[P] Taking activism to the future

In every activists life there comes a time where they feel either their movement or methods have become stagnant. I think in general activism suffers from too much affinity for the past. Although we utilize modern technology to organize and promote our means we are not researching new ways in which to confront the ever mounting hypocrisy and totalitarianism of corporate giants who seek to subdue us.

The issue i have with protest is that it concerns itself with archaic techniques of intimidation and group think. I feel that the current culture in which we live in seeks new and innovative ways in which to communicate. While the meet and greet and information pamphleting techniques can be effective they do so on a very small scale. Also, I feel as though direct action is to myopic in its range of possibilities, sometimes it is the taking back of public space that allows us to be able to communicate effectively the need for compassion and lifestyle changes. If this cannot be done with permits and charm than it needs to be done creatively.

It has been said that "Each movement sews the seeds of its own destruction." and it is the continuation of defensive techniques instead of innovative offensive techniques that will destroy the animal rights movement. When the society you live in is desensitized to violence and the emotional underpinnings there in, yet is attuned to sensationalism, we have no choice but to incorporate other more extreme examples of veganism through performance art as well as direct action.

There are various organizations whose goal is to do just this:

The Graffiti Lab (a silicon valley based project: http://graffitiresearchlab.com/ ) is concerned with creating new ways in which to take back public spaces. Some of their most popular projects are the LED stickies: ( http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=6video) as well as their distance graffiti laser ( http://graffitiresearchlab.com/?page_id=76video)

The Museum of Permanent Change is an organization that seeks to turn the past into the future. By utilizing old and abandoned pieces of buildings as well as fragments of cast of projects they hope to create a new vision of what a city should be:

http://www.museumofchange.org


People look for something that will engage them in their daily lives as a direct opposition to the lethargy that corporate mongery demands. There for it is our job to not only entice but to excite people into a state of wakefulness instead of the half stupor we are use to living in for for psychological survival in the modern world.

I would like to make a challenge to all the activists out there. It is only through innovation that we will see a revolution. If we continue to utilize our parents techniques of producing change we will be doomed to watch our efforts smolder and eventually die. Shake of the naivety of familiarity and truly look at your work and see if any parts could be overhauled, modified or thrown away completely. We are children of the revolution and as such it is our duty to undermine what came before as well as destroy what seeks to destroy us. It is our world and I for one would like to know that i had a hand in creating a place that i wish to live in.