Have you ever waved a placard?

How do you "win" a march? I don't understand. But yes, I have taken part in gay rights rallies, plus the AIDS walk which counts. It was really just something I thought I should be there for, and the AIDS walk obviously raises money (I feel very guilty for forgetting about it this year), so it does do positive things - is that what you mean by "win"?

The marches I have been on have always been overtly political in nature, and aimed at over-turning particular pieces of legislation. I'm thinking in particular of the Poll Tax marches in the early nineties and more recently marches against University tuition fees and restoration of maintenance grants. Oddly the one which won - ie the anti Poll Tax - I now disagree with as I feel that with a couple of tweeks - would have been fairer than the current Council Tax systems

Win may also mean did they succede in their objective. For example, if you went on a gay rights march, have gays been granted said rights.

No Ally. In England, when an important issue is at stake the two opposing sides march side by side and whoever gets to the end of the Mall first really does 'win'. This is why the bomb never got banned over here - the army were always fitter than the hippies. It's an ancient democratic tradition that the Mother of Parliaments is rightly proud of. It might seem archaic to you, but if it aint broke don't fix it.

Its also why its law that every house must have a washing machine in the UK. The mafia/teamster coallition which has obviously banned them in NYC could not compete march-wise with the superfit army of mothers whose calf muscles had been toned by walking their kiddies in the park.

Wait, this sounds like the best system I've ever heard of. Could you cheat and ride a motorcycle or a scooter to the end of the mall? Or do you have to march? See, we need more things like that in the US, here we have pointless marches with no opposing sides and they just wave signs that make no sense, like at the grammies when some guy was protesting Eminem and had a sign that said "WHERE'S JOHN LENNON WHEN YOU NEED HIM?" I mean, it makes no sense.

Was he protesting for or against Eminem. I for one would go on a march for more Eminem.

Against Eminem, unfortunately. I would go on a march for more Christina Aguilera, she's great.

I've been on your largely pathetic and doomed anti-Starbucks, anti-gentrification march in my own neighborhood (Ooh, act locally blah blah) which of course failed and in the time since a second Starbucks has also been constructed in da hood. I've also been in an anti-townhouse, save-the-local-discount-old-timey-movie-house-which-is-a-corn erstone-of-our-mom-and-pop-commercial-district rally in the same neighborhood which was a great success, although it is now first-run rather than a second-run place. Still, "Moulin Rouge" for $7 instead of $9. Hooray!

I remember back in my college days, I would protest just about anything, filled with the fire of idealism. Because I couldn't vote, I thought that jumping up and down and shouting slogans and waving placards was an effective way of effecting social change. Because Albany (where I went to school) was not just a big college town, but also the Capital of NY, it was a good place to protest. We protested everything - civil rights, gay rights, the biased local television news station, cuts in government funding to state education, nuclear war, the gulf war, the war on drugs... we really *felt* like we were accompishing something at the time, but in retrospect we really weren't accomplishing anything.

I actually remember the very moment that I grew disillusioned with protesting- it was just after the Rodney King verdict was announced. Me and several hundred other protesters went out into the streets and basically shut down the major artery of traffic from the State Capitol to the downtown. (With a peaceful, non-violent, sit-down action.) I remember turning to my boyfriend at the time and saying "You know, if we're accomplished this, think what must be happening in major cities like LA and NYC..."

Then of course, we went home and watched in horror the live television footage of the LA riots, how demonstrations had turned to rioting and then to looting and violence. Some sort of idealism in me really died that day. I never marched or protested again.

The only marching I've done was with my mother on a picket line when the librarians in my home town went on strike. Nothing's better than striking librarians.

I can see it now:

"What do we want?" - "Shhhhh."

"When do we want it?" - "Shhhhh!!"

I used to be quite bothered about politics and the environment (dug otter holes, anti-WTO stuff) but then I sold my soul to Virgin and carried a placard advertising a sale at Virgin infront of HMV. Apologies but I was poor.

Does Ally know what the Mall is? Some student friends of mine went on a march against tuition fees but I think it was mainly because the Artful Dodger were playing a live set. No shit - a march with entertainment provided. One of them saw some spoilt student asking a policeman where the toilets were. The policeman said: "Fuck off! I'm not your mum." From then on, my friend was on the police's side. Marches have gone out of fashion unless they're riots.

I'm assuming the mall is like the one in Washington. I could be wrong. Even if it means some shopping center, I'm all for it. That policeman is my idol.

Greg, that post deserves the OTIS WHEELER MEMORIAL POST OF THE DAY AWARD award.

All my most fervently held beliefs are about philosophy or music. Not much venue for philosophy protests. We just write papers to each other instead.

I think that was my first ILE post. It's obvious Otis is basing himself on me, not me on him. This much we have already determined.

this all sounds like it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. or, at the very least, cannonball run.

In that case, can I be Dom Deluise? That way I could just eat and chuckle for no reason all day long.

The women in the cannonball run sucked.

BLIMEY! The women on the Cannonball Run! In their jumpsuits! Be still my inner eleven-year-old!

and you can turn into your alter ego, captain chaos, and kick ass.

i want to be dean martin, just cos. either him or jackie chan.

Oh, I have.

