If you protest, please wear a business suit.

[Eric J in MN]

http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_08_14_republicans_will_try_to_exploit_protests.asp

The rightwing spin on the protests of the Republican National Convention will be protestors are freaks, and protestors prove that anyone against Bush is a hate-filled freak.

Furthermore, I'm expecting protestors to be tear-gassed, clubbed, and tasered by the police.

And for thousands of protestors who are just standing on the sidewalk to be falsely arrested and charged with disturbing-the-peace or blocking-the-sidewalk.

Some people reading this will go to the protests, and I make one request of you: dress in business clothes.

If you're a man, wear a suit and tie. If you're a woman, please dress in similarly formal clothing.

[On the Road]

1. I Second That Notion

When influencing swing voters, swing like they do. Besides, you'll much safer from police.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

71. LOL..One million protesters in suits. It would be a hilarious way to mock

LOVE IT

[Fleshdancer]

2. If I were there, I would pose as an angry Republican....

put on the business suit and bitch about the growth of the government, the national debt, the unemployement rate, etc.

[Nadienne]

15. If I were an angry Republican,

I would be there protesting.

[soothsayer]

3. Or wear underwear like these Adam's and Eves (group flash planned)

www.axisofeve.org

[jdj]

4. I say women wear prom dresses and bridesmaid's gowns.

Maybe even with hoop skirts.

Or wear nuns habits.

Make the police brutalizers look like complete assholes.

[Kanary]

5. I appreciate your efforts, Eric!

I've seen many of your posts, requesting "mainstream" behavior from protesters, and I have seen G_j strongly suggest anyone going to protests take the time and effort to first attend a non-violence training.

Unfortunately, I fear your requests will be unheeded. There are many who just want to protest, and take their anger to the streets, and are not looking at the long-range effect. I'm afraid this is going to end badly.

I hope I'm wrong, and that your requests will make an impression on people.

Good luck to us all.

Kanary

[Eric J in MN]

6. You're welcome (nt)

nt

[Snow]

8. And watch out for the provocateurs....

I recall hearing estimates that as many as 1 in 7 "protesters" at the Chicago dem convention were rabble-rousers from various right-wing sources. They will be there, inciting to riot!

[Eric J in MN]

7. Martin Luther King led people dressed in nice clothes (nt)

nt

[Nickster]

9. Can you just imagine....

the pictures of police beating down a person in a business suit? My god that would make people's heads explode. "But wait, you said they were psychos, nut jobs, they aren't supposed to look like me...."

[yardwork]

77. That's exactly what the photos from the 1960s look like!

America saw people wearing suits and ties, and women in dresses with nice shoes, being attacked by thuggish-looking police deputies with dogs.

It made an incredible impression on America. It shocked people. It helped make the Civil Rights Movement a success.

Heed Martin Luther King. Use non-violence and dress conservatively. It makes police brutality look all the more shocking to the TV audience. It works.

[JohnLocke]

120. Photographs

[Eric J in MN]

122. Thanks. If people decades ago were media-savvy enough to wear

their nicest clothes, shouldn't we be?

[AFSCME girl]

17. Yes he did! n/t

:bounce:

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[K-W]

10. I think a polo shirt would do the trick just fine.

Just leave the torn jeans with the anarchy A home.

[MissMarple]

13. Good idea, as well. Shirt with a collar and nice pants.

Sorry guys, but scruffy shorts and those dumb, oversized tank shirts look just that, scruffy and dumb. Especially if you aren't in high school anymore. Just ask any one of the Fab Five. :D

And remember the guy with the "moran" sign? The horror!!!

[Senior citizen]

11. Businesswoman in suit was attacked by cops in Miami.

Part of the Independent Media Center's documentary on the Miami FTAA protests focuses on a middle class businesswoman in a suit. When hit from behind by a rubber bullet, she yells, "I've been marching up and down here for a half hour--and you have to shoot me in the back."

Wearing a suit doesn't mean the cops won't brutalize you, it just means that the corporate media won't film it.

[Nadienne]

12. Maybe protestors could bring video cameras

and try to circulate the footage on their own...?

Can't rely on the corporate media...

[Eric J in MN]

14. Yes, the police may attack you no matter how you're dressed.

At least when they show large crowds in a live broadcast, the crowd will look better in business suits.

