Representing the Movement:
Serious Business, not a Hippie Circus
by Islay S. Nicklin
On the weekend of April 15th 2011, over 10,000 students from all over the Nation converged in Washington D.C. to represent the environmental movement. Inside the Washington Convention Center there was a great spirit of unity and excitement. Throughout the convergence there were chants being yelled, drums being beaten, and at times, even songs being sung. It was a perfect atmosphere for inspiration and empowerment. However, while these elements are important to the morale of any movement, it is important to bear in mind the image a large-scale event like this can create for a movement. Enthusiasm and inspiration is key, but so is representation. I was disappointed in the notable lack of professionalism in many of the attendees. At certain times and places, conduct and attire are of the utmost importance. It is also important to know what to say, what not to say, and most importantly, when not to say anything at all.
On the first night of the Convergence Fox News reporters stood outside of the auditorium, asking Power Shift attendees if they would like to be interviewed for TV. When you are part of a major movement (or really just in general), the safest thing to do here is just say no. Whether the News station is for your cause, against it, or neutral, you can never be sure exactly how they will edit your interview. Even accidentally they may completely misrepresent you, let alone what they’ll do with your interview if they are not in support of your cause. Another possibility is that you may accidentally say the wrong thing, either by stumbling over your words or because you weren’t actually 100% sure of all the facts. If the news station is against your movement, chances are they will take advantage of this. If you do decide to give an interview, be sure you are very well versed in the subject matter. Pertaining specifically to the environmental movement, DO NOT talk about your personal theories or opinions, but stick to the cold, hard, indisputable facts. When deciding whether or not to give an interview or what to say in an interview, remember that words taken out of context can be extremely misleading, and can make you, (and the movement you are representing) look incredibly stupid.
Another area where it is important to remember representation is chanting. On lobby day, the 10,000 plus Power Shift attendees rallied outside the Whitehouse and then marched to Capitol Hill. It was an amazing procession! So many enthusiastic students from all over the Nation united in one cause flooding the streets of Washington and yelling synchronized chants in support of our goals. Chants are great, but you can’t say just anything. There were several that I thought were not the wisest choices for such a large-scale public event. One example was “No fracking way!” This is a clever play-on-words referring to fracking, one of the very environmentally unfriendly processes for extracting natural gas from shale rock. Of course, the average person walking down the streets of Washington is very likely not going to make that connection. More importantly, when several hundred voices yell “no fracking way,” chances of “fracking” being misheard as something much less socially acceptable to yell in public are very high. What message does this send to the onlookers (especially those with children walking along side them) about the type of people involved in the movement? Another chant I thought was unwise was “make polluters pay.” This chant was meant to convey that subsidies should not go out to dirty energy, which is a great message. However, to someone less educated on the goals of the movement, it may simply sound vengeful, which is certainly not how we want to be portrayed.
And finally, attire. Ah, sadly yes, this is something we need to consider. At Power Shift there was a vast number of people in bohemian or hippie type attire. Now I’m not saying anyone should change their personal style and I certainly have nothing against this particular style (I’m kind of a hippie at heart myself), but there are certain times when it should be toned down if possible. The sad truth is that a lot of the opponents of the environmental movement think that all environmentalists are a bunch of crazy hippies who just want to smoke pot, drop acid, and save the trees and beaches because of their personal inclination for being outside, loving mother earth, meditation, etc. In fact the environmental crisis facing the world today concerns even people who don’t give a damn about nature because environmental issues will impact the daily lives of humans through health and economic effects. When environmentalists dress in hippie garb at serious, large-scale, professional events it feeds into a false stereotype. Wear whatever you want in your free time, but when representing the movement it is best to dress in a professional manner. This is not to say that you must be in a starchy business suit necessarily. Just look clean cut and well put together and people (especially opponents and undecideds) will be much more likely to assume that you are not someone to be dismissed, that what you have to say holds real weight and meaning that they should consider.
I want to be especially clear that the purpose of this article is NOT to universally discourage any types of chants, behaviors, or attires but simply to point out that at certain times and places they may not be appropriate or, more importantly, they may not be conducive to the goal you are trying to achieve. While at the Nation’s Capital and representing an entire movement it is probably wiser to use more discretion than in many other situations. The last thing any movement wants is to encourage a stereotype it has been associated with. This will discourage those who are already biased, as well as many who are on the fence. It is absolutely imperative that we represent the environmental movement as professional, based in fact, and relevant to ALL (not just nature lovers and youth). Though we do want to show that the youth of America want environmental legislation, we do not want to portray the environmental movement as purely a youth movement, a fad movement inherently connected to drum circles and hemp bracelets. Again, don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with drum circles and hemp bracelets, but they have nothing to do with the seriousness of the environmental crisis. Today’s environmental crisis concerns young and old, conservatives and liberals, democrats and republicans, nature lovers and humanists, the United States and the rest of the world. We are facing serious problems for the entire human race, not just those who love to surf and climb trees. This is serious business. Let’s make sure we represent it as such.