Counter-demonstration, Conservative Party conference, 4th October 2000.

Cannonball Run is the worst movie I've seen in my entire life, and I curse Fred for forcing me to watch it. Since it was the stupidest thing ever, I aspire to live my life like it. I just forget what actually happened.

I just forget what actually happened.

That's because nothing does happen. People drive around, and Dom Deluise and Burt Reynolds chuckle gratuitously. And the women unzip their jumpsuits (though I thought this was much better done in Charlies Angels). But classic nontheless.

Oh, so I did remember it right. Then that's totally my life. We're like the urban Cannonball Run.

What's the one with Clint Eastwood and the chimp? I love that movie too.

Any Which Way But Loose

_Every Which Way But Loose_, which seems to have spawned a sequel - _Any Which Way You Can_. What's worse - co-starring with a monkey, or co-starring with Bernadette Peters & a pink car?

And WTF does this have to do with protesting?

The best "direct action" is to simply exact change in your own li'l corner of the world. Last night, as the "opening act" for the Ex, there was a reading/discussion/talk with Dan Sinker (publisher of _Punk Planet_) and Marc Andersen (author of _Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capitol_), talking about "punk" as a grass-roots activist movement. Plenty of anti-corporate rhetoric was tossed around - mostly statistics, which are hard to refute unless you know the whole story - but I did like the idea they were trying to propagate. Yes, it was just a permutation on the usual "YOU can make a difference" rhetoric, but there is truth to that. But I don't think protesting is the answer - the energy there can be better spent doing something else a bit more constructive.

BLURRILAZ.

actually, there are two: every which way but loose which was followed by any which way you can.

people who appeared in cannonball run: burt reynolds, roger moore, dom deluise, farrah fawcett, dean martin, sammy davis, jr., adrienne barbeau, terry bradshaw, jackie chan, bert convy, jamie farr, peter fonda, bianca jagger, jimmy "the greek" snyder, mel tillis, and joe klecko. the sequel added marilu henner, shirley maclaine, susan anton, catherine bach, ricardo montalban, jim nabors, charles nelson reilly (!), telly savalas, richard (jaws) kiel, don knotts, SINATRA!, sid caesar, alex rocco, tim conway, joe theismann, doug mclure, abe vigoda (!), and tony danza. in other words, if you want to understand the 70s, watch these two films.

clearly, this is the greatest film franchise ever.

I think Cannonball Run (and, indeed, my life) could only be improved with the addition of a chimpanzee. It'd make it so wacky. Chimpanzees, walking sticks, military uniforms: what are things that'll make the Washington Ritz staff think we're insane rock stars?

you'd be pleased to know, then, that the monkey from the eastwood films DOES appear in cannonball run ii. i thought as much and i just had it verified. he's tony danza's "teammate," it's a prequel of sorts for going ape!, which, like speed zone and the 'run films, is a sorta third part of the "man and his monkey" trilogy.

I was going to post something about this year's Mayday thingy, which I attended, but there seem to be other things on people's minds.

Oh, Christ, DG - PLEASE post! I can only take so much _Cannonball Run_ referencing, you know? Especially when it oh-so-clearly sabotages my attempt to steer the discussion back on course.

DG & Dave - the march and politics thread continues on The Cannnonball Run thread. Lets see some cross sabotage here.

Like anyone can sabotage me when I'm on a roll, fucking a, you all should know that by now.

I was one of the people who got stuck in Holles Street, but typically all the press decided Oxford Street was more exciting, so I didn't get my stoopid face on telly. I didn't actually go to protest, I went to observe, as it were, which basically meant a day spent stereotype spotting. I was so happy when I saw my first crustie-with-a-dog-on-a- string-drinking-special-brew. Interesting mix of people, though I can't help but feel the majority were there as some kind of fashion, rather than political, statement.

PLEASE NO MORE CANNONBALL RUN ON THIS THREAD! Move over to the other thread if you want to talk about that kind of thing, thank you.

Interesting mix of people, though I can't help but feel the majority were there as some kind of fashion, rather than political, statement.

That's what bothers me about some of the followers of the anti- globalisation movement, it's like they read that Thom Yorke recommended No Logo so they see it as the trendy thing to do; there's little attempt to actual improve the lives of the people they claim to want to help. Defacing a McDonald's ain't gonna do it.

Why is "MEMORIAL" attached to my name, am I dead?

One time I ran into Ramon at a Wal-Mart protest, there to pick up women, and he handed me a placard. I don't think I waved it, but I held it for a minute before handing it off and going inside to buy a singing trout.

Is it time?

My dog died a few weeks ago. Don't be silly - dogs don't drink Special Brew but they're still better than cats.

Went to Rock Against Racism, Rock Against the Bomb, been to Greenham Common and got asked to get my arse off the road, sat outside our local Armament depot when you collonials were supposedly shipping warheads into us by sea, (You weren't, but hey, I got to sing 'Give Peace A Chance'), and have attended a Blood And Honour (Nazi) rally in order to start a fight, which we, the anti-Nazi contigent, won. I've also leaflet bombed pharmacies who sold Revlon products when I was in Animal Aid as a teenager. I've protested against the Tories at every opportunity.