Thatâs very clever and Iâm surprised no one thought of it until now. How did it work out?
How long before the police break one of those mirrors, claim the protestors are now using shards of glass as weapons, and beat the crap out of them?
I hope it works as intended. Unfortunately, the faceless, paramilitary, fascist stormtrooper look feeds the âagent of violenceâ attitude of police here in the US, and probably elsewhere as well.
When we think someone will have an epiphany of compassion and shame when seeing themselves armored like that, we may be projecting a mindset that is the opposite of that which self-selects to become such an avatar of oppression.
In any event, itâs holding a mirror up not only to the individual stormtroopers, but to the entire society they represent, and that is a powerful gesture.
Back in the UKâs free party heydays, we got stuck (by âweâ, about 20-30 large vehicles, folksâ homes & their families inside 'em) by a 3-deep cordon of âOfficer Friendliesâ leaving a festival site. This was in a pretty little village in south-west England. The difference in reaction between folks standing behind those cops, and the ones who were the other side of the line was telling (to that nameless placeâs credit, the entire clientele of all the pubs stood behind us, and were very supportive).
If theyâd tried that in Canada, theyâd have been charged with assault for reflecting sunlight into the copsâ eyes.
There actually is some sort of psychological effect that mirrors help deture bad behavior. I recall a study where a bank who had problem with rude clients putting mirrors up and people started to behave over night.
And if that doesnât work youâre cursing them with 7 years of bad luck.
It would be interesting to use a big roll of aluminized Mylar. Stretch it across the street. The crowd would become camouflaged.
Maybe theyâre just trying to trick the police into thinking that members of their own ranks have joined the protesters.
Hopefully they werenât GLASS mirrors. Very cool idea otherwise.
I wonder if holding up large photos of children, and puppies, and kittens would have any effect.
In circumstances like these the beatings are pretty much a foregone conclusion.
I think the benefits outweigh the risks in this case.
Or claim protestors are assaulting them with reflected sunlight?
damn. You beat me to it.
Steve Baer wrote about using mirrors as an offensive weapon in demonstrations in his book Sunspots back in 1975.
I remember an obituary in the Village Voice for a Lower East Side homeless organizer back in the 1980s where the writer remarked on seeing the organizer pick up a broken medicine chest mirror among the debris of a homeless encampment in Tompkins Square Park as the NYPD swept through evicting everybody. The organizer held it up in front of the cops and the cops stopped, confronted by their own contorted faces. I sent this idea to Starhawk, a Wiccan shamanic enviro activist, since mirrors are an important part of shamanic practice but donât think she got my point.
Cop1: God, this body armor makes me look sooo fat!
Cop2: You donât think those donuts had anything to do with it?
Cop1: Could you lay off about the donuts? Iâm feeling little vulbnerable right now. I mean theyâre looking at me thinking âOh look at Office Lardass over there.â
Cop2: Look would it make you feel better of we go over there and thrash that guy in the blue shirt?
Cop1: Him?
Cop2: No, not him the little one. Come on, itâll make you feel better.
Cop1: (sniffs) Okaaay. Dibs on the first truncheon blow!
Flowers in guns hasnât stopped cops kicking fuck out of folks yetâŚ
If it was in the US it would have happened immediately.
Considering how many of those protesters who feel a need to defend themselves are adorable babushkas, I think we can safely assume that any imagery appealing to any sort of warm fuzzy human feelings of compassion would be ineffective.
Wonât work against masochist policemen
Hope their intended targets arenât the vain sortâŚ
