Ways of spreading ideas

[LiteraryPiano]

What ways do people think that Alarm can be used in the best possible ways to
a/ spread anarchist/revolutionary socialist ideas?
b/ organize 'youths' - in schools, and workplaces?

Is a zine a sufficent means of doing so (for A)? If so, why, and how can we spread the zine so that it reaches as many people as possible?
As a means of propaganda, are posters a better means?
Is guerrilla theater a plausible and practical means of propaganda?
(For example, from the Anti-CPE riots in France [2006] "Near the University of Grenoble campus a hundred students, wearing clown noses and with barcodes drawn on their skin, invaded a supermarket for an hour, chanting: “Consume! Consume! They’ve put us all on sale!”)

If you have other ideas, post them here.
Posters, flyers, images, etc.

[thingstocome]

Well, having nearly finished at a private high school, we were pretty much closed off from the outside world - except for at assemblies where guest speakers could come and talk about issues (such as driving and responsibility, motivation etc.) and about causes for charity and working overseas (in the humanitarian sector). No one really listened. There were internal bulletins etc that were distributed weekly, about school events and fund raisers and stuff. So not much joy there. This may be different in other places, schools etc. But if it's not on the curriculum it won't get heard, pretty much.
Perhaps if you got some motivated youths to talk it up in schools you'd have a good chance of getting some interest.
Yeah that guerrilla theater idea could work well. there's a serious street culture around Melbourne. Posters are good, if you can get them distributed. Pamphlets seem to be quite over-the-top from the major parties and flooding letterboxes (as has been done in my electorate (a liberal marginal) gets attention but little interest. It works well as propaganda though, to get your ideas out.
Just some thoughts.

[spikeyred]

I agree with all those proposed methods of spreading ideas.

I think the Zine is definitely important and very useful, but, it is only one weapon in an entire arsenal and should be used, but not exclusively. The most effective attacks on the system are ones including as many auxiliaries as possible, a multi-pronged attack if you like.

I think posters can be inspiring and definitely a fantastic propaganda method. Whenever I see a poster or a piece of graffiti that has a slogan or a little bit of information or whatever that is in line with what I believe, I am incredibly heartened to know I'm not 'the only one'. Even simple things like 'FUCK WAR!' or 'NO TO CORPORATE GLOBALISATION' or whatever, is very powerfull, it gives such ideas a presence. It is also useful to combat the marginalization or complete lack of dissenting and radical ideas in our traditional feeds of information and ideas such as the mass media, our schools, etc. I think Graff and posters can almost be a way of reclaiming your own local area for grass roots ideas and organization, creating a space that is hostile to the mass media, sort of a stronghold for autonomous organization and ideas.

Posters and Graff are not 'better' than Zines, they are complimentary to each other. If you were to reclaim an area with propaganda posters and Graff, that isn't enough in it's own right because let's face it, they can only get across small amounts of facts, ideas and slogans. Zines provide more in depth discussion, ideas and analysis. They need to back each other up.

I think Guerrilla theater is another effective way, a third prong if you like, in a propaganda assault. If you can concentrate all three efforts in a particular area, I think you will start to see results.

As for organization, this is more difficult. TBH I'm not exactly sure how to go about workplace organization, though, I have found one tactic usefull. My co-workers at safeway often have many gripes. Lazy bosses, incompetent rostering, not enough people rostered etc etc. I feel these things too, and they are easy to engage your co-workers with, but when I do, I take it one step further. Instead of just complaining, I link it back to idea's of how messed up the system is, how if we ran our own workplace these problems could be fixed etc, and I think that is a usefull thing to do.

I have had some experience organizing in school. First was the organization of the Anti-Bush\APEC student walkout in Melbourne. The result of this was our school being one of the largest groups there. The way we went about this, was to go and talk to 'Resistance' who were organizing the event. They gave us several packs with info, posters etc. They also came and postered our school that night, which really pissed off our administration. Following that, a few of us started to talk up the even amongst our friends, we networked with the more radical and out going students we knew and they got their friends into it. We continued to poster the ways kids walked into school in the lead up. We talked to people about why they should protest Bush and APEC. The day before the event we had slips of paper with train and bus times, and we disseminated them. It ended up in about 60 kids successfully walking out. More tried, but were caught and sent back to class. This was a highly successful event, as teachers we talked to told us that we wouldn't get many, that our school was conservative, that kids didn't understand etc.
We didn't have to build an anti-bush mood, because there was already an anti-bush mood, we just exploited it with effective tactics.

The second example I have is a lunchtime group. It originated as a Feminist group at my school that caused a bit of controversy, started by a teacher and a lesbian student. It got alot of female attention for a while but failed to go anywhere. One of my closest Comrades was involved with it and defacto took over organisation of it. She changed it so it wasn't exclusivly females or female foccused. It kind of turned into a front group for a little while of just radical idea's for youth, I.E. We showed a docco about the Unite Youth Union in New Zealand. It's dormant at the moment but we'll see if it picks up again next year.

[killabee]

i go to a school of 1500 students

i handed out over 400 flyers and stuck up stickers everywhere
and talked to alot of people

but in the end i was the only one who walked out

a year 7 girl also wanted too (cos shes like really cool)
but her parents forbid it

and yeah it was really really deppressing

my town sucks so bad

[thingstocome]

Killabee, I know the feeling. I tried to get a little discussion group going where people could discuss issues and politics etc. It died out because we were all in year 12 (due to exams). So yes to lunchtime groups - they work if you can get it going and get some serious interest. It needs to run over with as many year levels as possible to remain constant. There's a Christian group at our school that get some people (from a local church) to run sessions every week. That is pretty successful as there's free food involved.

Also, there was some 'graff' at our school - it didn't last a day. It got some talk happening, and the police came and made a report but it was soon forgotten. Could work in other schools, however.

The most effective attacks on the system are ones including as many auxiliaries as possible, a multi-pronged attack if you like.

I agree.

[spikeyred]

Don't graf schools, it's risky and is a waste of time, they get rid of it really quickly. If you do it, pick better targets.

TTC, theres a christian group at my school that employs the same tactics. Maybe thats something that is a simple way of attracting people? Food and drink 'ay? Also, thats something the group at my school does well, is the cross year level thing, it strengthens the group and breaks down artificial barriers of year levels! :-)

[LiteraryPiano]

As for organization, this is more difficult. TBH I'm not exactly sure how to go about workplace organization, though, I have found one tactic usefull. My co-workers at safeway often have many gripes. Lazy bosses, incompetent rostering, not enough people rostered etc etc. I feel these things too, and they are easy to engage your co-workers with, but when I do, I take it one step further. Instead of just complaining, I link it back to idea's of how messed up the system is, how if we ran our own workplace these problems could be fixed etc, and I think that is a useful thing to do.

We really should get this decentralized workplace organizing workshop together.