Hatrack River Forum: How NOT to Stage a Protest

This is topic How NOT to Stage a Protest in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Welcome to Los Angeles, home of the 3-hour rush "hour," where an accident on one freeway can mess of traffic on other freeways and surface street entrances for miles around.

This morning, during the height of rush hour, some truckers decided to protest the CA prices of diesel fuel. Yeah, this is the way to stir up sympathy. [Roll Eyes]

[ April 30, 2004, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]

Posted by Ninja Squirrel (Member # 6508) on :

This is the way to make a protest.

(The pertinent example is a couple paragraphs down.)

[ April 30, 2004, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Ninja Squirrel ]

Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :

Some group or another stopped one of the bridges into DC a few years ago. I decided then that if I ever get stopped by such a protest, I'll sue someone in small claims court for my time.

Dagonee

Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :

rivka, that method experienced a brief vogue period here, shortly after the war in Iraq started.

It became very clear very quickly that people were not sympathetic to the message when they had to sit in traffic for hours as a result.

Sorry your truckers didn't get the memo.

edited to add that it would make a LOT more sense to protest rising Federal Excise Taxes, which at this time for commercial trucks is running over 20%. You can pay for a lot of diesel for that kind of money.

[ April 30, 2004, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: jeniwren ]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

I, thank God, was not really affected. The traffic snarls at the onramps (spilling onto the adjacent streets) of the two freeways I pass (neither of which was the targeted freeway, but they feed into it about 5 and 10 miles away) were both in the opposite direction.

I have rarely been so glad that my daily routine does NOT involve any freeways!

Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :

Oooohhh... That's pretty dumb.

Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :

Ninja Squirrel-

[ROFL]

Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :

Well, yeah, it was kind of a dumb thing to do. And a lot of people were inconvenienced. I'm very familiar with that stretch of freeway, having driven it regularly when I lived in the area. I avoid it at all costs when I'm in the area now - it's snarled up most of the time, even without truckers practicing civil disobedience.

On the other hand, I can appreciate the frustration these guys must be feeling. There are lot of independent truckers in the area where I live now. And there are a lot of them going broke or close to it due to the current conditions. At least they didn't go blow something up or kill someone, which seem to be the preferred methods of showing disapproval these days.

Thoreau would have been proud.

Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :

This seems very much like like holding a rally that protests guns and shooting guns in the air... [Dont Know]

Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :

Linky

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Nick, that's a good analogy. Just to let you know, I plan to borrow it. [Wink]

I'll give it back when I'm done . . .

Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :

That is indeed a disturbing auction...

Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :

It's my father's. [Smile]