So what’s wrong with yelling? As I remember, that’s all we did in the early days of the AIDS epidemic. As more and more of my friends died, I just got louder and more disruptive. I began my photo exhibit FACES OF AIDS and started putting up portraits of people who had ARC (AIDS related conditions) all over San Francisco. Eventually, that exhibit reached 101 portraits and it was displayed with The Quilt. Kevin, people made fun of us, just like you’re doing to protesters now. As we marched up the center isle of the SF Opera House, everyone said, “This is not the way to get things done!” Well, guess what? I WAS the way to be heard and to get anything done. We actually became the MODEL of how to get things done.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Believe me, I completely understand what you’re saying. I’ve been to my fair share of great protests and rallies (and I’m an HIV Testing Counselor, too!). But I was not at all trying to make fun of the protesters at these town hall meetings or in any way trivialize the debate. In fact, I was pretty upset that no one wanted to yell at me! I was trying to shed light on how sometimes this health care debate and the media coverage of it has been bizarre. If I wanted to do a very serious video piece about what New York thought of health care, I probably wouldn’t have gone out and done word associations on the street. The video was more a fun way for people to talk about the issues without getting in screaming matches. Everyone I talked to walked away with a big smile on their face. Watch the video again with that in mind and hopefully you’ll see a lighter side of what I was getting at.

@Kevin Gotkin, The problem with your video is that you obviously chose people who were in favor of Obama’s policies and the health care plan so they have no reason to be upset. Try again and choose three that agree with it and three that are against it. It probably seems humorous to those who are in favor of the health care plan, but to those who are not it looks like you are insulting the dissenters.

BTW, none of these people sounded very “informed.” They seemed to be merely regurgitating MSM sound bites. Maybe you should have started by asking them if they even know who their representatives are. That would have given us a base line to evaluate their responses.

@SFPhoto, You make an excellent point! You reminded me of the marches and protesters I saw depicted in the movie “Milk.” I am not gay so I have nothing to gain from their crusade, but I thought Harvey and his followers were courageous and honorable and I am very glad that they were not afraid to shout and let their voices be heard no matter what their opposers said. I am sure back then many people ridiculed them, but luckily they stood their ground. The fact that Harvey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom” this week is a testament to their courage.

Hey, Libra Blue! Allow me to make a suggestion – try putting together a street response video yourself! You would find VERY quickly that a) people are not receptive to being asked questions by a stranger in New York on camera and b) because of this, you are often forced to work with what responses are given to you. A lot of the time people say the same thing over and over again and I don’t think that’s a good enough reason not to edit and post the video. People like you and SFPhoto can make of it what you’d like. But you both miss the point on this video, unfortunately. If you think that I am making any kind of serious statement about the act of protesting or about the health care debate, you’re mistaken. Glad to hear people are thinking critically about the issues, but the sole point of this video was to expose and poke fun at the more ridiculous parts of the issue.

@Kevin Gotkin, I understand what you are saying, but no matter what your intent was you have to admit that it does come off as being one sided. Maybe you should have put up a disclaimer saying that only Obama fans were willing to respond, because after all a “town hall” meeting is supposed to include opinions from all sides of an issue, the ones that don’t are the ones that are receiving the criticism.

I found the video slightly humorous in a Leno “Jaywalking” sort of way, not for the reason you intended. BTW, why are the “ridiculous” parts of this issue only on the right? I think that the outrage over the protests from the left are pretty ridiculous as well especially since these are the same tactics they have used to achieve what they have wanted in the past.

It just goes to show you that one person’s definition of protest is another person’s definition of chaos. I am an independent who held my nose and voted for Kerry, but I think it is very interesting that altho the left is very vocal when it comes to their right to protest, when those same tactics are used against them they call it unfair.

Maybe someone should do a video about that.

You think these town hall meetings are one-sided? Really?

It’s New York. I don’t think we needed to put a disclaimer saying people are a little left-leaning.

@Kevin Gotkin, I was really referring to your “town hall” video, but I should have said those that appear to be one sided get the criticism. I love NY, especially NYC, but I agree it is a “little” left-leaning. BTW, I never said I agreed or disagreed with what the protesters are saying, I am only defending their right to say it and to be heard.

I wonder why the MSM that is complaining that only the shouting matches are being covered, don’t cover the ones that don’t have shouting matches and are expressing both sides of the health care issue? They aren’t being forced to only show the shouting matches, they choose to cover them. I don’t think anyone is covering the ones without “animated” protesters, but I would like to see them. One dissenter at the Obama town hall meeting is not what I am talking about either.