'Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Those Old Protest Tactics Have to Go'

[Rose Siding]

When protesters descend on the Republican convention this summer, Christian Herold will be there with bells on. Then, he will ring them.

Mr. Herold has ordered hundreds of one-inch, gold-plated bells - the kind that could easily adorn a Christmas tree - that he plans to distribute to any takers. He will call participants in his Ring Out project to surround ground zero - as close as they can - and raise a cacophony to "ring out the Republicans" shortly before the convention opens on Aug. 30.

"The bell stands for different emotions - anger, alarm - and it's emblematic of the Liberty Bell," Mr. Herold, 47, said the other night as he and three companions readied dozens of bells to show at a meeting of protest groups.

Mr. Herold is hardly alone in making somewhat unorthodox plans to greet the Republicans, who will hold their convention for the first time in New York, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at Madison Square Garden.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/politics/campaign/13convention.html

Liberty bells! Alarm Bells!

[Unperson 309]

1. I Remember A Similar Protest In San Francisco

I have since fogotten what we were protesting, but we were, at a certain time, from all parts of the City, to ring bells loudly. The idea was that the ringing, from every corner and street, every window and alleyway, would display our anger.

I went out onto the back porch of our flat and took my ole Missouri school bell "The Thunderer" with me. That old, wooden handled brass bell was designed to be heard over a two acre playground filled with screaming kids. It roars!

"Ta-KLANGGGGG!! Ta-KLANNNGGGGG!!!" A good full arm swing just like Mrs. Hall did back in Fourth Grade! I may be one of the only people alive who actually attended a school where they rang a handbell instead of an electric one. God I feel OLD! Took me forever and a small fortune to track down that old bell and buy it!

So yeah, when I go to another protest, I'm leaving my bullhorn at home and taking The Thunderer!

309

[Sugarbleus]

3. I LOVE your story...................

I remember handheld bells at school. Probably not exactly the same as the ones you speak of but yes, we are marching into history aren't we. :)

[Jackpine Radical]

9. I spent 7 years in a one-room country school in N. Wis.

with outhouses, a wood/coal stove fed from a woodshed, and a hand pump. All 8 grades in 1 room. That was from about 1950 to '57.

Then they promoted me to second grade & I went to a different school.

[struggle4progress]

2. Nobody will be sorry to lose "Hey hey! ho ho!"

One of my fondest protest memories dates from the Contragate era: Uncle Sam on stilts, with toy guns and baggies of white powder, crying "Guns for cocaine! Guns for cocaine! Just say no!"

[Sugarbleus]

4. Yes, the hey ho has got to go...........old and worn out.

I remember old uncle sam on stilts too. Say, what is this, the old hippie folks thread? lol :hug:

[Habibi]

5. Great idea!

I'm gonna bring earplugs, though.

[Vogon_Glory]

6. Our Protests: Too Hackneyed, Too Old Hat

Progressive protests against our would-be oligarchs have been stuck in a rut for decades. By all means, get rid of the Vietnam-era "hey, hey, ho, ho..." chants. Let's think of some new ones.

The Yippies thought of some very entertaining street theatre tactics. While I may not agree with their political positions, those kids thought up some very entertaining, funny, catchy stuff. Let's go back and check Jerry Rubin's bibliography and mine it for ideas. Imagine whitefaced mimes supposedly imitating Far Right GOPster claghorns someplace where their mockery could be broadcast.

We could stand some good protest songs as well. We need not stick with the folk tune format: rythm and blues, rock and roll, and country and western also offer options. Joe Hill's stuff may not translate to rock and roll but his ca 1900 lyrics still have bite.

Also, for Goshsakes let's go back and research 19th century political rally ideas. Some of those ideas ought to be brought back.

[NashVegas]

7. Oh Wow - Remember Romania?

Or one of the slavic countries, maybe Czech .. when the Berlin Wall was coming down, everyone in this place filled the public squares and jangled their keys.

[GinaMaria]

8. Creative Protests

get noticed. DUers have great creative instincts. One clever protest group was the Billionaires for Bush group. Hilarious. Anything done with humor really attracts people. We've appealed to their hearts and minds. Some of it is too horrible that people will turn away and not face the truth. If you go through the funny bone, IMHO, people can't help but draw closer to you. Find a local Improv group to help with your next protest. It's time to attract the fence sitters and have some fun doing it!

Peace,
G