The Movement

With all of the craziness that took place on Tuesday it made me think of how we can make a change for the positive in our country, our world, and our lives. It's easy to say that things are messed up. What can we do to fix these problems? Some of these problems are on a scale that it is hard to comprehend how any one person can make a difference.

Interestingly enough we have been given the blueprint on how to do this by another movement that was corporately sponsored. The Tea Party. Unfortunately it took and still takes a lot of money to keep that movement going. There are some important lessons we can learn from them though. If you look at their success and how it was done, why can't we do the same for what we find to be important?

Research

We should first research the subject to the point of being an expert on the subject. If you have the facts on your side then it's hard for others to argue against you. Everything you can think of has most likely been tried or at least researched at some point or another. Information is your ammunition when arguing for a course of action. If anyone is able to break down your argument then you lose credibility. You might only get one chance to win someone over.

Once your initial research is done, a possible course of action should come to light. You should attempt to discuss your ideas with others. People will surprise you and come up with new ideas or thoughts you hadn't encountered before. You need to be thorough and obtain proof or information that backs up your assertions. You also need to be prepared for all counter-arguments no matter how bizarre they may be.

Make a Catchy Movement Name and Slogan

This is your chance to become a musician. We're looking to create a chorus that people can repeat over and over while protesting. It should be short, convey the message, and preferably rhyme or sound catchy. It's like building a brand. You might need several slogans to push forward with your idea. This is what you have written on posterboards.

The name of the movement should be even shorter. You will need something to call the movement for social media hashtags and any websites that you may need in the future. I'll get more into that in a bit. Coming up with the name of the movement and these slogans can be just as crucial as everything else. Having great ideas won't mean anything if it doesn't resonate with the average man. It not only needs to be a great idea, but it also needs to have a name that sounds good. People can be fickle and may not support you simply because your favorite color is blue. Don't give them any reason to ignore you.

Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat some more

This is one of the most important things I have learned from the Tea Party's campaigning. You can convince some people that water is dry and the sky is green if you keep repeating it over and over again. It's one of the most interesting ways to convince people of your ideas, but it can't just be you. Part of the Tea Party's success is their ability to spread the word across all of their supporters through repetition. Every one of their supporters is asked to repeat their ideas using the exact same phrases over and over again. If the same person hears the same thing from several different people then they are more likely to go along with it. This ties into the next section.

Be Social Everywhere

As an individual it will be hard to build a following from scratch. If you have great personal wealth then you can use the same model as the Tea Party. You can afford to use paid actors and speakers to pass along your ideas. You can build pre-made posters and placards that look professional and can be handed out to the curious people who show up to find out what's going on. Many of them will join in on the fun.

Unfortunately most of us are working paycheck to paycheck to pay the rent. The next best thing you can do is to build a following through social media, meeting people in person, and friends/family. It's unlikely you will be able to get any press coverage unless you are able to build a larger following. The best way you can do that is to socialize with people any way you can. The more you can get others talking about it the bigger the movement becomes. Unfortunately this could take several years before your movement gains enough traction to get noticed.

If there are any websites that discuss similar ideas then you need to be active in their comments or forums. This adds a bit of credibility if you are accepted by those who are regulars in these circles especially if they are considered experts. You also need a landing page that outlines your ideas with the proof or supporting documents included. Most won't read it all, but it may also spark further discussion with those who do. For those who skim your blog or website, you can use your headers to put emphasis on thosy catchy slogans.

Your Movement

So what are your ideas? What would you like to see changed within the government, society, etc..? I would love to hear and discuss them in the comments!