[On the Road]

101. Businesswoman in suit was attacked by cops in Miami...

and if she had been dressed in jeans and tshirt, you would never have heard about it and nobody would have been surprised. Looks like the strategy works.

[Rabelais]

16. conformists should stay home

wearing a suit won't make republicans like us.
wearing a suit won't make the protests get more coverage.
wearing a suit won't stop cops from pepper spraying.
wearing a suit WILL ONLY make the other protesters see that someone is afraid.

I personally would rather be beaten to a bloody pulp by cops before I put on a suit and tie out of FEAR.

[sffreeways]

19. You got it right

I'm sick and tired of being told to conform to conservative norms. I am not a conservative.

[MissMarple]

22. Huh? I don't think this is about fear and conformity.

You guys need to relax, appearance isn't everything, but it does often reflect attitude, values, and level of maturity. While tidy is as tidy does, the same goes for "nonconformist" attire.

And by the way, sweetheart, welcome to DU.

[K-W]

23. Are you intentionally missing the point?

It isnt about republicans liking you, it isnt about getting more coverage, it isnt about stopping the cops, it isnt about being afraid.

It isnt about fear, did you even read the thread?

The point is that that by dressing the part of the radical, and you are just dressing a part either way, you are playing into the conservative spin that protesters are just wakkos who should not be listened to.

Maybe that is fine for you, but alot of people at these protests will not be wakkos, and should be listened to and dont want that message ruined by you just because you think conforming with non-conformists makes you better than them.

[MissMarple]

25. I like the way you think.

:bounce:

[info being]

29. It is good advice

A business suite would be a bit much, but people should at least dress like they are going to work.

[K-W]

34. Casual dress is fine, its just a matter of not dressing like a radical.

A T-Shirt and jeans is fine, most of America wears a t-shirt and jeans. The problem is the pictures from protests of people dressed for the counter culture. Editors pick these pictures and people feel alienated from the protestors. Mainstream america doesnt care what what marginalized people think, its sad, but its true.

So if the point of the protest is to send a messege, the people recieving the message have to relate to the protestors. The message has to be "I am one of you, and I think this is so f'd up that im willing to protest."

The message they recieve from someone dressed radically is "Im a crazy radical, I protest everything." Its not fair, but its just how it is.

[playahata1]

118. Er, I don't think that a "radical" wears any particular "uniform."

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were radicals, and they wore suits and ties. What do you call Louis Farrakhan and today's Nation of Islam?

[QC]

43. There is no point so obvious

that some will not miss it in the rush to jump onto the soapbox.

[gardenista]

24. Yeah, make sure your piercings and purple hair don't match!

Give me a break.

You would obviously rather have everyone beaten to a bloody pulp, no matter what.

[jonnyblitz]

72. you have something against people with piercings and

dyed hair? want me to leave DU? Do i offend you because i dont look like a republican? SORRY!

[K-W]

73. Another person misses the point, yay.

Way to overeact.

Nobody here is disaproving of anything, its about the message sent by pictures of the protest. You can disagree, but there is no reason to take offense.

[Nadienne]

26. Yeah, and while we're following another suggestion of yours

(spraying paint at cops: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2263645)

we might as well make sure we fit the liberal stereotype as far as appearance goes.

Wonderful idea.

</sarcasm>

[yardwork]

79. If there were plants in Chicago in 1969 inciting violence

then there are sure as hell plants right here on DU inciting violence.

Most people understand that non-violent protests are far more effective than the other kind, which tend to make everybody mad at the protesters instead of the intended targets.

We shouldn't have to argue this point on DU.

[jonnyblitz]

70. no shit. I have never seen so much lame crap posted in my life

on here as I have in relation to this upcoming protest. too freakin much.

[grasswire]

20. I have always....

.....been impressed by photos of the Civil Rights movement, where women wore heels and hats and men wore suits and marched in solidarity and dignity. I think that's a frightening, frightening image to send.

It's too easy for the nation to dismiss people who are dirty, uncombed, or in goofy costume and stilts. It's just too easy for mainstream America to write them off.

[liontamer]

21. i'll be dressed up

[Eric J in MN]

60. Thank you (nt)

nt

[oasis]

27. The media is praying for violence. That's why they are hyping poll numbers

that favor Bush. They idea is to give folks the feeling of helplessness. If Kerry were ahead, protesters would be more likely to stay under control to protect the lead.

