Black Friday Protest
Today is a Black Friday protest for press freedom and freedom of expression. Here's the deal:
Plan of action:
1) Wear black
2) You and your friends proceed to any Starbucks Cafe near you anytime between 6 to 7 pm
3) Buy a drink. Each person should queue up at the counter, instead of just one ordering for the group.
4) After getting your drink, take a seat or just stand up outside the cafe and hang out for about 30 mins.
5) When your group decides it's time to leave, someone should give the cue and everybody should do the "thumbs down" sign
6) Disperse as peacefully as you came inSuggested preparations:
1) Invite as many friends, or officemates, as you can
2) If you're an employer or a manager, invite all your subordinates to join you. Offer to "treat" them, if you can afford it.
3) Agree to meet in a place (not Starbucks), or if you're from the same office, arrange for carpooling
4) From the meeting place, proceed to Starbucks as a group. This will have more impact than just agreeing to meet at Starbucks individually
5) If you're staying in a city where there is no Starbucks, any other "cafe" or restaurant will do.
Forward this message to as many friends, relatives, colleagues, and egroups.
Let's paint Starbucks BLACK on Friday.
Plan of action:
1) Wear black
2) You and your friends proceed to any Starbucks Cafe near you anytime between 6 to 7 pm
3) Buy a drink. Each person should queue up at the counter, instead of just one ordering for the group.
4) After getting your drink, take a seat or just stand up outside the cafe and hang out for about 30 mins.
5) When your group decides it's time to leave, someone should give the cue and everybody should do the "thumbs down" sign
6) Disperse as peacefully as you came inSuggested preparations:
1) Invite as many friends, or officemates, as you can
2) If you're an employer or a manager, invite all your subordinates to join you. Offer to "treat" them, if you can afford it.
3) Agree to meet in a place (not Starbucks), or if you're from the same office, arrange for carpooling
4) From the meeting place, proceed to Starbucks as a group. This will have more impact than just agreeing to meet at Starbucks individually
5) If you're staying in a city where there is no Starbucks, any other "cafe" or restaurant will do.
Forward this message to as many friends, relatives, colleagues, and egroups.
Let's paint Starbucks BLACK on Friday.
posted by Edwin Lacierda | 2:20 PM
12 Comments:
This is a joke, right? Could people seriously have plunked down the equivalent of someone's daily wage so they can protest?
The people that frequent Starbucks do plunk down the equivalent of a day's wage whether in a protest mood or not. I am fairly sure you've bought a coffee there at least once. Starbucks is a popular coffee shop period. People joined us there out of choice and free will.
We were not out to attract the attention of our countrymen that earn minimum wage or less. A vast majority of them are already on our side. They are far more knowledgable about Gloria's sins.
You do not like seeing us on the streets, you do not like seeing us at the People Power Monument or EDSA Shrine or Mendiola. So we chose another venue, another way of protest - the folks that were in Starbucks didn't seem to mind, some even joined in. The point we want to make is this - we have the right to exercise free speech and the right to peaceful assembly and we will use them. Next Friday we will be somewhere else. Our protest continues.
Sorry, but this protest just smacked far too much of elitism. A member of that "vast majority" would be pretty horrified that you spent over a hundred pesos for a cup of imported coffee. If you were really on their side, you could have at least supported a local brand or establishment.
I think the vast majority of our people care about food, shelter, livelihood and that their children can look forward to a wealthier future: in other words, pure economic issues. Those of us who are rich enough to patronize Starbucks don't experience those needs day-to-day.
This is my personal opinion. Because I'm one of those who can afford the luxury of a drink made from imported beans, I recognize I don't speak for the vast majority.
The thing is, if it doesn't hurt you to spend over a hundred pesos for coffee, you can't and don't speak for them either.
Those of us who are rich enough to patronize Starbucks don't experience those needs day-to-day.
Right you are. And by virtue of not having to experience those day to day needs, the apathetic majority of which you are a part continues to turn a blind eye to the search for truth. Please do not begrudge those of us who have made a definite stand to oppose Gloria.
