My name is Alexis Robie and I am an independent documentarian. I have an important project that will provide an opportunity for those of you who are upset by the dominance of the mass media in all of our lives. Over the past year, I have been spending quite a lot of personal time reading about, watching and experiencing different forms of protest in this country. During this process of examining the protest movements, my own opinions have undergone an interesting transformation. I can barely remember the "CNNified" events of the so-called "Battle in Seattle". I do remember my apathy. On the TV screen, protesters were depicted as tribes of discontented youth recognizable by their trademark black masks. They were assessed as stupid, uninformed, irresponsible and destructive. There was little if any attempt to truly explore who were the tens of thousands of men and women that actually took to the streets. Later that spring, after reading a profile of Juliette Beck and the Global Exchange’s Global Democracy program, I knew I needed to look beyond the TV screen. On April 16, I began a personal education that took me to the streets of Washington, where I was overwhelmed by the energy, passion and knowledge found in peaceful marchers and resistors to the "Business as Usual" attitude of this country's government and corporations. I wanted to find out more. I needed to be involved. Recognizing that my own apathy was part of the larger problem, I volunteered with the Independent Media Center to help disseminate information that was being ignored by the networks. In August 2000, I traveled to the Republican convention in Philadelphia with my own camera and documented the protests and actions of the Billionaires for Bush or Gore. They seemed to welcome my role as a documentarian and especially as a witness. It was an eye opening experience, which intensified my desire to learn more. Something very important is happening in the streets of the United States. Men and women of divergent ideologies and backgrounds are joining together to fight common enemies such as corporate greed and globalization at the expense of the world's underserved. A solidarity is emerging that has not been seen for decades in this country. These men and women come from all walks of life. Their beliefs are strong and well thought out. In Philadelphia, sophisticated strategy, well-devised communication networks and multiple forms of protest were executed with no centralized authority and marked success. They were actually producing change. I did not find this in the media's coverage of the events. I had to go and discover it for myself. I took to the streets with my camera and my curiosity. One thing became terribly clear -- there was no way I could get a sense of who these protesters are and what they stand for by sitting on the couch at home or reading the New York Times. If America is to get a dose of reality, something must be done. With this in mind, I am developing and presenting stories of protesters in New York over the next year in a documentary called "Who's Shaking America?" This one-hour video will allow people to see a different side to network media's weak portrayal of protesters and their movements. Ultimately it may help the public at large make more informed opinions. Since the April 2000 IMF meetings in Washington, DC, I have been collecting video and learning all I can about protesters and their backgrounds. I have subscribed to many protest-oriented mailing lists and have been avidly reading their opinions and observing the careful planning for actions. Now I want to take it a step further. I am looking for some individuals and/or groups to join me on my quest to challenge the media stereotypes of a protester. I will start by constructing the mythical "protester" with images pulled from news coverage, historical representation, Hollywood portrayals, and man-on-the-streets interviews. I would then like to contrast this representation with real and committed protesters. I want to document protesters as they plan for actions and live their lives. I am looking for groups and individuals who are committed to positive change in our country and the rest of the world. I would like to begin formal production at the start of the New Year. If you are interested in participating in the project, please contact me so we can exchange an email, talk on the phone or even get some coffee. I hope to produce a complex analysis of today’s protesters by speaking to a broad variety of people with different cultural backgrounds and political aims. Because of financial constraints, I can only consider people who are located in the New York State area, but I will be able to travel with local people to actions around the country when and if the time comes. I hope to offer another way of looking at these growing social movements through your real stories. These stories, I know, will inspire hope in our future and maybe even encourage others to get off that couch, turn off CNN, and get in the streets. Thank you for your time. I hope to hear from many of you soon. Best Regards, Alexis Robie [EMAIL PROTECTED] 917-482-4157 _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
