The Genius of Portland sings again:
Peter Boghossian
Protesters, if you *really* want to make a positive impression tomorrow, dress well, avoid vandalism, & respect the police.
Also eat everything on your plate, hang up your jacket, do your homework, and kiss the boss’s ass.
Comments
12 responses to “If you really want to make a positive impression”
Because that’s the way to protest: Be kind, dainty, and don’t do anything to call attention to yourself. Just the way our founding fathers did it.
And really, isn’t that the very nature of protest? Don’t inconvenience anyone, don’t be impolite. You know what? Maybe just stay home. Protest indoors, quietly.
“Also, don’t protest.”
I’m going to guess that Boghossian is more concerned about protesters avoiding vandalism than dressing nicely. Putting the two together was probably meant for jovial effect– a failure, if so.
His main point– nonviolent protests will highlight the justice of this cause — seems pretty sound to me. Be careful that in fighting hooligans one does not become a hooligan, and all that.
Don’t act like Trump’s thugs?
‘Dress nicely’ is tin-eared at best. But we have a recent tradition of ‘progressives’ using protests as some kind of cathartic therapy. And we have an undercurrent of childish nihilism, the street equivalent of voting for Stein.
Actually, I do kind of agree with this – poorly as it is put. It’s only common sense to refrain from handing your enemies a weapon against you. And, alas, when we’re out on the street we will be judged by what we wear and how we comport ourselves.
This was something that was very clearly understood by the black Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s. If you want to win over opinion to your side you must not allow any excuse to dismiss what you are trying to say – especially by those in authority. The more ammunition you hand them, the easier they can shoot you down.
Is it right? No. Is it fair? No. Is it reasonable? No. Is it the real world? Yes.
Steamshovelmama, I think the problem is the mansplaining, not the gist of the message. The idea that the women who organize and participate in this event need this man, with a history of..questionable…positions re women, to tell them how to dress, how to behave, how to protest, etc.
And, from a very sad me – I was signed up to march in Lincoln, but last night, I injured my foot so severely I can barely walk. I can’t even manage to get to Lincoln because it’s a two hour drive, and I have to keep my foot up. Not broken, at least, but…damn, I wanted to be there.
Damn. (Oddly, I have another friend who did that today.)
You do have to put it up, though, and especially put ice on it every hour, for 10-15 minutes a time. Cloth between the ice and your skin. You can’t do that on a march, and during the first 48 hours it makes a big difference.
I did it a few years ago. It sucked. On the other hand it did improve steadily.
I did see some pictures of the march in Lincoln – gads, what I missed! Thousands is the only number I can find, though. It filled the streets quite thoroughly.
@ Iknklast # 7
Ah, I missed that. I’ll admit I’ve never heard of Boghossian.