Peace Rallies and How to Destroy Our Credibility

Timeline (0.00 / 0)

I appreciate, and agree with your take, but would caution folks to remember timelines. Don't feel bad, television shows do it all the time.

MY parents were from the hippie age. I was born in 1972 and am now 34. For the 'college kids' in the age range of 18 to 25, remember they were born in between 1980 and 1985. So, no, they should not hold a rally featuring peg legged jeans and mullets.

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by: Shane C. Mason @ Tue Mar 20, 2007 at 23:44:47 PM CDT

Sorry to interject (0.00 / 0)

But most college kids these days' parents are still baby boomers. My parents were coming of age during the hippie era and I would imagine the parents of most college students at least certainly remember such an era.

Somehow the late '60s has become a revered time for activists, despite the fact that the bout of activism may have been the least successful of any in America's history. The Free Speech Movement at Berkeley created a foil for Ronald Reagan that continues to haunt college campuses and higher education funding. The anti-war movement during Viet Nam possibly actually extended the life of the war and alienated blue collar America for a generation.

There is occasional progress in bouts of anger, but it is typically found in more strategic thinking.

Kilgore -- you nailed this post, IMO.

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by: Matt Singer @ Wed Mar 21, 2007 at 11:11:00 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Blaming the activism of the 60's for the rightwing agenda is kind of a stretch, (0.00 / 0)

fella.

I'm glad that the unsuccessful activism of the 60's didn't result in anything like the EPA, organic food labeling, expanded voting rights for all, desegragation of schools and public places, the end of the draft, etc.

If only they could have appoached activism in a cool rational manner like the Wobblies did, and Mother Jones did, then perhaps they would have accomplished more... that's what i love about the activism of the labor movement. They kept emotion out of the mix, and just used strategic thinking.../sarcasm

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by: Steve W. @ Mon Apr 02, 2007 at 15:27:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'd answer the poll (0.00 / 0)

Except that "all of the above (save number 1)" isn't an option listed.

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by: Wulfgar @ Wed Mar 21, 2007 at 08:28:22 AM CDT

I have heard this kind of reasoning before, but I have never seen one who (0.00 / 0)

promotes this reasoning actually organize a "better " peace rally.

All I've seen the proponents of this line do is criticize someone else's efforts to promote peace. The bottom line is always that someone else's efforts to promote peace is "hurting our cause, destroying our credibility."

I've heard this said about the marches on DC, Camp Casey, The Demonstrations at the Republican Convention, etc. ad finium. I'm just amazed that all these "mis-guided" efforts haven't apparently hurt the peace movement yet. In fact, it apparently is growing in spite of being completely off base and non-credible.

I'm not at all opposed to  new ideas, new formats, new ways to better promote peace.

Got any actual ideas, or is the idea just to criticize other's efforts until they come up with ideas you like better?

When the small army of the "they are destroying our credibility" people actually organize an event of their own that meets their as of yet still unknown criteria, I sure hope I hear about it. I'd love to see what this crowd can actually produce, other than criticism.

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by: Steve W. @ Mon Apr 02, 2007 at 15:00:49 PM CDT