I can see no othe reason for CNN, MSNBC to accentuate the recent lead Bush has in the polls. When Kerry had a similar lead over Bush it was brushed off as being "in the margin of error". How many times have your heard that phrase in the last couple of days?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

28. This is a joke right? Or, is the DLC trying to horn in?

Since when do protestors let republicans decide what they wear? It's supposed to be a protest against Bush, not a look like Bush contest.

Sheesh.

[info being]

30. Actually, you may be letting Republicans decide what you wear

They claimed our flag, now they claim decent dress? Maybe they want you to look like a hippie so they can dismiss you.

[K-W]

35. Bush would like nothing better than wildly dressed protestors.

That he can eazily marginalize and ignore.

[Kanary]

49. The point is communicating to Joe Sixpack, rather than having a

public tantrum.

Kanary

[lastliberalintexas]

57. Not at all

For something to shock the pseudo-christians/repubs of our country, I would be the perfect poster child for a "This is the face of Dem America" ad blitz. I am white, heterosexual, married, with a son, middle to upper middle class, work in a professional career, am a christian, wear suits to work, and tend to be overly polite in most conversations. (most people who do not know me assume that I am a repub- but you seemed so normal! :eyes:) But I am also a Socialist and a member of the ACLU, Greenpeace, and the Sierra Club.

Unfortunately, I have personally seen people dismiss those who are far more eloquent than I simply because of the way they look. But they'll listen to me, simply because I seem like one of them.

So, do we want to actually convert people? Or just protest? I guess that's what people need to decide for themselves.

[Eric J in MN]

90. Strategy: We need to convince swing voters (nt)

nt

[UdoKier]

31. I know where you're coming from, but...

For many of those protesting, a suit is an emblem of corruption and greed (I tend to see them that way too. I hate suits)

Many of the protesters will be true believers from much more extreme viewpoints than DU's. Whether it be PETA, Earth First! or whatever, their priorities are not about "fitting in".

It's sad, too, because it makes it that much easier for government-paid agitators to blend in and cause trouble.

If I were to say ANYTHING to the prrotesters, it is this: If you see a "fellow protester" throwing rocks at cops or lighting firebombs or whatever, gang up and RESTRAIN HIM IMMEDIATELY and hand him over to the cops. Many of them are phonies who just want to hurt the cause you are protesting for.

[K-W]

36. I say carry a radical sign, but dress so people relate to you.

Thats the best way to get your radical message heard.

[UdoKier]

37. Personally, I don't relate to people in business suits at all.

When someone puts on a suit, my impression that he is a liar increases fivefold.

How about simple, clean casual clothes?

[Kanary]

50. the point is not who *you* relate to, it's who Middle America

relates to.

Nonviolent communication is about creating understanding and consensus, not about just "doing your own thing".

Kanary

[UdoKier]

56. I am middle America. Born and raised in Texas.

I don't have especially radical values, in fact I'm pretty conservative in the way I conduct myself. I have no piercings or tattoos. I'm just saying that the business suit is just as much of a negative as a positive, and I disagree with the notion that "middle Americans" somehow perceive a bunch of people in business suits as being more "like them"

If everybody comes in jeans and polo shirts, they will be much more human and approachable.

This is not a job interview. It's a protest against a filthy administration and and an extreme right-wing party. There is no reason to mimic their false veneer of "respectability".

None of it will make much difference when the govenrment-paid agitators start throwing rocks and marbles to discredit the lot.


I think the "shutitdownnyc" protest will be more effective, personally.

[Kanary]

58. Do as you wish. It's to *COMMUNICATE*.

And, please, check out what Gore Vidal had to say about this.

It *is* important.

Kanary

[K-W]

61. Not neccessarily a suit, just 'normal' dress should do the trick.

I thinka suite is overkill, especially in august.

[goodhue]

32. like this

[MissMarple]

33. Now THOSE are cute pictures.

That Helms woman really did say,"Taxes are for the little people".

