I blogged an article that questions social networking efficacy in protests movements absent true resolve of those for whom the protest is for. Ray Pensador tweeted me his article below posted at DailyKOS.
I actually like his method and think something like he states would work if done peacefully and in a completely non-threatening manner. The Mainstream Media will still give it minimal coverage. There was a particular march in Washington during the healthcare debated in which there was a small number of Tea Partiers and a protest by labor that was huge. Who do you think got coverage? Of course the Koch group, the Tea Party.
The media will be complicit in the next revolution as they continue to ignore the real citizens as opposed to the AstroTurf portion of the Tea Party.
Occupy Wall Street Protest – The "Phalanx Formation"
I’ve been an avid "student" of protest movements for years. I’ve attended many protests and I’ve noticed that there are a few things people do that tend to diminish their potential effect. I’m not going to get into those details, since I don’t want to discourage any reader that may be participating in the Wall Street occupation protest that started today.
But what I’m going to do is get straight to the point, emphasizing that this is a very unique opportunity. This effort by these true patriots that understand that we have reached a point in history when there is no other choice than to take to the streets and demand that the criminality and oppression by the ruling elite stops, could either be a catalyst to help awaken the population, or it could fizzle away without having achieved much.
I recognize and understand that many readers may see these suggestions as extreme, unorthodox, or even too provocative, but I believe that for a protest movement to break through the propagandist effect of the mainstream media, and apathy of the general public, you have to "think outside the box." You have to do something that projects the true power people have.
The riot police have uniforms, and shields, and helmets, and batons. When they want to intimidate the protesters, they stand in formation, march, bang on their shields with batons, and stomp on the ground in unison. That’s very powerful imagery, and it is intimidating–which it’s the intended purpose.
When it comes to the protesters, many times there is no organization. People carry all kinds of different signs (for all kinds of causes); many of the signs are hand-written on cardboard.
But the bought-off media purposely focuses on portraying the protesters in a certain way (see the New York times photo below) that undermines the message of the protesters (in the eyes of the typical middle class person).
What I’m about to suggest is actually not that hard to do, but for some reason, I’ve never seen it done at any of the protests I’ve attended. But I believe that if done, it would send a very powerful message, and again, it could serve as a revolutionary catalyst…
So gather up some guys in the group with military or law enforcement experience. Ask for volunteers within the massive number of people protesting tonight, tomorrow, and hopefully every single day of the week next week in Wall Street.
Here’s the deal… this group would act as a "Phalanx Formation" (I have to admit that @OccupyWallSt came up with that name when I suggested the idea via twitter).
Ideally, you would "recruit" strong-looking people, and ideally they would wear a similar color clothing. The idea is to project an image of organization and discipline.
This next step is very important… Think about what is it that we are […CONTINUED…]
Daily Kos: Occupy Wall Street Protest – The "Phalanx Formation"