Counter-Recruitment 'Help Wanted' flyers...

[reprehensor]

Came across this very cool 'Help Wanted' PDF on the 'internets', here is a copy of the author's blog entry about it.

'Help Wanted' Protest Ideas

In Jeffrey Feldman's Frameshop: there was an article titled: 'The Voice of Protest is Changing'. The article analyzed "the failure of the US anti-War movement to focus public attention on the fear, death and suffering caused by President Bush's foreign policy";

Why does America not stand up in anger when George W. Bush "rushes" from his ranch in Washington to sign a bill that intervenes in the private life of Terry Schiavo's family in Florida, but keeps playing golf in the face of America's military families in anguish?

The Face of Protest

HEADLINE: US news that weekend featured two events: (1) a "Stop The War" protest involving millions worldwide, and (2) a "Feed Terry" protest by hundreds in Florida.

The news coverage was plastered with images of religious militants in Florida with red tape across their mouths, the word "LIFE" scrawled on it. These images, many of them of young women, are disturbing on many levels, offensive, annoying--but they are also memorable.

What about the images from the anti-war protest? Anything memorable there?

Nope.

This weekend's anti-war protest was pretty much like all the others. Lots of people some famous, most anonymous. It doesn't seem that the protest movement was very organized at all. No real effort was made to dominate the news. No single centralized image was promoted by the Anti-War movement.

The religious militants have been effective at supplying the media with memorable images of individual protesters, and they have been effective at using the motion of the viewer for strong effect.

In the age of 24-hour cable media, it is far more effective to think of a protest in terms of one person's picture reproduced a million times in the media, than to think of a protest in terms of a picture of one million people shown only once in the media.

The Need for A New Era of Progressive Protest

If progressives in this country want to be the face of protest again, they need to start following the inspired example of the People For the American Way (PFAW)'s pink slip demonstration.

The "Pink Slip" demonstration was effective in giving the media an image to focus on: a person holding up a pink piece of paper symbolizing the rising tide of the unemployed. It was memorable, reproducible, and had a lasting impact.

Using Frameshop analysis, I thought we could organize protest after graduation ceremonies (High School or College), when parents/students are leaving school grounds ala "Pink Slip" Protest. Standing in various parking lots, carrying 'Help Wanted' signs with the words 'Dying in Iraq is not a Job Opportunity,' subtly reminding parents and students that for many, only McJobs await them.

I did some research on Iraq coalition casualties and came up with a 'Help Wanted' Ad below. The ad is based on actual accounts of people who lost their lives doing various jobs in Iraq. Using newspaper obituaries, company profiles, and other publications (ie. Dale Stoffel's death is apparently still under FBI investigation due to his whistleblowing activities), I summarized the individual's job description as well as events leading to their death in Iraq.

For those interested in using this image as part of a 'peace protest', attached to this post is a pdf of the Ad. While I recognized that parents may not want to have their children's graduation marred by protests — I believe that graduation time would create the most memorable impact, since both parents and students are focussed on future career options (or lack thereof) etc.

In my area, it could take quite a while to leave the parking lot after a graduation ceremony and as people are sitting in an idling car, they would pass by a sea of people holding what appears to be ‘help wanted’ signs; upon closer examination they'll discover the message: "Dying in Iraq is Not a Job Opportunity". If the car’s passengers indicate that they would like a flyer, we could then give them one, preferably accompanied by a short anti-war spiel.

If beforehand, we persuaded parents’ groups (PTA) or student groups to back such a ‘peace protest’ by relating how the lack of good jobs here at home (economic concerns) could lead people to accept lucrative jobs in a dangerous war zone, ie. Iraq, which in turn could lead to a premature death.

In addition, if we created some controversy (ie. parents complaining) that could generate some publicity, esp. if the protests occur simultaneously in different regions around the nation. Granted, there may be negative comments, but since we would wait till after the ceremony is over and people are leaving, we really wouldn't be disrupting the event too much. Also, other parents who feel that this war is unjust, may be willing to write letters to various newspapers defending our actions--thereby forcing more people to confront these issues.

Help Wanted PDF - 34k