Althouse: "Something about seeing the silhouettes of all the Holders of the Lights shifts the event from mere signage propaganda...

February 26, 2012

"Something about seeing the silhouettes of all the Holders of the Lights shifts the event from mere signage propaganda...

"... to an odd kind of testimonial. It is the main lesson of the Occupy movement: that bodies matter, and radical action can be defined by bodies in space standing against overt and covert assumptions and assertions of totalizing power."

Some impressive "Recall Walker" signage on a Highway 41 overpass.

Yes, I think it can be easily done/Just take everything down to Highway 41...

But what's the rest of that self-mythologizing prose about? Bodies in space... overt and covert...?? They're mainly saying that by having people outside, in the cold, holding signs, it's more powerful than just having a sign stuck up on its own. Clearly, it's more powerful from the subjective standpoint of the individuals holding the signs. So powerful it threatens to tip over into insanity. Let's hope it's not too contagious. I don't think it is. Haven't seen much at all about Occupy lately.

21 comments:

TML said...: Maybe the signs will end up in the Smithsonian.; 2/26/12, 8:37 AM
DADvocate said...: Neat idea with the signs, but I thought they've already recalled Walker, provided enough signatures are valid. The post a Kos reads like one of those flowery prose things where how they say it trumps what they say.; 2/26/12, 8:39 AM
Paco Wové said...: Hmmm... I thought the main lesson of the "Occupy movement" -- *snort* -- was "Waahh!! I want my free stuff!! Where's my free stuff?!"; 2/26/12, 8:44 AM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: They are heeeere!; 2/26/12, 8:45 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: I dunno, Althouse, it all seems pretty relevant to me.; 2/26/12, 8:51 AM
KCFleming said...: The trouble with socialism is that it leaves one with no free evenings.; 2/26/12, 8:56 AM
Wince said...: These protesters do seem to be aware of the risks of distracting the drivers below, admitting so after this demonstration.

It is hard not to think about your life while driving, especially when you see EMTs trying to extract someone from a car that spun down a steep embankment. "Are we crazy to be doing this?" I asked badscience, my partner in art and activism. "Are you kidding?" she responded. "This is where the coolness of art meets the urgency of resistance."

This is where we are in our lives: the coolness of art and the urgency of activism. The road can get slippery at times, but I couldn't think of a better one to be traveling.

Anybody know how the follow-up proceedings in OVADAL v. CITY OF MADISON WISCONSIN (2005) were decided?

Ralph Ovadal participated in a protest against homosexuality on a pedestrian overpass above a busy highway in Madison, Wisconsin. When drivers, angry with the message displayed, began driving erratically and causing congestion on the highway, police officers stepped in and threatened Ovadal with arrest if he did not end the demonstration. Ovadal was ultimately banned from any such protest on any Beltline pedestrian overpass. The district court found that the restriction on speech was justified and granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants. We find that there exist genuine issues of material fact, so we reverse and remand.

From the body of the opinion:

There remain genuine issues of material fact which bear on whether Ovadal was deprived of his First Amendment right to free speech by an express policy or widespread custom of the City of Madison and certain police officials. While there is no question that Ovadal has been completely banned from all Beltline pedestrian overpasses in the Madison area, the issue remains as to whether the ban was narrowly tailored and content-neutral. Did the police impose a “heckler's veto” and would the same absolute “ad hoc” ban have been imposed on any display occurring on a Beltline pedestrian overpass? Was it possible that the city could have imposed a ban on protests occurring on certain days of the week, during certain times of day, or depending on traffic conditions, or was an absolute ban the only option available to the city under the circumstances? The key question is whether the city's rule that no protests may take place on overpasses when those protests cause a traffic hazard is capable of content-neutral application, or whether the city has imposed a content-based and impermissible “no-Ovadal-on-overpasses” rule. Matters of material fact such as these need to be resolved in order to determine whether Ovadal's First Amendment rights have been violated; therefore, we must remand this case to the district court.; 2/26/12, 9:10 AM
Henry said...: Althouse wrote: But what's the rest of that self-mythologizing prose about?

C'mon Althouse, don't be square. "This is where the coolness of art meets the urgency of resistance."; 2/26/12, 9:12 AM
Wince said...: The protesters do seem concerned about the risk to themselves of driving to and from the protest, but not about the risk they might impose on all others that drive by their protests.

It's as if everything resolves around their needs, their risks, and no one else's.

A metaphor there?; 2/26/12, 9:16 AM
edutcher said...: Considering how loudly the Occupation went, "Thud!!!!", one would think they would have gotten the message that nobody except GodZero and Pelosi Galore likes them.

They are Lefties, however.; 2/26/12, 9:18 AM
Paco Wové said...: "one would think they would have gotten the message that nobody except GodZero and Pelosi Galore likes them."

Oh, I don't know about that. I'll bet academia, in general, likes them well enough. There are a lot of pundits out there who seemed to have high hopes for them.; 2/26/12, 9:21 AM
Meade said...: In a fundraising letter, Doug La Follette, Dem candidate for governor in case there is a recall election, said he was watching a snowfall, and philosophized that each flake in itself didn't amount to much but that in great numbers snowflakes could bring an entire city to a halt.

He concluded "we are those flakes."; 2/26/12, 9:25 AM
edutcher said...: Truer words..., as they say; 2/26/12, 9:36 AM
ricpic said...: What about Tea Party bodies, do they matter? Apparently over 1 million Tea Party bodies didn't matter to the Won and his anointed lackeys in the press when they marched on Washington. Some bodies are more equal than other bodies, I guess. Also, that's old old news. Erase it from their minds, comrade!; 2/26/12, 9:37 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Neat idea with the signs, but I thought they've already recalled Walker, provided enough signatures are valid."

The signatures, if sufficient, will only lead to an election, where someone has to beat Walker. No one with much electability seems to be running, so Walker is likely to win.; 2/26/12, 10:04 AM
Rusty said...: So powerful it threatens to tip over into insanity.

Oh.....they past that road mark a long time ago. Now it's just a race from absurd to irrelevant.; 2/26/12, 10:50 AM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: No one with much electability seems to be running, so Walker is likely to win.

Comfort blanket/cover to vote for Obama.; 2/26/12, 10:52 AM
Rusty said...: He concluded "we are those flakes.

Thereby proving my point.

Thanks Bob!; 2/26/12, 10:52 AM
YoungHegelian said...: ...radical action can be defined by bodies in space standing against overt and covert assumptions and assertions of totalizing power.

Wow, dude! Not just ordinary assertions of power, but just like totally totalizing assertions of power!

I was unaware that Gov. Walker had instructed his secret police to deport the opposition to gulags outside of Eau Claire where they're forced to stuff bratwurst for 18 hours a day.

Post-modernism sure breeds drama queens.; 2/26/12, 11:26 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: I would like to compliment the protestors particularly on their spacing. Their kerning is excellent and their coordination of the whole thing is quite good. Yes. It is impressive signage. They are very good at that.; 2/26/12, 1:21 PM
wildswan said...: I think the marsh trail signs were excellent except for content. And supporters of Scott Walker should go and do likewise.; 2/26/12, 2:07 PM