THE AMBIVALENT ELEPHANTS OF GRACE

Screenshot by Tom Bukowski

So when you build an imposing metal wall that's meant to satirize conservative politicians who want to create something like it across the US/Mexico border, and you stage a virtual protest to coincide with the dozens of real world pro-immigrant amnesty marches across America last week, you should probably expect some kind of pushback.  Which is exactly what Sarah Newchurch and the ten or so activists who gathered on the Grace region waving signs that said "USA - Land of opportunities - Liberty and Justice for ALL" got.  A hundred foot wall of Republican elephants was waiting for them, with the counter suggestion to "Keep American jobs-- AMERICAN JOBS."

Which is one way of getting a debate going.

Screenshot by Dedric Mauriac

For her part, Ms. Newchurch was confused by the symbolism.  "Of course the GOP is really split over this issue," she notes, "so it really makes no sense to use the GOP symbol to show opposition."  (In fact, the notecard that she's attached to her wall advocates immigrant reform bills co-sponsored by John McCain and Chuck Hagel.)  When all this was pointed out, the owners of the elephant signs quickly returned them into inventory.  (Also, Sarah Newchurch adds, "Some of our neighbors complained about the mess the counter-demonstrators created.")

Nevertheless they stayed to get their point of view across.  "Half the people sat on the wall to protest," Tom Bukowski tells me the next day.  A spirited conversation by both sides on and around that wall ensued.  "It was actually a pretty civilized discussion," he says, surprised. "[W]eird thing, no bombs or people getting out of hand."

"Towards the end, things started to get childish," a small man with horns and blue wings named Dedric Mauriac interjects nearby.  "Someone remarked how a sign was a Nazi reference and such."  Before that, he allows, "there was a lot of deep discussion."

That same day, Bukowski hosted another political event himself, sort of a virtual Meetup featuring a candidate for a seat on the Long Beach, California City Council.  At 15-20 Residents, it was a well-attended meeting, but unfortunately, none of the guests had a real life residence in the district of Brian Ulaszewki, the candidate, and therefore couldn't vote for him.  But there will be other meetings, especially since Ulaszewki now has an SL account of his own, and the search for Residents in his Los Angeles district begins.

"I'm thinking of putting an ad about Brian's campaign in the Metaverse Messenger for the hell of it," Tom says.

Comments

[Drew Ingmann]

Great story Hamlet, but there was a mistake. I was the creator and owner of the signs pictured above. I can be seen sitting on top of the signs in the first picture, and on the wall in the second. In the writing it says that when it was pointed out to me that the elephants were irrelevant to the topic at hand that I, "quickly returned them into inventory." Not the case. I was having connection issues during the "rally" which resulted in me getting disconnected in the middle of the discussion for the rest of the night. When I logged back in the next morning, I found them in my lost and found folder. The reason I decided to put the elephants up was because I was sure that most people that were to show up at the "rally" would be liberals. Boy was I right. One person arrived and made the remark "Great, I've been here 5 minutes and am already being harassed by conservative B.S." How do signs, especially those, harass? It says clearly in the article there was no bombing or griefing going on...it really was a civilized discussion, which was nice. One thing I thought was interesting though, Atleast half of the people there (atleast when I was there) were anti-rallyers. When the discussion really got going, someone suggested that the anti-rallyers sit on the wall, while the people there for the actual event sit on the steps opposite the wall, creating a sort of stare down. It was great stuff. But aside from that issue, great article!

[Hamlet Au]

Thanks for the comment, I'll point people to it.