[airstrip1]

40. Suits can be cool

Radical thinkers such as the surrealists have always known that the best way to discomfort the establishment is by taking their icons and turning them into the instrument of protest. I have spent years as a union activist and always turned up on the picket line in a suit because I knew it made the cops uneasy. My experience is that those who conform to the establishment idea of a radical either lack imagination or else are simply agent provocateurs. It is no surprise to find that quite a large number of fellow travelers espousing the neo-conservative cause, such as Christopher Hitchens, were once avowed Trotskyists. I suspect that they were always working for the system even when they pretended to be opposing it.

[sadiesworld]

41. Well said.

And welcome to DU :hi:

[Nadienne]

47. "those who conform to the establishment idea of a radical..."

Nicely said. :)

Why should we fit their stereotypes?

[Kanary]

53. Hi airstrip1!

Welcome to DU!

:hi: :hi: :hi:

:toast: :toast:

"discomfort the establishment"......... I *LIKE* it! :)

You put it quite well: the point is to get what you want by how you communicate.

Very well said!

Kanary

[Eric J in MN]

91. Cool (nt)

nt

[leesa]

38. Well, it is August in the broiling sun...how about just normal street

clothes.

[Point_n_click]

99. Think of our troops baking in the sun in body armor ...

I'm sure we can wear hot business or dress attire for this limited duration protest if our troops (who did not deserve what they are going through) have to suffer under body armor in scorching heat in life threatening situations.

At least something business casual, but a great statement would be full out suits and business dress if one can manage it.

I do however recommend having plenty of water on hand. And something sugary for those diabetics (like myself) whose sugar levels get too low.

I hope to be there for at least one day of this, but have to clear up some responsibilities first.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

39. Demonstrations are SUPPOSED to upset people!

Hell, if you want to be "accepted", just put a Bush/Cheney button on your "business suit" or "formal dress" and sing a few bars of "God Bless Amurika" while waving the flag and grovelling tastefully.

[sadiesworld]

44. Check out post #40.

Methinks the newbie has a point.

[Pallas180]

52. Sorry, wrong. It's not to upset, It;s to get people to see your side...

if your marching or there to upset people , you really dont belong
in a protest against repbulican convention.

Most are there to let people know not all of America supports fascism.

[Kanary]

54. What is "upsetting people" going to accomplish?

Please, check out what Gore Vidal had to say about this....... this is an important point.

Kanary

[K8-EEE]

42. Wear Lots Of Final Net Ladies, Men, Work That Combover!

then, they will think that the GOP delegates defected!!

HA!

No actually I think wearing the bus clothes is a good idea...the fact is that 90% of the protesters will look like every day folks, just like the war protestors, and they will find the person who most looks EEEK scary (mohawk tatoos or whatever) and show that person a thousand times anyhow. But we might as well make it harder for FoxNews etc to present dissent as "fringe."

[starroute]

45. Business suits are on a level with dressing up as sea turtles

It's a gimmick that might get attention briefly, but it would become tired awfully fast.

Business suits are no longer normal dress the way they were 40 years ago. Back in the civil rights era, when protesters wore their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, it meant they were insisting on being treated with respect and not seen as servants or field hands. But the message it would convey now is, "I'm engaging in a stunt." That's not passing as "normal."

I was looking yesterday at a Times Square webcam. Over several minutes, I saw one guy in a business shirt and tie (but no jacket.) Everyone else was in summer casual. No suits, almost no dresses (and those few were sundresses, not business wear.)

I'd say it would be a good thing if a majority of the protestere were neatly turned out rather than resembling the average overweight, t-shirted slob who parades past the webcam. But business suits would only create an air of inappropriate levity.

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/livefridays.html

[HEyHEY]

98. I don't think it's engaging in a stunt

The way people refer to protesters as freaks all the time I think it is the "I demand respect thing"

No I don't own a toggery

[noiretextatique]

46. the media will portray the protesters as freaks

regardless of what they wear. when will people learn: it doesn't matter what rush thinks. he's always going to think the same thing, no matter what you say, no matter how nice you are, and no matter how you dress.

[Pallas180]

51. Cops tend to treat well dressed people better, have to agree

but its hard to run in heels.

[Eric J in MN]

92. The point isn't to persuade Rush Limbaugh, it's to persuade swing voters

nt

[Christof]

48. I agree with that.

If people are dressed in suits, they'd be treated with more respect and their message will be heard much better, in my opinion. I'm not a conformist or anything, but since mainstream Americans tend to respect people more who wear formal attire, I think this will look really good in their eyes.

