And cheesy costumes have certainly worked out ok for McDonalds.

Also, in my understanding, street theater stems at least in part from Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed, and from the pedagogy of Paulo Freire, which is about bringing together diverse people from diverse perspectives, most notably, the oppressed. So, I wouldn’t discount it as a tactic that could work today. You don’t have to have a phD or work for a fancy think tank to get streat theater. It speaks in metaphors and visual language that rings more true than graphs and charts for the majority of america.

Highly recommend reading Freire if you want a deeper understanding of how unique social events like theater can bring people together who would otherwise stay separate. As well as be an educational tool for people who have different skills and ways of learning.

I don’t think either Boal or Freire were stupid, and they weren’t polarizing. Street theater in that tradition is a radical equalizer that brings people to the same level.

Stupid isn’t a nice thing to say and it hurt my feelings. Thanks for apologizing. However, if you actually regret it, you can edit your blogs to rescind or take out comments you regret saying, FYI. There are instructions.

Thank you for posting such a humble response to the first stretch of comments. Your words put to rest many of my own concerns about this post. It’s tough putting your ideas out there in blog land and later realizing that they were interpreted differently than you intended. Writing with humility (and respect) is a learned skill for organizers, one which considering the above comments, many of us could use more practice in.

I have nothing directly against costumes and props. However, they just don’t grab my attention anymore. I don’t believe that it’s simply because I’ve been around it forever, either. Here’s the typical reaction of my friends when something is going on (be it evangelicals, living wage activists, vegans, anti-choice activists, or whatever):
- “So there’s something going on up the street.”
- “Huh…what is it?”
- “Something with trees [or whatever prop or costume]”
- “Crazy”

People aren’t surprised anymore. Too many TV ads. Too many animated things and pop-ups on Myspace. Too much stalker “news” on Facebook. And yes, too many fluffy, furry, slimy, ugly, giant, sign-waving lions, tigers, bears, and chainsaws all over the place. “Sideshow” is the term for something to distract you while you wait for what you want to see.

In the age of so many channels, e-mails, websites, and newsfeeds, there’s no need to watch the sideshow. In the age of so many messages, we’ve gotten to be experts at tuning out the ones we aren’t looking to see.

Just because there’s a half-naked girl doesn’t mean you’ll click the ad on Myspace. Just because there’s a giant banner doesn’t mean you’ll care what’s on it. It’s a shame that good things get tuned out with the bad, but it’s how most people get through their lives.

The Tate Center is the student union at the University of Georgia. There’s a big plaza outside of there where daily there is someone trying to sell you something or convince you of something. Having been on both sides of this situation, I’ll tell you something: people pull out their cell phones and pretend to talk when they walk through there.

Costumes, props, and stunts just aren’t noteworthy or creative anymore. I’m not knocking the creativity of the particular actions: I’ve seen plenty of new and different things being done. However, for most people, they all go in the category of crazy stuff that they ignore. Right there with the skanky Myspace ads.

So, at least in my mind, the main argument for stunts–that they’re creative and attention-getting–is no longer valid. Yes, please, do creative and attention-getting stuff, but do it an original medium rather than a new variation on the same approach.

I pay attention to my friends and people I trust. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I try to avoid being interrupted from that, so I ignore everything else–including well-intentioned bears and inflatable smokestacks.

If you’re interested, check out books by Seth Godin, particularly Permission Marketing. His books are generally written for people selling stuff, but the points are valid for this, too.

Rachel, I really want to congratulate you on raising this issue. I’ve heard of your work through the BYA, and I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve read. If this blog were just the party line, it would be so boring I wouldn’t read it. Instead, by voicing diverging opinions and stirring hornets’ nests, we’re all the better for it. Thank you.

There seems to be general agreement that getting media attention is an area where street theatre and arts-based activism can be particularly effective. I couldn’t agree more, but that’s just one benefit of this tactic:

1. Activists ourselves
I know it’s important to join picket lines and rallies, but I have to admit that sometimes it gets a little… boring. But when I’m part of something more creative, it makes activism FUN. And as Molly Ivins wrote, “You got to have fun when you’re fightin’ for freedom, ‘cause you don’t always win.”

When we use our imaginations to creatively or humorously illustrate the issues we’re facing, we’re not just re-energizing and sustaining ourselves, we’re also attracting and engaging other potential activists who find traditional protest uninteresting or off-putting. We differentiate ourselves from the outmoded ways of thinking that got us into this mess.

2. The public
Yes, there are those in the public who think that street activism is stupid. Many of these people will also shout at me to “get a job” whether I’m dressed as a polar bear, carrying a picket sign, standing at an information table, or otherwise expressing my opinion. They’re not the ones I’m hoping to engage.

Other members of the public will be inspired by creative actions. At a minimum, it breaks them out of their routine for a minute and gets them to think. That’s a victory in and of itself. More often than not, I’ve seen passersby cheer , salute, or join creative demonstrations.
One key to successfully engaging the public –and not alienating those we don’t want to alienate – is careful planning. Making sure that the visuals clearly present the message and, ideally, having other activists along to engage passersby and answer questions so performers don’t need to break character.

