go green and go home: research findings

Nancy Van Leuven, Ph.D.Global Civic Education and Leadership Fellow

Center for Legislative Studies – Bridgewater State University

GO GREEN AND GO HOME!

Part 2: Summary of research findings

FINDINGS: MIX OF SOCIAL ISSUES

Sturdy, transplanted grass roots

Campaigns beyond tent cities, homelessness

Official nightmares: Memes, moving targets, challenges to laws

Face-to-face interactions

+

Tagging-based media,

live-streaming

OWS: Come together!Tar Sands Action: This is it!

Public officials: Go green and go home!

NETWORKS OF MESSAGES

Actor rankings in OWS Sustainability DiscussionsSocial media:

TWITTER – 19362 linksFacebook, Foursquare, wearethe99percent.tumblr.com

DIY: howtooccupy.org, occupytogether.org, wordpress.com

Niche audiences: occupydesign.org,

rockupy.org .orgoccupyeducated.org

Talk to the Man: senate.gov (drums, permits, etc.)

Strategic campaigns inviting public empathy, investment

Crisis comm: How to negotiate widespread distrust in government

Solidarity of protesters vs. Singularity of pepper spray

But do issues?

Protesters Win in Public Arena

MEMES: Oh, bother

Human Oil Spill at Speaker Boehner’s office(Moves from economy to all justice)

December 14, 2011

Seattle: A clash of public spaces

Classes at Seattle Central Community

College:

“Why we support Occupy (and Mother

Earth”

“Legislative Lobbying”

“The Art of the Protest Sign”

“Filming to Document Human Rights

Violations”

Multiple tribal

environmental issues

Occupy Wisconsin:

Support Band River Tribe

fighting Penokee Mine!

OPPOSING NEEDS

Successful movementvs.

Peace/status quo

Case in point: Shifting messages in Oakland

LEADERLESS TO CATALYTIC STRUCTURE?

Tar Sands --- 350.org

OWS winter offshoot: 99 Percent (currently haunting G.E. and Wells Fargo)

Call to Action:

As did the Tea Party –

Small, active group,Screaming at town halls.

Lost first fight,

BUT…captured momentum.

Large gulps of conversations small sips ofonline connections

Next up: Tuesday,

May 1

STRUCTURES

Language ---> Political affordances

Technology ---> Political organization

Organizations ---> Cross-issue discourse

NEXT: Part 3, Discussion

All three presentation segments available at nancyvanleuven.com