Comments on: NYC to RNC: Drop Dead http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/09/02/nyc-to-rnc-drop-dead/ The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be. - Pete Seeger Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:31:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Talula http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/09/02/nyc-to-rnc-drop-dead/#comment-91 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000 http://heliolith.com/archives/2004/09/02/nyc-to-rnc-drop-dead/#comment-91 I'm proud of New York too. It's pretty much up to us (and Air America--I'm listening to live streaming Al Franken--yay!) to report the newsworthy events. It's unfortunate that the press is only interested in violent events, particularly at a time when so many protesters are coming up with ever-cleverer ways to demonstrate. To demonstrate rage... to demonstrate humor... to demonstrate opposition... to demonstrate support.<br /> <br /> I will tell my favorite one so far. On Sunday, I went alone to the Seventh Ave. protest. I threaded back and forth between the crowd of the Avenue and the empty cross streets, somewhere between 16th and 28th. At one point I saw three, then four, then five photographers snapping and then backing up, snapping again, trotting backwards, and then snapping some more. They were focused on a group of street performers who were dressed up in full military garb with their faces painted like clowns. They were jumping around and posing with their arms spread out like they were in the circus. After they had all stood frozen for a few seconds, the last person in the troupe would jump up, run to the front, and pose again. This went on for quite a while. They were so evocative because they were completely silent. Apart from their costumes and the manifest analogy between the circus and our military, they suggested other, subtler references. They brought to my mind most strongly the photographs of the US soldiers posing the Iraqi prisoners in humiliating sexual positions. The silent protest in general is a potent concept. I have long felt frustrated with protests for the party atmosphere that takes them over. I feel that a silent protest would be incredibly powerful. Imagine the half a million (NPR's official count) people from Sunday's protest flooding up Seventh Avenue <em>in total silence.</em> Wouldn't that be a terrible and intimidating force to contend with? I’m proud of New York too. It’s pretty much up to us (and Air America–I’m listening to live streaming Al Franken–yay!) to report the newsworthy events. It’s unfortunate that the press is only interested in violent events, particularly at a time when so many protesters are coming up with ever-cleverer ways to demonstrate. To demonstrate rage… to demonstrate humor… to demonstrate opposition… to demonstrate support.

I will tell my favorite one so far. On Sunday, I went alone to the Seventh Ave. protest. I threaded back and forth between the crowd of the Avenue and the empty cross streets, somewhere between 16th and 28th.

At one point I saw three, then four, then five photographers snapping and then backing up, snapping again, trotting backwards, and then snapping some more. They were focused on a group of street performers who were dressed up in full military garb with their faces painted like clowns. They were jumping around and posing with their arms spread out like they were in the circus. After they had all stood frozen for a few seconds, the last person in the troupe would jump up, run to the front, and pose again. This went on for quite a while.

They were so evocative because they were completely silent. Apart from their costumes and the manifest analogy between the circus and our military, they suggested other, subtler references. They brought to my mind most strongly the photographs of the US soldiers posing the Iraqi prisoners in humiliating sexual positions.

The silent protest in general is a potent concept. I have long felt frustrated with protests for the party atmosphere that takes them over. I feel that a silent protest would be incredibly powerful. Imagine the half a million (NPR’s official count) people from Sunday’s protest flooding up Seventh Avenue in total silence. Wouldn’t that be a terrible and intimidating force to contend with?

]]>