Sebastian nails it: Activism should be careful and considered

Sebastian at Shall Not Be Infringed is concerned about an online / Facebook event some folks called Gun Rights Across America are trying to gin up for October 19th.

It’s along the lines of those “Let’s not buy gas on X day and we’ll show those oil companies we won’t tolerate the high price of gas” well-meaning but poorly thought out social media “protests”.

Basically, GRAA wants gun owners across America to stand or sit out on their front yards with their guns from 4-5pm that Saturday.

It makes about as much sense as gay activists having an event where they make out (or have sex) on their front yards… because the effect will be the same:  it will shock some people and drive them away from our cause based upon fears, especially in this day and age when people barely know their neighbors in most cases.

Sabastian wrote:

A new survey shows everyone hates environmentalists and feminists, despite people having broad sympathies for the goals of both movements.

“Unfortunately,” they write, “the very nature of activism leads to negative stereotyping. By aggressively promoting change and advocating unconventional practices, activists become associated with hostile militancy and unconventionality or eccentricity.”

Hmm. What does that sound like?

So the message to advocates is clear: Avoid rhetoric or actions that reinforce the stereotype of the angry activist.

We really don’t want gun rights to fall victim to the same problem.

This event has all of the potential for epic failure as the Starbucks Customer Appreciation Days where overzealous activists, not thinking about the ramifications of their actions, carry long-guns into their favorite Starbucks and order an overpriced coffee drink.

Or open carry events at public libraries.

As I wrote in “OPEN CARRY: When it’s too much of a good thing…”:

If you think, even for a moment, that you will alarm more people than you’re going to educate in a positive manner, then you should leave your AR-15 in your trunk and concentrate on being the ideal gentleman and win friends, not scare folks into becoming enemies.

The peeps at Gun Rights Across America mean well, but there aren’t doing the cause of gun rights any favors with this event.

The good news, like most social media “protests”, few people will actually participate.  The bad news is the people who do will likely create more enemies of gun rights than converts.