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Fancy a bit of agitating..Nov 26 1pm in the west end?


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Well, there's nothing particularly 'flash' about it if there's no spontaneity.


Isn't it just an old-fashioned protest? Used to have groups of people who did that at uni. Every Saturday. There was always something to protest about. I don't think they really cared what it was about, so long as they were protesting it.


So if indeed 'flashmob' is a just rebranding of protest, isn't it kind of weird that these down-to-earth protesters would engage in such marketing gimmickry as choosing a trendy right-on name? You'd have thought that protesters hated marketers.


On the wikipedia page someone suggests that 'flashmob' can't be applied to publicity stunts. Which is daft. A flashmob is a publicity stunt. With added blitzkrieg and shock & awe. So very very american.


There's something particularly disingenuous in concept about a protester with righteous indignation employing such underhand modern marketing tactics and then denying it. It makes the whole crowd seem like liars.


And then of course, if the group accusing Trafigura of covering up the truth are actually covering up the truth themselves...

Well, there's nothing particularly 'flash' about it if there's no spontaneity.


Isn't it just an old-fashioned protest? Used to have groups of people who did that at uni. Every Saturday. There was always something to protest about. I don't think they really cared what it was about, so long as they were protesting it.


So if indeed 'flashmob' is a just rebranding of protest, isn't it kind of weird that these down-to-earth protesters would engage in such marketing gimmickry as choosing a trendy right-on name? You'd have thought that protesters hated marketers.


On the wikipedia page someone suggests that 'flashmob' can't be applied to publicity stunts. Which is daft. A flashmob is a publicity stunt. With added blitzkrieg and shock & awe. So very very american.


There's something particularly disingenuous in concept about a protester with righteous indignation employing such underhand modern marketing tactics and then denying it. It makes the whole crowd seem like liars.


And then of course, if the group accusing Trafigura of covering up the truth are actually covering up the truth themselves...

Isn't a flashmob when lots of people who appear to have no connection just start doing whatever, dancing singing pillow fight apparently spontaneously? It's about a moment surely?


An hour long demo is an hour long demo I'd have thought.


Anyway, boing.

The flashmob element is in the participation.

We are inviting people to film themselves or be filmed saying the Hansard words that Newsnight are being sued for reporting.

So its not just placards and chanting its got a 'social media' aspect.

Sly and Reggie are usually pretty brief, we do a driveby dub, round the block a few times then off. Maybe this time we will park up and give it a five minute blast.

The other reason for using the term flashmob is in order to steer the proceedings into the peaceful and lawful end of the protesting lollypop.

Trafigura,call off your dogs and tell it how it is.

Dub Track

I'm not agitated. A wee bit disparaging of people re-branding a protest as some sort of light hearted street entertainment perhaps. I feel it's disingenuous.


Besides, I thought the very idea of a flash mob was to subvert the natural social order? Lefties going to leftie demos with other lefties to complain about big-business has been around so long it's positively conformist. Even the middle classes are doing it now.


(Not that I support Trafigura at all, they've been very naughty boys. "Call off the Dogs" is still terribly Citizen Smith.)

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