i think this action is a superb way to peacefully make a great point

woweee


a cross between direct action & street theatre

oh yes!!!!!!!

more

i hope this idea spreads!!!

lots of love to you
paulc

could someone supply a pic of the main sign

'love shopping - love corporation street'

if not - maybe a big version of the first pic?

i would like to use it

that OK?

much love

paul c

Paul C, If you drop me an email I can send you a large version of the first photograph right away. If I get a chance i'll take a picture of just the billboard next time in town.

Soy-lidarity

What relevance does this have to the working class of birmingham? None! Instead of doing absolutely irrelevant actions why dont you do actions against stores which are ripping off the working class daily such as brighthouse! Shopacheck! Provident etc etc.

www.wmanarchists.org

....post some info about the stores that are ripping people off so that we know anything about it, or better still, organise a 'relevant' action yourself?
meanwhile, I'm sure this gave a few working brummie people a laugh during an otherwise boring day at work
xx

hi and thanks for the comments

A couple of points- I'd question your assertion that's has no relevence to the working class in birmingham. You weren't there to see the nods and smiles of recognition as chants of 'Halleluyah for Sweatshops! , Halleluyah for Longer hours.. for less sick pay, for less holiday pay' reverberated around the store.It wasn't a puritanical fingure pointing style of comment telling people who already have little to have less.

These issues are of direct relevance to the working class, as are the issues of commodification and co-option of rebellion. Stores like Selfridges specialise in turning rebellious impulses into cashdollar exchanges, reflecting how subcultures like punk, hiphop and skating have got absorbed back into capitalisms invasion of every area of our lives. This is as much a battleground as any other, especially if it is linked up to other campaigns and areas.

Yes, and i fully appreciate the immorality of businesses like Brighthouse - and yes i agree with you - theytoo should be targeted. That does not render , however , render and action against Selfridges irrelevent.

In fact, I beleive that companies such as Brighthouse are key players in the bigger picture of consumerism, and serve only to increase consumerism amongst the working classes - thus making Sundays action increadibly relevent. Of course, many may take loans from Brighthouse in order that they can continue to subsist, but might another way following a maxed out credit card serve only to further fund the sort of "desirable" lifestyle that is being promoted by Selfridges?

Nice one you lot.

I can understand where the criticism is coming from, but
to be honest, actions like these can provoke more feelings
and thoughts in your average visitor to the Bullring
then a lot of stalls and leaflet drops can. walking pass
a bunch of people (seemingly off their rocker ;) ) who are praying to
a billboard, or bowing down to a box of overpriced biscuits, grabs peoples
attention. Its different, its a diversion away from the mundane routine
of the BullRing. And lets face it, it can be funny as fuck.

Ok so its not going to kick start the revolution overnight
or convert a load of people to a political doctrine of your choosing
but it can make people interested enough to want to know the background to the
action.

Standing there 'preaching' at people from the comfort of a pasting table
and a load of outdated prop written by dead people, shouting
about the right and wrongs of society, is very rarely interesting enough
to get people to stop and think. Putting something so visual in a place like
Selfridges will get peoples attention on the spot, surely thats a good thing?.

Theres room for all types of protest, the one thing good about this type
of protest is that not only can it be fun to do, but anyone can join in.

Though if it doesnt float your boat, fair enough.
Thats whats so great about DiY, if you dont like the way something is done,
do something different.


Love and Rage

"...but I love the filling most,
I rub it on my roast,
mix it in with my coffee and
spread it on my toast

I love the white stuff,
Baybee,
in the middle of an 'Oreo',
I love the white stuff,
Baybee,
take some with me everywhere I go..."





(to the tune of The Right Stuff, the New Kids On The Block smash hit)

i was there to appreciate the fervour although i wasn't in the 'right mood' to pray out loud (too chicken) - anyway i can vouch that the atmosphere was a real tonic to the passers by on a late sunday afternoon. Loads of people stopped, laughed, frowned in confusion, even shouted out their own prayers! In selfridges itself some lads were happy to join in, some young girls came up to ask what it was all in aid of. There were loads of people hanging off three balconies craning to see what all the noise was about, and some of the those praying had proper booming voices!
The atmosphere felt very supportive, the activists used humour to beguile the security guards and struck up conversations about shopping and the environment.

Too right, Kidda, theatre/protest is an exciting way of getting messages across, so much better than badgering people to read your latest leaflet, although sometimes you've just got to do that too! Nothing wrong with making people laugh. Something i would add next time is to have some flyers to give out with, for example, pertinent bullet points about consumerism, some websites and positive actions for change which everyone can do, and which aren't patronising cos they're just so blinking practical (ie refuse plastic bags whenever you can) .... aceman spaceman

Everyone should protest/take peaceful action in the manner that suits them. Everyone is different, and our audience are all different and will respond/take notice to the actions that appeal to them.