3. Our targets
The corporations that RAN targets aren’t afraid of traditional activism. They’ve been dealing with that for decades and they can do it in their sleep. What they ARE afraid of is UNCERTAINTY. And they’re concerned about their brand image. They don’t want to look stupid.
We gain power from the fact that they have no idea what we’ll do next or where. If we do it well, it can put them off balance, drive them to the negotiating table and contribute to real change.

I agree that not all creative activism is done as effectively and engagingly as it could be. That’s an area for all of us to continue to grow, learn and share lessons learned. I’m looking forward to that, and I have great faith in our creativity as a means to change the world – after all, that’s where we got our vision of a better world in the first place.

I’ve spent most of my life ashamed of, feeling humiliated by, and strangely angered by–of all things–political street theater.

Growing up I, just about more than anything, wanted to be “normal.” I wanted a my family to have “normal” jobs and “normal” viewpoints and do “normal” stuff.

But that isn’t my family. My grandparents were and are pacifist anarchist street theater activists. My parents were and are environmental and social justice activists deeply involved in non-violent direct action.

I grew up surrounded by homemade placards, people getting arrested and telling stories of time spent in jail, and legacy of very public often confrontational activism.

Although I feel a lot of pride about all of this now, I grew up with a deep sense of embarrassment. I just couldn’t understand why everyone around me was so “out of touch” and why their whole worldview was so very different from the families of all the kids at school. I desperately envied families with new cars, barbecues, and big televisions. I thought for the longest time that street theater, NVDA, and basically any kind of activism involving being outspoken in the face of ridicule and criticism were not only personally humiliating, but ineffective.

But I’ve come to see that those feelings were not the result of “alienating” activists, but of my own discomfort confronting social injustice.

The reason I’ve long felt such an aversion to political street theater, I now understand, is precisely because it forced me to confront deeply upsetting problems in a visceral, personal and immediate way that all the reading/meetings/speeches in the world never have.

It also forced me to confront something even more intensely powerful and often uncomfortable: the fact that I can choose to be a part of a movement for change.

For me, that is both inspiring and uncomfortable because such a confrontation comes with an increased awareness of the unprincipled things I do sometimes choose, of the privileges I enjoy, and most importantly of the grave sense of responsibility that comes with acknowledging one’s own power and the power we have when we act together.

Look, there’s lots of bad street theater. Sure. And yes, people sometimes dress up in costumes and make fools of themselves, and do very little to help change the world. There’s also tons of stupid, alienating and offensive lobbying, media work, and policy research.

But there’s something that street theater can do which no amount of lobbying, research, or even many other kinds of NVDA can: it can force a personal kind of internal confrontation with and examination of deep seeded fears, deep yearnings for justice, and a deep sense of empowerment.

To me, waiting for the “victory party” to do that means nothing less than delaying that party indefinitely because I think that some of the most profound change happens in exactly those moments when we do feel uncomfortable.

One thing I’ve certainly come to understand about myself, in no small part because people who have been brave enough to be outspoken in the face of cutting criticism, is that the moments in my life when I learn the most–when I transform–are very often the moments when I am the least comfortable, when I get angry, when I feel unsure, and when others push me to expand my perspective.

And that’s exactly what these actions do.

And I, at least, am done running away from people who are brave enough to speak out and stand up and be creative in the face of seemingly overwhelming pressure not to do any of those things.

Because I know, first hand, that’s how change happens. That’s how we learn to shed our fears and embrace both our own hopes and each other.

I respect your right to post whatever you want on our blog and I respect your right to create dialog inside the movement about what is the best use of our power. That being said, I whole heartedly disagree with your use of this blog as a forum to air divisive grievances. This blog is a public forum that is supposed to represent the youth climate movement to a much broader audience than the activist background that most of us contributors and commenters come from.

We, as self-proclaimed organizers, have better things to be doing than attacking each others tactics and policy stands. We should be getting people in our communities excited to ask candidates the right questions, vote the right way and take a stand against corporate interests that guard the status quo.

Sometimes these inflammatory, infighting-encouraging posts, like the criticism of Ranger Rick’s support of CCS, make points I agree with. Others, like the Critical Look at Seattle’s Greenfestival and this post I take some issue with. No matter what I think about the topic, I don’t think it is right to air your dirty laundry in public. If you’ve got a problem with street theater, encourage the organizations you are working with to stop using it (though you’ll probably have to suggest a better tactic to hit the campaign goal). If you disagree with a campaign a big enviro group is running, don’t give them money, let them know why you’re not supporting them and write their target a letter on your own letterhead and let them know how you feel. Posting about it on IGHIH does nothing to make our community or our climate movement stronger.

My message goes out to all posters, but especially the Breakthrough Fellows, who it looks like are about spend the entire summer cross-posting material to IGHIH: please cut out the inflammatory tone, which intentionally or not, are attacks on the premise or goals of other groups in the IGHIH community. (Yes, I looked at your blog, and you have some good posts that I’d be happy to see on IGHIH. Just not the inflammatory ones.)

Let’s spend our summer fighting the corporate criminals and organizing power vote to oust the corrupt politicians. Let’s use our blog to post about our awesome actions and policies which are going to change the world.

Yochi