Talk about contrarian bullshit. I would ask joepie91 (the author) if he has even called his representatives. This kind of post isn't helping. It's hurting the cause. Everyone knows activism is difficult. Bitching about how everyone else practices their activism is easy.
The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
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Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#12> for people who want to feel like they are "changing the world", regardless of whether they actually are changing the world.
Is that really why people share/sign up for it though? I don't think so. Sharing the message to the nontechnical community is important.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#13I don't expect this event alone to have much effect, but let's remember that similar efforts did put a stop to SOPA, and the NSA is facing a bit of pressure from Congress already.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#14Reminds me of Slavoj Žižek, who is fond of inverting the slogan ‘Don’t just talk, do something!’ to remind activists that sometimes it is more important to analyze a situation than chase after the instant gratification that comes from doing something, whether it is charity, protest, or consumer environmentalism.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#15That's how democracy works! People voice their opinions! And yes, when it happens all at once, they can create a debate by getting the attention of others.
Anyone who thinks change comes easily or quickly is wrong. That's the downside to a democracy. As Churchill once said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#16OK, so what do you propose we do instead? crickets
To avoid becoming part of the problem myself, here's my suggestion:
Find one Member of Congress who's been vocally supportive of these programs, and run them out of their job. Throw down a challenge -- "we're coming for Representative X" -- then form a PAC (or piggyback on the PAC of a supportive org, like EFF or the ACLU) dedicated specifically to turning that person out of office, raise money, and use it to nail their scalp to the wall.
Once you've demonstrated that you have enough support and money to do that, I guarantee the rest of Congress will start paying close attention to you. Most Members of Congress care a lot more about their next election than they do about issues in the abstract. And if one isn't enough, you'll have built infrastructure that you can use the next election cycle to go after two, or five, or ten more.
In other words, be the Wayne Wheeler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Wheeler) of individual privacy. He used these exact tactics to pass Prohibition. Prohibition! Imagine what you can do if you harness them to something that's actually worth passing.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#17In the world of grand political change, three or four years is nothing. Don't give up hope yet. The Demand Progress folks are committed and have a good sense of what it takes to bring about political change in a democracy. Please support them.
And believe it or not, legislators do watch those calls and emails––especially calls. All of them of them will tell you that the perception of a groundswell of support or opposition to an issue is enough to start to sway minds on Capitol Hill. Don't give in to cynicism.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#18>This whole "Day We Fight Back" thing is an utterly pointless waste of time and efforts, and nothing more than feel-good armchair activism.
Actually, there is a ton of AFK non-armchair events going on for "Day We Fight Back": https://thedaywefightback.org/events/
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#19OK, so what do you propose we do instead? crickets
Donate actual cash to a lobbying group that puts experienced lobbying muscle and cash into changing current policy. Cash is a more effective than whining to a local representative over the phone. It's also what you're up against because you're essentially fighting the military contractors.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#20In the world of grand political change, three or four years is nothing. Don't give up hope yet. The Demand Progress folks are committed and have a good sense of what it takes to bring about political change in a democracy. Please support them. And believe it or not, legislators do watch those calls and emails––especially calls. All of them of them will tell you that the perception of a groundswell of support or oppos…
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