PROTESTING INNOVATION: C'EST WHAT?

It’s probably time for innovation in the way protests are being orchestrated. 

This came to me last week while watching (OK, actually participating in) the Portland anti-Faciscm rally. But, it was happening during my bike ride to Target in Portland to get a toilet plunger anyway, and well, I thought anything to do with a toilet plunger would be appropriate for a “flush away the madness” rally.  

The Portland rally was important but stereotypical. About two dozen Pro-Trump Nazi’s and White Supremacists were speaking their mind and extolling Trump’s hostile virtues while 2,000 “anti-facists“ of various political derivations were singing songs, carrying signs and shouting “Nazi’s go home” and similarly relevant slogans. Some smoke bombs, riot police, helicopters and scuffles aside, it was a pretty typical rally. I admire the courage, tenacity, passion and creativity of protesters. But, the experience was a bit numbing. Something was missing. 

With all due respect, these protestors certainly had a lot of heart and good reasons to shout, e.g. Trump's assault on any nationality and religion except his own, plans to eradicate the Environmental Protection Agency in the midst of record hurricanes and fires costing more that $200 billion and, of course, his accepting endorsement from the KKK and his coded winking to White Supremacists to “carry on, boys”. His desire to whip up more fear than hope. There’s the generally blatant discrimination. And then, there’s the fact that Trump has spent one-third of his presidency in Trump branded properties (eating Trump meat, I guess) which you (as a tax payer) have subsidized. Yup, lots of reasons to complain.

All that not withstanding, the MODE of protest is basically similar to every major protest in the past 50 years. The Women’s March after Inauguration Day was a million people strong, the largest civil protest in American History, followed by other iconic events which had social and cultural impact. For example, Louis Farrakhan’s Million Man March (estimates are 500,000 people actually came), gave rise to Black Lives Matter. The 1993 LGBT rally in Washington, garnering more than 500,000 gave rise to gay rights movements. The event where Dr. Martin Luther Kings gave his “I have a dream” speech invigorated 250,000 people on the Washington Mall, inspired millions post-event, led to significant improvements in civil rights and has become a legendary, culturally enduring message of hope and justice. Protesting needs a visualized end-game and a well-conceived influence model or risks becoming just really cool complaining. 

So, what’s next? What’s the future of protesting? What methods might truly bring unity and coherence to a cause - on any side?

One clue is in the virtual “Hologram of Freedom” in which 17,000 digital avatars marched on government buildings in Spain against the policy that prevents marching on government buildings. That was beautiful. More than 400 million people viewed the protest and added their own virtual, social media-based pressure. The anti-protest law did not change but did get refined with less punitive penalties. 

An innovation in protesting was born.

Eric Whittacre’s Virtual Choir https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_virtual_choir_live was not a form of protest, but a beautiful demonstration of how to orchestrate a diverse, global group who did not know each other into a cohesive and inspiring experience of uplifting hope. 

The top ten You Tube music videos have garnered more than 25 billion views (4 times the population of the planet!). Despacito by Luis Fonsi is #1 with more than 3 billion views. How might film and music be used more effectively as a protest tool?  

What methods might be used to change minds politically and culturally?

How else might virtual reality and augmented reality help protests? 

Perhaps, creating an experience that portrays the end result in mind through augmented reality would help. So, instead of just being “against” an issue, what if protestors streamed the new reality to change hearts and minds by envisioning the future they wish to become. Or, since rallies are most effective when in mass, what if every rally in every city were combined to produce an uber rally that was conveyed to the people we wish to affect change as a massive form of content. Maybe music needs to improve. Or maybe the carrier is fragrance rather than words? Should the resistance be focused on ideology or individuals?  

The future of protesting should have an end-game in mind. Protestors would be well-served to create the virtual experience that would search for solutions to our biggest problems and influence people of authority to act accordingly. Singing songs and carrying signs makes people appreciate each other for being in the majority against an oppressive, power-hungry (and in some cases narcissistic-sociopathic) minority. But, they have limited impact on social change.  More "for", less "against".

We certainly need unity in our world. People are struggling. What are your ideas that will lead to innovation in the future of protesting that leads to positive change?