wing politicians — to which the mostly left-wing crowd responded with the same sneering exaggerated laughter you’d see at any party’s own convention.

But there was at least some diversity in the crowd, albeit queit for the most part.

When Cory Morningstar from the Council of Canadians went on for 10 minutes about climate change, saying Harper is turning the planet a “living hell” (giving a speech that may have been prepared for another occasion, at one point saying “this is the third year I stand in front of you” about this issue) a small pocket vocally reminded her the rally was for Canadian democracy. The majority encouraged her to continue, which she did.

So far, politics as usual.

I hope during the time off we’ll have more discussion about a) cutting the rhetoric, and b) brainstorming and trying a few blue-sky ideas of what democracy can be, beyond what it is now.

I don’t want to see this merely become an opportunity for other parties to gain points in the same old game.

We can do better. We deserve better. We need to do better to address the issues that otherwise risk tearing the country apart.

Nick Hall

Obviously you're correct in saying that the internet is a great way to exchange and explore ideas and alternatives, but these mean nothing unless the opportunity to implement those ideas exists.

It comes down to visuals. A politician can see a number at the bottom of a screen to get an idea of how popular or unpopular an idea is. But nothing beats a few thousand people sitting on their front yard telling them so – even if the harmonized voice offers only simple protest rather than alternatives.

You state “In a way, the bigger the crowd, the less social it becomes. Of course it’s social in a really basic way, but there isn’t much genuine interaction.” How well does social media stand up to that statement? You can't honestly be saying that social media is more social than real interaction, however crude or fleeting?

In my opinion, we need more of these. I'm thrilled to see people actually getting together physically at a predetermined location because they're pissed off. Simple message to be sure, but that's all it needs to be, doesn't it?
Cheers
http://brianfrank.ca Brian

Excellent points. I mostly agree.

Physical congregations definitely galvanize attention better than anything else, which is absolutely necessary. I’m not so much against protests as trying to think above and beyond them — beyond sending a message to assume a little more responsibility (very long term…)

A big benefit of digital media it that the crowd is easier to navigate. I was at the rally and I didn’t know who anyone there was (except the speakers and people I already knew). Whereas I can go through the list of people tweeting about it, see what they’re saying, click on their profile and get a sense of their affiliations and accomplishments within seconds. Within minutes we can be in contact and (in theory) talking about ways our skills and interests we might complement each other — and then I’ll always know where to find them. We can do all that in-person too, just not nearly as efficiently.

And ironically, social media isn’t fleeting. We can go back and look up what was said, and all the incremental actions develop into reputations.

Hard to say exactly how it’ll all turn out though. There are legitimate concerns about echo chambers etc, but I think the best way to address possible flaws is to keep encouraging the positive aspects to flourish.
http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

Excellent points. I mostly agree.

Physical congregations definitely galvanize attention better than anything else, which is absolutely necessary. I'm not so much against protests as trying to think above and beyond them — beyond sending a message, to assuming a little more responsibility (very long term…)

A big benefit of digital media it that the crowd is easier to navigate. I was at the rally and I didn't know who anyone there was (except the speakers and people I already knew). Whereas I can go through the list of people tweeting about it, see what they're saying, click on their profile and get a sense of their affiliations and accomplishments within seconds. Within minutes we can be in contact and (in theory) talking about ways our skills and interests we might complement each other — and then I'll always know where to find them. We can do all that in-person too, just not nearly as efficiently.

And ironically, social media isn't fleeting. We can go back and look up what was said, and all the incremental actions develop into visible reputations.

Hard to say exactly how it'll all turn out though. There are legitimate concerns about echo chambers etc, but I think the best way to address possible flaws is to keep encouraging the positive aspects to flourish.
Nick Hall

So I guess we can agree that each social media “venue” has benefits that are unique unto itself.

Cheers
http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

I like that.

We should probably also say they're represented by different groups who inherently prefer one over the other — or who are positioned to enjoy one particular set of benefits more than the other.
http://rlubensky.blogspot.com/ Ron Lubensky

Brian, I'm not much on rallies either, for all the reasons you raise. But they are essential to catch the attention of broadcast media which carries the main force today for political influence.

The problem is that everyone believes that antagonistic struggle is the only way to cause change.

When people come to deliberative processes (like citizens assemblies or citizens juries), they initially expect to push a “winning” idea to the fore. But what they learn is that civil dialogue can generate collaborative outcomes that find broad rather than factional rewards.

So the challenge for those of us in the change game is to figure out how to change the game. Online facilities can help, but not if they just replicate the same aggressive, polarising approaches we see face-to-face. Like you, I believe we are getting there.

But I fear the broadcast media will always rule, so we need to convince them to look beyond tieing their ratings to the portrayal of sensationalised contestation.
http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

Seems like we're basically 100% in agreement. Encouraging to see more people thinking the same.

One big reason I was more supportive of these rallies than usual was I wanted to see them address criticisms about Facebook “slacktivism.” There was a lot of scoffing from traditional folks. I didn't want to see their negative views reinforced by low turnout.

Though in all honesty, it's hard to say exactly how effective the FB campaign really was. The rallies might have happened anyways, if maybe smaller and with a lower media profile.

All part of the way…
Nick Hall

So I guess we can agree that each social media “venue” has benefits that are unique unto itself.

Cheers
http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

I like that.

We should probably also say they're represented by different groups who inherently prefer one over the other — or who are positioned to enjoy one particular set of benefits more than the other.
http://rlubensky.blogspot.com/ Ron Lubensky

Brian, I'm not much on rallies either, for all the reasons you raise. But they are essential to catch the attention of broadcast media which carries the main force today for political influence.

The problem is that everyone believes that antagonistic struggle is the only way to cause change.

When people come to deliberative processes (like citizens assemblies or citizens juries), they initially expect to push a “winning” idea to the fore. But what they learn is that civil dialogue can generate collaborative outcomes that find broad rather than factional rewards.

So the challenge for those of us in the change game is to figure out how to change the game. Online facilities can help, but not if they just replicate the same aggressive, polarising approaches we see face-to-face. Like you, I believe we are getting there.

But I fear the broadcast media will always rule, so we need to convince them to look beyond tieing their ratings to the portrayal of sensationalised contestation.
http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

Seems like we're basically 100% in agreement. Encouraging to see more people thinking the same.

One big reason I was more supportive of these rallies than usual was I wanted to see them address criticisms about Facebook “slacktivism.” There was a lot of scoffing from traditional folks. I didn't want to see their negative views reinforced by low turnout.

Though in all honesty, it's hard to say exactly how effective the FB campaign really was. The rallies might have happened anyways, if maybe smaller and with a lower media profile.

All part of the way…
Pingback: Online London – 2010/01/24 – From My Bottom Step

The Problem With Protest Rallies

Related Posts:

Archives