[goddess40]

55. Sorry

We will be riding for 18 hours on a bus to get to NY. Then we will be walking in the hot sun for many blocks. Sorry, but I will have to dress in something comfortable. I will be clean and wearing jeans, a Kerry T-shirt, a hat and comfortable shoes for walking.

[Tactical Progressive]

59. I agree. This is supposed to be serious business.

Suits and sport jackets if possible, or at least each individual as far along their own 'dressed-well' curve as they can be comfortable with.

[JanMichael]

62. Nah. Polo maybe, but no ties. Izod? Are they still around?

Oh! Perry Ellis!!!! I love his shit man. Seriously half of my closet is Perry wear.

[K-W]

63. If I go I will wear my brooks brothers polo

Stylin!

[JanMichael]

64. Throw on some totally neutral RayBans and you're SET!

SwEEEEET!

[Senior citizen]

65. Sometimes I encounter men in suits

or groups of young males dressed as gangbangers.

I try to give them as much space as possible. I'll cross the street to avoid them if necessary. I consider both groups dangerous.

[Stephanie]

66. GOD I wish people would stop telling us what to WEAR

It's just ridiculous. This is not high school. It's serious business. The helicopters are circling overhead as I type this. The FBI has taken over my friend's building a few blocks away. The barricades are already up ON MY BLOCK. We really don't need picayune directions from armchair activists. I'll wear what I please.

[Kanary]

67. Have at it...... please yourself, then.

No matter the effect on our country when this mess blows up.

I do hope those of you who are rigidly independent will have the grace, if this whole mess throws the whole damned election, to come back and admit it.

Kanary

[Stephanie]

68. Yes, and it's all about my CLOTHES

Get some perspective.

[Kanary]

78. What ever rings your chimes. IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU.

And thanks to all the hotheads, the mass arrests have already started, and Rove is one happy jerk.

Good going.

Kanary

[Stephanie]

80. Are you coming to NY?

Just wondering. Or are you going to watch it on TV?

The "mass arrests" don't have anything to do with whether or not the protestors were dressed in Business Casual. Don't be so ridiculous. It's not about a dress code.

[Kanary]

81. Pick up that mirror.

*THAT'S* ridiculous.

Name calling is just sooooo "librul".

Whatever........ it's all about you.

Kanary

[Stephanie]

83. I'd really like to know where in that post I called anyone a "name"

But you didn't answer - will you be in NY? And what will you be wearing?

I work in a corporate environment in midtown Manhattan five days a week. I don't appreciate being told how to dress.

[Kanary]

84. Suit yourself. It's all about you.

That matters ever so much more than how this badly affects the election.

I'm sure Rove is pleased with your attitude.

Kanary

[Stephanie]

85. Yes, Rove really cares if I wear denim or khaki

Find a real issue.

BTW, will you be in NY?

[Kanary]

86. Ridiculous.

This stinks.

Good bye.

[Stephanie]

89. I guess that means no, you will not be in NY.

Got it.

[K-W]

75. Nobody told you what to wear.

It was a request from a good meaning fellow DU'r that some people are taking way too much offense at.

[Stephanie]

82. Oh, then I guess I misread the thread title

I'm just annoyed at the triviality and juvenility of the suggestion.

[Speed8098]

114. "I'm just annoyed at the triviality and juvenility of the suggestion"

Pot meet Kettle.

Your whining about what you want to hear is about as trivial as it gets.

You are entirely missing the point.

Nobody is telling you how to dress.

Why would you even waste your time over this?

Wear whatever you want.

A suggestion is not a mandate.

The original poster is correct. We want to put our best face forward. The idea is to let the swing voters know that average Americans
just like them are fed up with the fascist dealings and lies that this misadministration put forth.

If you want to dress funky to make a statement, save it for the after parties.

Just my $.02

[jonnyblitz]

69. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

please. :crazy:

[Warren DeMontague]

74. Yes, And Get A Damn Haircut, While You're At It!!!

Great. Another excuse for the DU hippie-bashers and would-be culture police to come out of the woodwork.

There's several reasons why I don't spend much time on the East Coast, but one of them is the fact that it's the only place in the country where total strangers feel the need to come up to me and comment on my "Ooooo! so weird!" long hair. I guess out here in loony California, "normal" covers a wider patch of ground.

