[ssf] Re: Remember Falluja...

[Mr Jase Malgod]

atw writes: 

> 
> dan> If not, does anyone fancy helping me organise a silent vigil some
> dan> time in the next week or two?  Which would only involved deciding
> dan> a date, time, place and then telling people?  Definitely not
> dan> something SWPy and shouty! 
> 
> I find vigils fundamentally disempowering affairs that seem to achieve
> little if anything at all. 

I find demo's can be similar in their effects although more cathartic and so 
more 'empowering'. 

>As media events they don't work because
> they are always ignored. 

Not necessarily, some are covered by the media and most demo's are not 
covered either. 

>Therefore the only people who see them are
> passers by at the time of the event, and often its not clear what
> "that funny group of people over there" are even doing anyway.

That's a matter of communication through banners or leaflets which is the 
case with demo's as well, where people are not sure what "that funny group 
of people over there" are marching about for anyway. 

> I suspect many people feel like this as vigils frequently get low turn
> outs.

They generally get far less publicity and are not supported by the usual 
'left' groups. And they do appear to achieve less because you don't 'do 
anything', yet it all revolves around what you are actually doing. A demo is 
about publicity at the end of the day, it's about saying "this number of 
people did this for this cause", so there is no difference whether they are 
marching about or standing still. 

> It seems to me that the prime goal of the vigil is to alleviate the
> guilt of those responsible (us). We feel we 'must' do something, so we
> just do anything, however completely ineffective. 

And the difference with demo's is...? 

> The nice thing about
> vigils are that they are completely risk free. You don't even the run
> the risk of criticism since it's hard to have a go at someone for
> simply remembering the dead.

Agreed it is not confrontational, yet that is the strength of vigils, they 
can reach out in a way that confrontation does not and they retain respect. 
The vigils for Iraq at the start of all this were a strong and popular 
measure, the long lasting Hunters Bar vigil was a case in point, good 
reaction and good publicity. 

> Afterwards we can go home feeling slightly better about ourselves.
> Switch on TV and watch the horrible stuff happening in the world with
> a slightly clearer concience. "At least I did something," we can tell
> ourselves. But did we?

Again, the same could be argued of the more cathartic demo's, have a good 
shout, sell a few newspapers, run about a bit, get it out of your system and 
then forget about it. 

> 
> There are surely better things we could do. Even small demo's are
> better than vigils.

Different things appeal to different people, it is not what sort of 
demonstration that is important, it is how that demonstration is carried 
out. A vigil organised in an effective way, communicating well to the media 
could involve just a few dedicated people and acheive more publicity and 
effect more pressure on those in power than a march of a million people 
(which as we know achieved f*** all). I like the idea that is we had a 
million people in London, to encircle the houses of parliament and stay 
there, not necessarily blocking the streets, just staying there, watching 
vigil. I think such an action has a nobility that marching and shouting 
cannot acheive. But again, different things appeal to different people so 
there is no absolute right or wrong way in vigil or demo etc. Just that the 
action should be planned well to be effective. 

Jason