Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sunday Updates - Post Rally4Sanity

Alright, you know I've been talking about it, everyone else is talking about it, blah blah it's the latest thing-- the Rally for Sanity and/or Fear. While I was there, I did have some mixed feelings regarding the actual content and execution-- the energy level I expected simply wasn't there. It was slow, and quiet, and rather low-key for a rally. I mean, really, John Legend? To me, rallies should be "peppy" and lively, regardless of cause. The point is to engage people, not put them to sleep! And for such a large crowd, to spend so much time playing music (the Roots were on for almost 40 minutes) just left us all standing there, watching more so than participating. For all the hype, I honestly thought it would've been... I don't know, more, on some level. It just took a while to get to the heart of it all, the Stewart/Colbert spark and snark we all love. When they finally did, it was great.  Ultimately, I do think it was a huge success, with numbers far outshining those of some of this year's previous rallies at the National Mall-- it's estimated that the Rally For Sanity and/or Fear drew a crowd of about 250,000 people. (You know, just in case you care about that sort of thing - the whole "we beat Beck!" thing, I mean. Mainstream/Sanity "won" over Extreme/Fringe Crazy. Meh.)


Oops. lol. So I guess I may've cheered for the wrong thing this one time.. I think I misheard something or other... Oh well. If you haven't heard by now, it was seriously difficult to hear or any of what was going on. By the time the 10,000 HuffPost bus riders arrived, most of the available space was all the way back by the Washington Memorial, and there were only a few JumboTron screens set up in the middle, by the Smithsonian and the Air & Space Museum (where I was). For at least an hour and a half of the rally, the speakers were too low/quiet for any of us in the middle and back to really hear anything. And even then, the sound would falter in and out, before the chants of "Louder! Louder!" started, before it was later replaced with "Louder, please! Louder, please!" :-D (See, we were polite and cordial with each other, and it was wonderful!) News reports of the rally referred to is as "underpowered." Say it like it is, guys -- the speaker system was crap. They should have known what to expect-- and that goes for the city transit as well. Someone decided to shut down several of the closest entrances to the Metro right when the rally ended. Yay, geniuses!

The Rally/March's schedule was kept a secret up until... well, til it happened. Which made for some pretty cool surprises - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ozzy Osbourne and Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam (same guy, name change for some reason...), & the Mythbusters (which, no offense guys, was kind of lame actually. We love to see them blow things up and do geeky science things, but when we can't hear what the hell you're trying to do/measure and all we see are a bunch of cues on the screens, well... Point not made. Just felt silly and irrelevant. Rather insane, actually.)

I definitely feel like, despite the "distraction" of the entertainment - all of the random musical performances and typical Stewart/Colbert comedy-- the point of the day was pushed hard, especially during Stewart's final speech. It's not about picking sides, or sensationalizing the crazy. We work together every day for the little things, we can work together to get the big things done too. There are the extremes and radicals-- but there are more of us in between than both ends put together. So when we ignore the crazies, and partisanship, and psycho-fringe babble about the world coming to an end, we remember that life isn't all that crazy. (I take that back. Stewart, speak for yourself! XD) We're not as different as we (or, as Stewart stressed, the media) try to make ourselves out to be. (I feel like I said that before... Ah, I remember. In an earlier post on politics & conservative/liberal values, I said that ultimately we all want the same things, and we do value the same things. We just have apparently different views on how to our goals.) And Stewart and Colbert did this cute little song about how no one is more American than anyone else here, and everyone can be patriotic in their own way. You already know how I feel about that (agree wholeheartedly, if not fervently.) All in all, it was a fun (and exhausting) day.

Some of our favorite signs/slogans:
  • Down With This Sort of Thing...
  • Anyone for Scrabble Later?
  • Equal Opportunity Lover - I Hate-Fucked a Republican!
  • I Masturbate AND Vote! (though usually not at the same time)
While the insanity of America may finally slow down (especially once the mid-terms are over), the insanity of my life is about to pick up. Midnight begins NaNoWriMo!!! Though I'm not sure I'm ready to start yet... I don't plan on writing the entire 50,000 words, but I would like to get at least halfway through... Anyway, I won't be around for a while, so remember this- stay sane, America! Don't get sucked into this crappy political hell of name-calling and violence. Listen, learn, & love. And don't forget to vote on Tuesday! (I can't wait until all of these stupid campaign signs go away. They're plastic/not biodegradable/non-recyclable, look horrible plastered all over the damn highways, and honestly, I stopped caring a while ago.)


Another thing - I'm officially dropping the Discovery network boycott. I can't bring myself to start watching again, because I made a promise/commitment and I like to keep those. But I don't see a point anymore. I've never been a fan of "reality" shows other than the dance competitions, because I find the shows in general to be extremely exploitative. This show is no different, other than the fact that it also features a person whose personality and political history I dislike; and that political history directly conflicts with the overall purpose and message of the network. She does not practice what she preaches (to some point, thankfully), but what she preaches is exactly what the network has been fighting against, especially regarding animal rights and the environment. (If you weren't aware, TreeHugger & Planet Green are part of the Discovery Network, along with Animal Planet.) The only way the network is dropping the show is if their ratings are terrible and no one's making money. So from here on out, the focus is getting the advertisers to drop out, and convincing people to simply avoid the show altogether. I think once people actually see what it's about, odds are few people will watch it, or like it, and it will all fizzle out on its own. Wishful thinking, but what else can we do? An ineffective boycott is an unproductive means of achieving one's goal, so it's time to regroup and restrategize.

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