I hate to break it to you folks, but there aren't a whole lot of undecided voters who are going to be swayed by protesters, period. And that stands whether they're wearing 3 piece suits, or bugs bunny suits.

My advice? Wear something comfortable-- and, if you're really expecting clubs and tear gas--- running shoes.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

76. OK, wear formal clothing. Check.

Can you please tell me what thoughts I should have running around in my mind? Would thoughts like "Please don't misconstrue my presence in this sea of demonstrators as tacit disapproval of the George W. Bush administration" be helpful?

And should I place a reasonable distance between me and those dressed in pagan garb, so as not to be identified with them?

And I guess this "Fuck Bush" sign isn't going to go over very well...what's the polite alternative? "Darn you, Bush?" Or "Shucks, I'm not completely in my comfort zone with Bush and Cheney?"

Should I keep my hotel street address in the double digits?

Would I garner more respect if I wore a "Bush/Cheney" button?

If I shout epithets at my fellow demonstrators, will that help my public image?

Should I just not show up because that's just going to create a scene?

Thanks, in advance.

[Eric J in MN]

95. "Bush Hurts the Middle Class" would actually make a better

sign than "Fuck Bush."

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

100. I don't disagree.

My point was that by trying to transform yourself into a "better messenger" you're missing the point.

First, ask yourself "Why am I protesting?" (The presumed answer is that you're unhappy with the present circumstances).

Second, ask yourself "Why am I unhappy?" (The presumed answer is that your personal and economic freedoms are being encroached upon and that your worldview isn't being represented).

Third, ask yourself "Is my worldview being misrepresented because I'm ashamed of it and must cloak it in another garb in order for it to be palatable?" (The presumed answer is ???????)

Imho, take a stand, don't be afraid to be what you are, and let the chips fall where they may.

[Eric J in MN]

103. That's fine for a protest which isn't shortly before an election.

When protesting a political party right before an election, choose clothes, signs, etc. which will help your party to win.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

115. "When protesting a political party right before an election,

choose clothes, signs, etc. which will help your party to win.

Voting and activism helps your party or candidate win. Wearing a suit at a protest just increases your dry cleaning bill.

[Warren DeMontague]

87. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Apologies to CSNY for this irredeemable butchering.

Though your brother's bound and gagged
And they've chained him to a chair
Won't you please come to Manhattan
in dress shoes
In a land that's known as freedom
We'd prefer you cut your hair
Won't you please come to Manhattan
like it's a job interview

We can change the world -
Re-arrange the world
It's dying - to dress better
Politicians sit yourself down,
There's nothing for you here
Won't you please come to Manhattan
in nice pants
Don't ask Brooks Brothers to help you
Cause they've run out of menswear
We'd prefer it if you showed up
dressed like an accountant

We can change the world -
Re-arrange the world
It's dying - if you believe in fashion
It's dying - and if you believe in conformity
It's dying - dress like a slob at home, hippy!
It's dying - rules and regulations and dress codes!
Open up the door
Protesters must not look like freaks
I hope the day comes soon
Won't you please come to Manhattan
Shave your face
From the men's dept. at Macy's
To the slack racks at J. Crew
Won't you please come to Manhattan
It's best if you look like a drone
We can change the world -
Re-arrange the world
It's dying - if you believe in fashion
It's dying - and if you believe in conformity
It's dying - dress like a slob at home, hippy!
It's dying - rules and regulations and dress codes!
Open up the door
We can change the world

[Eric J in MN]

96. What song is that a pardoy of? nt

nt

[Warren DeMontague]

105. CSNY.. "Chicago".

A Classic.

[Kanary]

88. Well, you tried, Eric.

What's really hilarious is in another thread, they're talking about Dems coming together and working tgether. HAH.

Yet one more generation has to learn the hard way.

I'm going to join several others, and stay away from the news reports....... I really don't want to hear about this mess.

Kanary

[Warren DeMontague]

102. I think you're over-reacting.

The news had 5 seconds of people riding bicycles.. you couldn't tell what any of them were wearing. And said some people were arrested. And THAT WAS IT.

If the streets of NYC explode and it's a big mess, it's not going to be because of what the protesters are or aren't wearing. So, well intentioned as it may be, I think this thread is needlessly pissing people off and allowing people to make broad generalizations or grind axes against types of people they don't like. Not too good for "unity", in my book. I mean, if the idea is to avoid protests and whatnot that will alienate the Swing Voters, then argue against the protests themselves.

