Cross-posted from Organizing Upgrade.
A brief timeline of communications in the grassroots organizing sector since the year 2000.
2000
Q: How many communicators does it take to screw the status quo?
A: Zero. Communicators don’t screw the status quo, they screw us by taking money we could be spending on organizers.
2003
Q: How many communicators does it take to screw the status quo?
A: 1/2. If 1/2 of one person faxes out enough press releases, eventually the status quo will be screwed.
2007
Q: How many communicators does it take to screw the status quo?
A. One. If one person does some magic framing and gets onto myspace/facebook/twitter, sooner or later the status quo will be screwed.
2010
Q: How many communicators does it take to screw the status quo?
A. One for every organization and alliance. To develop narratives, to lead with values, to get 1000+ facebook/twitter/instagram followers, and to screw the status quo!
2012
Q: How many communicators does it take to screw the status quo?
A: An entire workforce of 21st-century communicators, skilled in the arts of strategic persuasion, imagination and inspiration, with a cornucopia of talents and covering a rainbow of issues — all politically coordinated to together screw the status quo!
Q: Okay…sounds nice. But ummm…how we gonna pay for that?!
Okay, so maybe this is just a brief history of my own experience with communications in the sector. And maybe it’s a tad bit oversimplified.
