“Well, I used to think homosexuality was an abomination before God and that gays shouldn’t be allowed near children or in positions or responsibility. Then I heard a bunch of them not saying anything for a full day, so I ran out and joined PFLAG.”
Put me in the same camp as gobear, in that I don’t see this sort of “protest” doing anything other than making the participents feel better about themselves. Although, being a generally non-communicative sort, I actually participated before I even knew it was going on.
Our college newspaper ran a blank editorial column with the headline “National Day of Silence.” Link.
They had a story about the day on the front page, and also a Dissenting editorial (stating why silence wasn’t an effective protest), but if it weren’t for those things, I wouldn’t have known what it was about.
I probably would’ve assumed it was about the war or something…
Well, yes, there are the cards. But from my personal experience, 99% of people those cards get handed to just do not give a shit. Most people toss them before they even get 20 feet away to the door.
I think it might depend some on the setting. I’m currently a college student, and on the campus, the attempt was next to useless. The only people who even noticed what was going on were the ones who were in direct communication with the LBGTA anyway. You know, the ones who already heard the stuff and didn’t need any sort of symbolic gestures to be aware of it. People might have noticed that some of their classmates weren’t saying anything, but most of them aren’t going to much care unless it’s someone they’re in direct contact with anyway, which is going to largely be covered uncer my previous point.
I think part of it’s interpretation too. I don’t think not speaking for a day is nearly as effective a way to touch people as any number of things where you actually say something to them. If you do, as a lot of people must or the event wouldn’t exist, more power to you! I’m definitely not saying it’s a bad thing to do, it’s just not, in my opinion, the most effective way of doing it. It certainly can’t hurt to have people going at it from different angles though. Maybe there is someone who will be reached by this that wasn’t some other way, and the goal is sure as hell noble.
I’ll be the first to admit, my views of it are probably tainted by being attacked for not being involved in it. And that’s not fair to the idea as a whole, I know. But some people (specifically the couple of asshats I had to deal with over this here, not you guys ;)) really need to realize that they’re just pushing people away with their behavior. Kind of like how as much as I support the cause, I haven’t been directly a part of the LBGTA here since someone wanted to know why the fuck I was there, since I wasn’t “queer enough” and accused me of being homophobic for not being outraged by any mention of homosexuals ever that didn’t come from them. .
If someone else wants to be silent for a day, well, fine, that’s their choice.
But if there is even the slightest pressure on me to be silent, my First Amendment freedom of expression will be in the form of singing “Red Sails in the Sunset,” loud as a bastard!
(And I just know that someone here gets the reference!)
Seriously, the first jackass who holds a finger to his lips and hands me a card saying, “This is a day of silence” is going to get a goddamn earful!
Well, duh - demanding you be silent is contrary to the entire point of the day. It’s supposed to be a personal thing.
And at least someone’s doing something that generates conversation. What, we’re supposed to wait until The Perfect Event shows up on our doorstep, and then do it? Pfffft. Do what you can, when you can, and as often as you can. I’m thinking of a Gandhi quote…
I support the cause, but like gobear, I question the method. The traditional elements here don’t want to actively eliminate groups they don’t like, they just want everyone to shut up, stop trying to change things, and let everything continue as it did before. A National Day of Silence sounds like the kind of protest they wish the ‘troublemakers’ would do all the time.
I’d also never heard of this until just now. When I read the thread title, my first thought was that it a suggestion from the Department of Homeland Security as part of their ‘criticism helps the terrorists’ campaign.
In defense of what’s going on here, they aren’t walking around forcing other people to be silent. The point is that they themselves are silent, as a symbolic gesture and all. Anyone not involved is allowed to talk all they want.
I did this today. Not a word from 9-5; I didn’t even do email. Had a notepad that I wrote stuff on, although I also employed creative gestures.
I think that its effectiveness depends on the audience. Clearly I’m not changing any die hard homophobe’s minds, but I got a bunch of my straight friends and classmates to stop and reflect on gay rights. I’m loud and talkative, though, and my silence was very obvious. Other friends of mine who are quieter decided to have a “day of loudness.” It worked just as well.
If you approach, say, your co-worker and ask them a question, and they don’t reply back, or write something on a piece of paper, you’re going to say, “Hey, what’s going on?” Then they hand you a piece of paper that says, “I’m silent today because I’m support GLBT rights.” IMHO, that will get a point across to you - that personal interaction just made you stop, even for a moment, and say, “Wow - this must be a serious issue.”
In theory, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Effective or not, but there it is.
Well, first, unless it’s a government official putting “the slightest pressure” on you to be silent, your First Amendment rights are not implicated. Second, as I understand it, the participants do not shush people who are speaking. They wear the t-shirt or whatever and if addressed will hand you the card explaining why they are not speaking in response. So dial back your indignation until you get a better grasp on the concept, m’kay?
Another problem for me is that I’m just congenitally incapable of keeping my mouth shut for than eight or nine seconds at a time. I even talk in my sleep. I wouldn’t be able to stay silent if I wanted to.