Beyond that, however, the corporate media doesn't cover protests. They don't like to. They don't like the idea that "the rabble" can make news-- that's the corporate media's job. Hell, 1.2 Million people, myself included, marched in April for reproductive rights.. Did it matter what people wore? Hell no. Because the media, particularly the cable news networks, acted supremely irritated that they had to touch the story at all- so they gave a little bit of coverage to the march, an equal amount of time to randall terry with his friggin' bullhorn, and then- this was rich- I remember CNN gave an all day-long expose to the "Nascar voter".. So drunk Nascar republicans, who had done nothing other than show up to a friggin' car race, were given 10 times as much airtime on the day of the pro-choice march as the 1.2 million people who came out to DC to protest.

So I wouldn't worry so much. You (and the rest of America) probably won't hear very much about it at all.

[Kanary]

104. and you're overreacting to me.

see how easy that was?

Goodnight.....

[Warren DeMontague]

106. Yeah. Sure it's easy -- if you don't bother to read what I wrote.

goodnight, yourself. :eyes:

[Kanary]

107. Nope. When someone starts off with judgments, I stop reading.

You want to be read, then be reasonable and civil.

:crazy: to you, too..

Kanary

[Warren DeMontague]

108. Yes, it's glaringly obvious you weren't reading what I wrote--

because you accuse me of not being "reasonable and civil". Find one thing I wrote in that post that is not both of those things, and show it to me. Failing that, I will believe that you're one of these folks who thinks "debate" means shooting off an endless series of cloyingly inane one-line non-responses.

[Stephanie]

111. Armchair Acitivists! If you watch the protests on TV, wear FUZZY SLIPPERS

That will really throw people off and confuse them. Also, if you can, go to the thrift store and get a fuzzy robe! Try to blend in!

[Warren DeMontague]

112. My point was, you probably won't see the protests on TV.

1.2 Million people protested in DC in april and barely made a dent in coverage.

I think the idea that the protests are going to affect large numbers of voters, pro or con, is ridiculous. And if they do, it's not going to be because of what people are or aren't wearing. Therefore I think the premise behind this thread is, essentially, absurd.

Should people protest? God knows there's enough to protest about this administration. I think breaking things, stopping traffic, that kind of thing, are counter-productive and I can see how they play into the hands of the GOP. But, again, odds are the media isn't going to give the protests the time of day, anyway.. That's just my hunch.

That said, your post is funny. Good one.

[Stephanie]

113. I was agreeing with you.

I think you're absolutely right. I argued similarly upthread. ^

[sffreeways]

116. We should dress

like freepers. Check out freerepublic.com for tips on how to dress. They are a more normal looking crowd than the hippie freaks with their jeans and tee shirts and sneakers.

[Warren DeMontague]

121. I like to check what the reverend Fred Phelps is wearing this season

before I leave the house. Tattered Denim Jacket? Check. Beat up flannel? Check. Smelly dog? Check. Cowboy hat? Check. Ugly-ass wife? Check, Check, and Check. Hateful, bile-spewing homophobic sign? ....shit, where did I leave it?

[HEyHEY]

93. Good idea

[stavka]

94. Protest ?- don't look like you deserve police attention, is fairer

I guy in an obviously second-hand store suit smelling of weed, scented oil, and BO still makes for an easy target.

[Ron Green]

97. Actually, this is not such a bad idea...

if you can wear nice clothing well, then do it. It will lend credibility to the images as filmed and taped. However, if you look like a junior-prom dork in "serious" clothes, then maybe not.

:eyes:

[ClassWarrior]

109. Tie can be grabbed by police.

This from non-violence training. Better suggestion - get some non-violence training and learn the PROVEN methods of protesting non-violently.

[HEyHEY]

110. Wear clip ons then

[Eric J in MN]

117. The police can club, tear gas, or use their audio weapon

against you whether or not you're wearing a tie.

[bvar22]

119. As a liberal....

...I oppose dress codes.
Please wear whatever makes you happy, or whatever you personally feels expresses yourself!

[Eric J in MN]

123. How about as someone who wants Kerry to win, dressing in the

way which will look best in AP photos?