The Realm of Sean

If there’s one thing you avoid doing at all costs in politics, it’s pissing off veterans. The same thing goes the anyone or group, as in the battle for public opinion, veterans tend to reign victorious.

This is why the Occupy Nova Scotia demonstrators are only putting the ‘pedal-to-the-metal’ while driving straight for the edge of a cliff by choosing to remain in place despite the upcoming Remembrance Day ceremony at Grand Parade, something which is being framed as creating difficulties for those planning the ceremony. 

The ‘Occupy’ movement has already faced a rather negative spotlight from the media which has had difficulties framing the movement, and in many cases has taken on the narrative of those opposing it. As George Lakoff says, you must frame yourself or risk being framed by others. 

The movement is not necessarily aimed at a single grievance, which makes it different from many protests that we see on a regular basis (anti-War, against tuition increases, ect.) but instead is a general statement of, “We the people are not happy with the way things are going”. As the media has often taken the job of consistently framing movements through a consolidated list of demands, they seem confused as how to portray these protestors.

The lack of clarity makes it difficult to gain sympathizers to the cause. While a professor of mine said that the movement needs a leader in order to effectively communicate it’s message, I initially disagreed mainly because I felt having a single leader could risk de-legitimizing the entire movement by slandering that leader (see Assange and Wikileaks). Unfortunately, it seems that they face being further de-legitimized without someone speaking on their behalf.

What prompts this post is a discussion I heard earlier today on the bus between two women a couple of seats behind me. As we drove by Grand Parade, one said something along the lines of having to clear out “those protestors before Remembrance Day” followed a few seconds later by “how about get off your ass and get a job”. They then proceeded to talk about the awful bus service in the city, which I found amusing as one of the reasons for poor public transit services can be attributed to income inequality, which is one of the things those in Grand Parade are protesting against.

Last week, Mayor Kelly “requested” that the protestors leave by a set date in order for the city to prepare for upcoming activities such as the Remembrance Day ceremony. I commend Peter Kelly’s patience and realize this is a political move to frame himself as the reasonable leader, while the protestors are irrational hippies who oppose the honouring of Canadian veterans. 

Apparently the protestors voted to continue to occupy the Grand Parade in response to the Mayor’s request for them to leave. I understand that they do not want to set a precedent of leaving the area every time an event is hosted, as this could be seen as them being weak. They must realize though that they will only face negative attacks if they remain in the Parade with their tents during an already tightly packed Remembrance Day ceremony. 

The protestors should issue a release stating that they will temporarily leave the area out of respect for Canadian veterans and the Remembrance Day ceremony in order to allow for the greatest number of persons to be facilitated. They should state that they plan to return to the Parade following the ceremony and remain here until government recognizes and responds to their protests. It would also be preferable for them to elect a spokesperson for the movement in order to best take questions and respond to those wishing to talk ‘with’ the movement.

When it comes to public opinion - the veterans will always win.