What's a democrabeep? It's a car horn honking to the protesters' beat of this-is-what-democracy-looks-like. And for those living within honkin' ear shot of the WI Capitol for a month this winter/spring, it was the devil. El Diablo. Ned Flanders' "Howdily Doodily" hurt less to Homer Simpson's ears than those damn car horns did to people living nearby.
The battle is won. I know. So why am I bitching? I follow all sorts of people on twitter, and tonight I noticed this in my feed. A celebration of the democrabeep.
I'm not asking the union-backers or Democrats or whoever you are to stoppit for my account. Well, part of me is. I'm selfish. I don't like to hear nails on chalkboards. But I'm actually trying to be altruistic here. Bi-partisan, neighborly good advice: just knock it off, already.
Here's who hears your goddamn democrabeeps, and here is the result:
1. Other people who share your views and may or may not beep back. Result: you reinforce your already existing political/social/[insert-label-name] WI views; you make each other feel warm and fuzzy.
2. People who dislike the cause, back-Walker, etc. Result: THEY HATE YOU MORE.
3. People who are on the fence. Result: A CAR HORN DOES NOT PERSUADE THEM THAT YOUR CAUSE IS JUST.
4. People who don't know what the hell is going on. Result: THEY THINK YOU ARE OBNOXIOUS FOR OVER HONKING, AND OH, IS THAT A WI UNION FIST STICKER ON YOUR CAR? YEP, NOW THEY ASSOCIATE THAT STICKER WITH OBNOXIOUS ACTIVITIES.
During the Good Ol' Days of the Big Rallies (February/March), there was one Saturday when -- from noon through evening (6ish), FIVE MINUTES would not pass without my hearing a goddamn democrabeep in my home. I literally spent one hour of that day timing it. I noted every time I heard a democrabeep (or a series of them, as it often has a repetition effect... ooh! you did that? i have a car horn, too!). Once it got as far as 4.5 minutes. Once. Over the entire fucking hour I was tallying. I only tallied to make sure that I wasn't overreacting or spacing out on timing. Nope. Made me want to put my head through the wall.
I hate the democrabeep to my utter core. When I Facebooked about hearing it excessively on that specific day that I timed it, one of my protestin' friends "liked" it. I'm pretty sure that he "liked" that I mentioned the democrabeeps -- and did not notice that I my post was actually a complaint about them.
I totally get that, for protesters on the square, those beeps were Solidarity! and all of that bullshit. I get it, I do. But here's what the beeps say to me -- I am going to scream my views, and I don't care whose quiet times it interrupts, because my voice is righteous and therefore important.
I do not think I am alone in feeling this way.
I find it stunning that the protesters embrace the democrabeep that has such power to piss people off. Hell, even State Senator Risser's wife called the cops on the protesters in Walkerville when the noise got too loud. Democrabeeps? Seriously, you think that's gonna spread positive-identification with the union-cause?
NOPE. They don't. There's nothing about it that has anything to do with the persuasion element of social movements. IT'S ALL ABOUT THEM. It's all about them hearing and repeating back their own shit. It's all about their own solidarity, and they don't care that they are forcing themselves into other peoples' space or that they may be losing fencers (or firing up opponents). Because, as usual, IT'S ALL FUCKING ABOUT THEM.
My apologies for the profanity. In the real world, I swear like a sailor, but I usually try to reign it in here. When it comes to the fucking democrabeeps, I lose all self-control. Nails. On. A. Chalkboard.
The battle is won. I know. So why am I bitching? I follow all sorts of people on twitter, and tonight I noticed this in my feed. A celebration of the democrabeep.
I'm not asking the union-backers or Democrats or whoever you are to stoppit for my account. Well, part of me is. I'm selfish. I don't like to hear nails on chalkboards. But I'm actually trying to be altruistic here. Bi-partisan, neighborly good advice: just knock it off, already.
Here's who hears your goddamn democrabeeps, and here is the result:
1. Other people who share your views and may or may not beep back. Result: you reinforce your already existing political/social/[insert-label-name] WI views; you make each other feel warm and fuzzy.
2. People who dislike the cause, back-Walker, etc. Result: THEY HATE YOU MORE.
3. People who are on the fence. Result: A CAR HORN DOES NOT PERSUADE THEM THAT YOUR CAUSE IS JUST.
4. People who don't know what the hell is going on. Result: THEY THINK YOU ARE OBNOXIOUS FOR OVER HONKING, AND OH, IS THAT A WI UNION FIST STICKER ON YOUR CAR? YEP, NOW THEY ASSOCIATE THAT STICKER WITH OBNOXIOUS ACTIVITIES.
During the Good Ol' Days of the Big Rallies (February/March), there was one Saturday when -- from noon through evening (6ish), FIVE MINUTES would not pass without my hearing a goddamn democrabeep in my home. I literally spent one hour of that day timing it. I noted every time I heard a democrabeep (or a series of them, as it often has a repetition effect... ooh! you did that? i have a car horn, too!). Once it got as far as 4.5 minutes. Once. Over the entire fucking hour I was tallying. I only tallied to make sure that I wasn't overreacting or spacing out on timing. Nope. Made me want to put my head through the wall.
I hate the democrabeep to my utter core. When I Facebooked about hearing it excessively on that specific day that I timed it, one of my protestin' friends "liked" it. I'm pretty sure that he "liked" that I mentioned the democrabeeps -- and did not notice that I my post was actually a complaint about them.
I totally get that, for protesters on the square, those beeps were Solidarity! and all of that bullshit. I get it, I do. But here's what the beeps say to me -- I am going to scream my views, and I don't care whose quiet times it interrupts, because my voice is righteous and therefore important.
I do not think I am alone in feeling this way.
I find it stunning that the protesters embrace the democrabeep that has such power to piss people off. Hell, even State Senator Risser's wife called the cops on the protesters in Walkerville when the noise got too loud. Democrabeeps? Seriously, you think that's gonna spread positive-identification with the union-cause?
NOPE. They don't. There's nothing about it that has anything to do with the persuasion element of social movements. IT'S ALL ABOUT THEM. It's all about them hearing and repeating back their own shit. It's all about their own solidarity, and they don't care that they are forcing themselves into other peoples' space or that they may be losing fencers (or firing up opponents). Because, as usual, IT'S ALL FUCKING ABOUT THEM.
My apologies for the profanity. In the real world, I swear like a sailor, but I usually try to reign it in here. When it comes to the fucking democrabeeps, I lose all self-control. Nails. On. A. Chalkboard.
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