Dissidence Inc.
I've either had a million dollar idea or perhaps the it is the one of my first steps in the Master Plan (to take over the world). I'm going to share it as I'm a lazy man and will never do anything with it anyway. Maybe someone else will take it and run with it and hire me on as a Idea Guru (TM). It could happen.
Anyway it goes like this. We are out to dinner the other night and the old man starts telling me about my aunt (his sister) had spent a couple days picketing a ski resort in Idaho a short while back. Apparently or our Beloved Leader King George II was out there enjoying the slopes and as my aunt is retired she got together with a few people to spend a couple days picketing the resort.
I thought that this was a rather pointless endeavor and said as much. My father didn't agree. He thought it was an important statement, something like onto what Cindy Sheehan is doing. I disagree but knew better than to argue with the old man especially as he was buying me a rather nice dinner. (chicken tetrazini).
On the one hand the old man was right dissent is important. On the other hand a couple of retirees taking a few days to walk the picket in Idaho really doesn't do more than assuage their own guilt. They can feel they have done something to "make a difference." It might even make the local news. But on national policy scheme it is nothing.
People voice there dissent, but they do it in small ways like internet publishing or local rallies / marches. Feel good projects that leaders in congress can ignore as they know that the people who elected them are more concerned about gay marriage than what is happening in the middle east. People are more concerned about discount shopping than third world sweat shops. You don't need to talk about the number of deaths in Iraq as long as you keep a firm position on stem cell research.
The dissident voices are unorganized and marginalized. I remember when Chicago hosted the WTO dialogues every person the media interviewed who was protesting sounded either like a nut job, a moron or both. Even the ones who seemed partially able to communicate kept jumping between ideas and causes that they sounded incoherent. This was deliberate. The news corporations work with the WTO and the world bank. It was best to show that the protesters were either nut jobs or youthful idealists (who would of course outgrow their idealism once they entered the workforce). Also it was important to show the strong police presence. No protests would disrupt the Chicago WTO dialogues.
So my idea is this. There needs to be a professional for profit Dissent corporation. It is the next logical step in our free market society. It is for profit because people would not be giving us money to pay less taxes but rather because they believe in a cause and are willing to make a financial sacrifice for the cause. Also you would need to staff the key positions with extremely talented speakers and writers and organizers. These people deserve to be compensated for their time and any dissident (for profit) organization worth its mustard ought to pay employee's a living wage. I suppose a truly free market organization would be willing to take money from either side of an argument, but since this is my dream and I'm more of a radical at heart, I'd probably stick to left wing causes.
Think about the TV campaign : for the price of a pair of Nike's you can keep one person on the picket line for your cause for a day. Maybe have donation drives. If we reach fifty thousand dollars by the end of the week we will stage rallies in 2 major cities this fall if we reach 75 thousand we will add 2 major cities and 2 randomly selected small towns. Instead of some moron Hollywood type spewing of for thirty seconds at an awards show he can pay a group of gifted speakers to work a bullhorn year through.
The idea is that the future of dissent can not be seen as a group of outspoken kids who will go away after a few days of being ignored. People have to be out there every day working the crowd, making their presence known, scaring congressional leaders into changing the way they think.
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Anyway it goes like this. We are out to dinner the other night and the old man starts telling me about my aunt (his sister) had spent a couple days picketing a ski resort in Idaho a short while back. Apparently or our Beloved Leader King George II was out there enjoying the slopes and as my aunt is retired she got together with a few people to spend a couple days picketing the resort.
I thought that this was a rather pointless endeavor and said as much. My father didn't agree. He thought it was an important statement, something like onto what Cindy Sheehan is doing. I disagree but knew better than to argue with the old man especially as he was buying me a rather nice dinner. (chicken tetrazini).
On the one hand the old man was right dissent is important. On the other hand a couple of retirees taking a few days to walk the picket in Idaho really doesn't do more than assuage their own guilt. They can feel they have done something to "make a difference." It might even make the local news. But on national policy scheme it is nothing.
People voice there dissent, but they do it in small ways like internet publishing or local rallies / marches. Feel good projects that leaders in congress can ignore as they know that the people who elected them are more concerned about gay marriage than what is happening in the middle east. People are more concerned about discount shopping than third world sweat shops. You don't need to talk about the number of deaths in Iraq as long as you keep a firm position on stem cell research.
The dissident voices are unorganized and marginalized. I remember when Chicago hosted the WTO dialogues every person the media interviewed who was protesting sounded either like a nut job, a moron or both. Even the ones who seemed partially able to communicate kept jumping between ideas and causes that they sounded incoherent. This was deliberate. The news corporations work with the WTO and the world bank. It was best to show that the protesters were either nut jobs or youthful idealists (who would of course outgrow their idealism once they entered the workforce). Also it was important to show the strong police presence. No protests would disrupt the Chicago WTO dialogues.
So my idea is this. There needs to be a professional for profit Dissent corporation. It is the next logical step in our free market society. It is for profit because people would not be giving us money to pay less taxes but rather because they believe in a cause and are willing to make a financial sacrifice for the cause. Also you would need to staff the key positions with extremely talented speakers and writers and organizers. These people deserve to be compensated for their time and any dissident (for profit) organization worth its mustard ought to pay employee's a living wage. I suppose a truly free market organization would be willing to take money from either side of an argument, but since this is my dream and I'm more of a radical at heart, I'd probably stick to left wing causes.
Think about the TV campaign : for the price of a pair of Nike's you can keep one person on the picket line for your cause for a day. Maybe have donation drives. If we reach fifty thousand dollars by the end of the week we will stage rallies in 2 major cities this fall if we reach 75 thousand we will add 2 major cities and 2 randomly selected small towns. Instead of some moron Hollywood type spewing of for thirty seconds at an awards show he can pay a group of gifted speakers to work a bullhorn year through.
The idea is that the future of dissent can not be seen as a group of outspoken kids who will go away after a few days of being ignored. People have to be out there every day working the crowd, making their presence known, scaring congressional leaders into changing the way they think.
More Laters
posted by Rich Rosenthal II at 11:16 PM
5 Comments:
My political stance is more geared towards complete and utter government reform on both sides. The balance tips always in government's favor and less and less in ours.
Regarding that protest, I agree. It was pointless. But furthermore, I feel bad for the President because he's on vacation and seeking a peaceful few weeks, which any hardworking stressed out person deserves, and has all those haters hanging out. I think they should respect him enough to confine their protests to his working time even if they disagree with his actions.
Where is Abby Hoffman when you need him?
Six feet under :(
Interesting idea. Maybe you will take over the world after all.
:-)
I've been thinking over the first comment posted here.
Vacations.
Should a "war president" take a vacation, a long vacation, while we are at war? Especially when troops are having to serve longer than their expected tours?
I think the soliers are doing some pretty hard stressed out work too with little or no leave.
What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
When I rule the world, I will limit myself to regular day to day abuse of power and a six hour work day. none of this take the summer off stuff. The peons would revolt.
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