Congratulations to the compact team of gay (un)organizers for a superbly (un)planned and (un)structured protest at the Mormon Temple in New York City on November 12, 2008 (and to the lone blogger responsible for the nationwide town hall protests scheduled for Saturday, November 15, 2008). This is the way in which stuff will get done in the future. Without elaborate staffing and inflated funding. Without much formal organizational sponsorship.
The casual and blog-based source and management of these huge events mark a startling power shift in the leadership of the gay community. Not many people are commenting on this secondary aspect of the event because they are rightly preoccupied with the central issue of Prop8/church&state. But I am more fascinated by the viral genesis and growth of this event and by the fact that it will most certainly be replicated elsewhere. I am more fascinated by the fact that while gay bloggers had already moved well beyond merely scrap-booking and reflecting about pets and lovers, they are now moving beyond ancillary reportage and advance-work, into creating and directing real events and experience and opinion.
Gay bloggers are finally understanding their own meta-virtual power. They are legion and can muster the troops instantly.
We are on the verge of no longer needing formal (and sometimes hidebound) advocacy groups to pave a way for us down Main Street.
Blog, seen yesterday as a media appendix, is now the new bicep. In Manhattan, I saw it flex. Thousands moved. More reps!
"Perge modo et qua te ducit via dirige gressum," said Venus to Aeneas.
1 comment:
I agree with your post! It's been lovely seeing a more spontaneous reaction without the intercession of the unctuous fingers of bloated organizations involved.
People, today we can stop throwing our money into a pit, and get involved ourselves.
But if you want to continue to attend black tie cocktail fundraising events and count it as "activism" by all means keep doing that.
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