As for speaking for the "vast majority" I mentioned, I never said I spoke for them. We didn't do the Black Friday Protest to speak for them. We were there to speak TO the apathetic. Thankfully, some of them have begun to take notice.
Is the majority "apathetic" or "already on your side"? You've said both; the statements contradict. Apathy or silence on the part of the elite or the poor doesn't mean assent - it can be (and quite often is) rejection or even resistance to your position.
Sure, I don't begrudge your right to opposition. At the same time, I can and do continue to question the intelligence, sensitivity and wisdom of your exercise of it.
The protest to me came off as elitist, insensitive, and disconnected from context. And from what I've been reading, many people from both sides of the political aisle feel the same way. (You do realize that a lot of people are laughing at you, right? The blog posts and comments on the protest have been mercilessly hilarious.)
At least it's not usual "street protests" which seems to be the only thing the Left does no matter what the issue. Flash mobs are a cute idea--for posh Manhattanites and San Francisco metrosexuals. But public reactions will range from amused at the juvenility, to dismayed at how thoroughly GMA has blown the democratic opposition away. I think we have to accept the fact that the Left has not succeeded in winning the people's hearts and minds, so that it is not enough that they have "taken a definite stand against GMA" since people remember they have taken a definite stand against everyone but Jose Maria Sison or whoever his local rivals are. Thus they fool no one about their true agenda. The poor unfortunates left in the lurch are their noncommunist allies, who are thus reduced to guerilla warfare at coffee shops and ritzy malls.
ED, actually i dropped by to ask about your opinion on the Supreme Court goings on. Got any thoughts. Seems like it's gotta be moot and academic since anything else would lead to impeachment. Pusillanimous Panganiban! Ooops, you are an admirer of his if I recall a recent conversation of ours...
DJB,
Not really, I go by the decisions they render. I am hoping that Panganiban would do a noble thing in the name of press freedom but as you will see in my blog, my confidence in him is lacking.
I hope these justices will remember their place in history and not be caught up with the here and now. Hopefully, the Panganiban court will not morphed itself as a Fernando court of the martial law years.
Pusillanimous Panganiban! Now, that's a wonderful alliteration! Bravo!
Ed,
what would we consider to be the greatest moment of the Supreme Court in history? Is there one particular case we could hold up as shining example? For some reason I can't get past Javellana and don't know enough of its history.
Ed,
Hope you and your guests will read the Guest Commentary I've just published by Alan Paguia...showing that PP 1021 did not rescind the military rule portion of 1017! Please critique what I consider an important conceptual attack on what the Palace is doing.
Helga? You have no reply for anonymous? I would stop the protest soon before it really backfires on you. I was at 6750 as a customer and was irritated by it all. I was just too polite to do anything. So don't assume my politeness as agreement. Black and White sux! Now na!
Think about this... maybe Dinky Soliman is actually a GMA Agent! She is like a "Trojan Horse" placed in the opposition camp whose purpose is to make them do things that would make the Anti-GMA camp look extremely ridiculous.
Dinky would gather all the pansies, geeks, laughy-smiley weaklings, pa-sosyal, pa-itellektwal, Starbucks drinking nerds, email freaks, text
freaks, blog geeks and put up a freak show in places like Starbucks, Aristocrat or Baywalk. She would paint the Anti-GMA camp in that pathetic light!
GMA, oh Georgetown U Alumnus, you are a genius! Go Hoyas!
--- In ccdbm@yahoogroups.com, "genmadrigal" wrote:
>
> Talaga nga naman ang mga Pinoy, talagang sa lahat yata ng lahi eh
> Pinoy na ang gumagawa ng mga pinaka "ridiculous" na bagay sa mundo.
> Kaya walang asenso at pinagtatawanan na lang ng mga ibang lahi. I came
> across this on the Internet... this "Black Friday Movement" and their
> Starbucks protest. And get a load of their slogan: "Patalsikin na, now
> na!" How dumb! How do they think they can threaten GMA with these
> lamebrained actions? If I were GMA, I would not even call a single
> policeman or soldier to stop these people. I would just get a janitor
> from Malacanang to chase them away with a broom and they surely would
> disperese! ... Now Na!
>
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