Against corporatism, Noam Chomsky suggests getting active to make the
world a better place. The thing is... I think activism seems too low
brow for comfortable academics (who may or may not be able to
politically [or financially] afford to engage in meaningful activism at
the street level). As W would say, activism is hard work. Still, I
think it can be fun, rewarding, and effective. The idea that I've
tried to promote involves bringing all the various types of activists
in your area around one actual business. McDonald's is my favored
choice. You could bring together the environmentalist, the animal
rights/vegan eactivists, the labor activists, etc. and lay siege to one
particular store -- day in, day out, with a constant presence. If a
couple were always out front they would educate some people and simply
make others eat elsewhere to avoid any type of confrontation. On some
days many activists could be present and maybe occasionally at a
different store just to change things up. Stickers and stencils could
go up everywhere and Big Mac could become synonymous with spitburger.
Then, after one McDonalds is shut down they could move to the next or
go after The GAP or an EXXON/Mobil. Choosing the best storefront would
be of key importance. A McDonalds without a drive-thru on a pedestrian
route would be ideal. And although this ongoing protest wouldn't have
to involve rowdiness or illegality, creative pranks along the lines of
the yippies would be most useful. I'd love to hear thoughts from
others about bringing this idea to fruition.Against corporatism, Noam Chomsky suggests getting active to make the
world a better place. The thing is... I think activism seems too low
brow for comfortable academics (who may or may not be able to
politically [or financially] afford to engage in meaningful activism at
the street level). As W would say, activism is hard work. Still, I
think it can be fun, rewarding, and effective. The idea that I've
tried to promote involves bringing all the various types of activists
in your area around one actual business. McDonald's is my favored
choice. You could bring together the environmentalist, the animal
rights/vegan eactivists, the labor activists, etc. and lay siege to one
particular store -- day in, day out, with a constant presence. If a
couple were always out front they would educate some people and simply
make others eat elsewhere to avoid any type of confrontation. On some
days many activists could be present and maybe occasionally at a
different store just to change things up. Stickers and stencils could
go up everywhere and Big Mac could become synonymous with spitburger.
Then, after one McDonalds is shut down they could move to the next or
go after The GAP or an EXXON/Mobil. Choosing the best storefront would
be of key importance. A McDonalds without a drive-thru on a pedestrian
route would be ideal. And although this ongoing protest wouldn't have
to involve rowdiness or illegality, creative pranks along the lines of
the yippies would be most useful. I'd love to hear thoughts from
others about bringing this idea to fruition.
See also:
http://www.mcspotlight.org

Writing important works that show the true nature of capitalism and what it does to people actually is an important form of activism. Forcing or pressuring people who feel more comfortable doing this to spend huge chunks of their times organizing and taking part in street actions would be as wrong as pressuring people who feel that they can do the most good doing the latter to spend their days in libraries doing research. Besides, asking people in their seventies to spend a lot of time in stressful, draining and often dangerous street confrontations is a little bit unreasonable, don't you think?

Meyer London wrote:
"Forcing or pressuring people who feel more comfortable doing this to spend huge chunks of their times organizing and taking part in street actions would be as wrong as pressuring people who feel that they can do the most good doing the latter to spend their days in libraries doing research. Besides, asking people in their seventies to spend a lot of time in stressful, draining and often dangerous street confrontations is a little bit unreasonable, don't you think?"

I didn't say otherwise but, now that you mention it, that didn't stop Gandhi and a point could be made that the venerable academics might provide a little more direction rather than a somewhat vague recomendation about a course of action.

Since the academics and other intellectuals aren't cooperating, I guess that means that we'll see you fasting for weeks, to the point of death, for social change, eh? And when Bush, Cheney, Rice, and the heads of the major corporations hear about your fast they will no doubt stop their looting, killing, bombing and invading right away in order to save you.

Did you even read my original post? Whatever. Wasting anymore time like this on deconstructive people isn't my cup of tea.

Street protesting is not a complicated issue. Labor unions gave up the right to strike without giving 30 days notice which probably wise at a time when they were facing a battle they couldn't win.

Your living in a drug/hollywood induced fantasy world and you think that most of the population of humans in America actually give a shit about any one besides themselves.

What makes such an activity a success or a failure is numbers. You have to outnumber the opposition by a large amount or else it is too easy to sweep a protest under the rug.

The minuteman project has the right idea and most are too stupid to use it. Yet the effectiveness of the rather small organization is amazing. They inspired a line item in congress and they get national commercial media coverage.

We need more groups like this. I don't care if they are racist notheads. That's not the point.

If the establishment knows what you want the best you will get from them is a carrot on a stick.

Best to hide what you really believe and flatter the establishment so you don't attract their persecution. Then do something subversive.

In other words act like a typical American on the job.

The MMP suck. Organizing around hate is self-destructive.