For example:
Many protesters will go to an animal lab like Huntingdon Life Sciences and they`ll shout, beat drums, whistle etc (although of course drums and whistles are now banned under the HLS injunction). Other campaigners will go to labs and meditate, pray etc which really freaks out some workers & makes them think about what they`re involved in!

We should fight the system/capitalism/abusers etc on as many levels as possible. If you come at them from all angles they can`t deal with it. So do whatever takes your fancy, as long as it`s legal of course!!

...or even if it isn't legal :-)

It is relevant to you lot, dancing around praying to chocalate looks like great fun, and no doubt you had some people wondering what was going on, but what did it achieve? To give someone a smile on there lunch break? If thats what class politics has come down to then its a desperate state of affairs.

Stalls are extremely boring, but where is the support and organisation for practical actions? Last year on the CAPS action how many people turned up? Two, even though it was well publicised, how many people turned out for the CBI? Not nearly as many as the Praying to consumerism action. Which is more important showing shoppers your latest performance or stopping a national conference of bosses?

hello chris

there was a bit of dancing around praying to chocolate but also many prayers to corporations thanking them for removing our rights, for using sweatshops, for promoting personal debt to the people who can least afford it, and for encouraging individualism versus collectivism (of which one aspect is shopping). The action had more to say about class than it did about chocolate.

In terms of it being what class politics has come down too and how bad that is, can only say again one action amongst many. No one has put a block on leafleting or workplace related orgainising in favour of street theatre type stuff.

Many of the people involved in the prayers to products are also doing G8 dissent stuff, food not bombs and social centre activities. A plurality of tactics. Some of them even do stalls and hand out leaflets.

As for the CAPS and CBI actions tis shame not many people turned up. If you don't mind working with a bunch of ill-informed theatre pansies then suggest an action for a future event and maybe we could collaboration more "seriously"

Stevo,

I understand that there has to be a variety of tactics and actions used, and probably more serious actions should be put forward, but in fairness how many people would be interested?

whats a 'serious action' to you?

Chris, are you saying that actions cant/shouldnt be fun, and if they are fun, they arent 'serious enough' to get the message across?

Im guessing the reason the numbers were few on the CAPS demo is because it wasnt very well advertised, some people dont agree with the campaign,standing outside wilkos in the cold doesnt float everyones boat and to be fair they were boring as fuck.

There is a need for a whole range of tactics, but theres even more need for people to respect the fact that people WILL and DO use different tactics to them, and they shouldnt really be attacked or patronised for choosing a different one. Yeah sure criticism is good and healthy but you've been quite patronising to the guys n gals who did the action (made even more strange by the fact that some of them are your mates). You've also been quite elitist with your critique. It comes across as being 'your way, the serious way, is best and their way, a bit of sillyness with a serious point 'is a waste of time and not relevant'.


Dont you think consumerism, materialism and whats happening through the gentrification and 'development' of brum is relevant to the majority of people? Dont you think that ties in a lot with things like Brighthouse? Cash Converters? Debt?

what about the development down in Digbeth, how do you think thats relevant to the working class of brum, whats going on at the Bull Ring and how do you think we can highlight it? How about the issues people have dealt with over the past week in Digbeth with an illegal eviction, do you think that experience is relevant to the wider working class community in brum?

Personally Id rather have 'fun' actions with a serious message than have to put up with activists so far up there own arses they can only talk to each other using terms straight from their text books.

Why cant actions be creative and passionate and adventorous and fun and exciting and explorational, and down right strange and weird and things that make people stand still on a sunday afternoon in a mundane shopping centre and ask 'what the fuck' with a smile on their face?

Why cant they be all of the above AND serious?

Why the need to 'label' actions. To classify peoples dissent and stack them in coloumns next to a 'good action' ' bad action' tick.

wheres the alternatives?
what do you suggest?
DiY Culture will only happen when you make it

love and rage

Our immediate problem is waking up the public - the fat bastards with their widescreen TV, stupid kids and 4x4 in the drive. These people are the 'made good working class' of this decade - and they're content. Shaking up the bloated and content masses is extremely difficult; like distracting a dog eating.
First off, Posh and Becks need to be crucified - a la Jesus Christ - in order for us to find redemption. I can provide sandals, some nails and a hand-puppet vulture.

since when has a lot of this art-activist stuff ever been DiY - most of it's funded by the friggin arts council.

paying yourself upto 200 squid a day to pray infront of some products aint exactly DiY

geddalife people and look through the smoke but keep up the creativity and fuck the self publicists!