Letter to the Editor
By Bill Todd

So much has been written recently about the current neo-activist movement that I hesitate to write more. But, after witnessing the recent protests at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, I feel the need to voice my opinion, which may not be well received by some.

Regardless of the validity or righteousness of any of the causes or groups that voiced their opinions at the Convention, they all display a desperate need to improve their public relations practices. Although this is due, in part, to the media bias against them, that aspect is inescapable and needs to be transcended. Above and beyond the wall of media filters, there are many reasons that the public is going to have a hard time understanding or sympathizing with the myriad issues and opinions that the protesters represent.

This importance of this issue was poignantly illustrated in one local critique of the protests: "Rosa Parks wasn’t the only person to suffer the effects of segregation, but she was the most marketable."
Too often, protestors limited their slogans and signs to abstract references to the WTO and IMF, excluding uninformed or under-informed citizens from the full meaning of their message. Perhaps they should have tried, for example, holding placards showing off the dead dolphins that result from the WTO’s gutting of the "Dolphin Safe" tuna regulations. That is something that the average person will have an emotional response to, perhaps inspiring them to educate themselves further on the issue. An acronym on a sign is just not going to evoke any kind of response from the apolitical set, nor teach anyone anything about why the organizations are being protested in the first place.

The protesters at the Convention were also ill-advised in using Thomas Jones as their poster-boy; this man is a violent criminal, and even though the police brutalized him, the public does not perceive him as a martyr or an innocent victim. There are certainly better choices of people who have suffered injustice that could inspire public sympathy and further the cause.

Protesters who are planning more direct action should run advertisements or commercials, rent billboards, or mail flyers to get their message out. The corporate media sure as hell isn’t going to do it for you, but you can be sure they will be doing it for themselves.

A lot of media criticism attacked the lack of a central voice or leader in the Philadelphia protests. I think having a "leader" could be detrimental in many ways, but how about creating an activist coalition?

Something like a United Nations for activist organizations that share a similar vision. Here, they could iron out differences and consolidate their respective power and voices, just like the auto and tobacco industries use theirs in influencing policies. This would bring a more cohesive vision, power and organization to this movement, and build an entity that is more presentable to the public. And you will need the public behind you if you really want to enact change. The ‘powers that be’ have no problem with throwing "crazy radicals" in jail, they can not, however, deal with getting voted out of office or having their products boycotted. Continuing to protest in ways that will engage and inform, rather than alienate, the public will result in increasingly rapid and profound progress.