by Art Chantry ( art@artchantry.com)
one of those really interesting and marvelous things that has emerged from the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations has been what the media has dubbed ‘the human megaphone’. everybody loves it. if (for some strange reason) this movement fails to survive, it will always be remembered for this extraordinary inspiration. teabagging ain’t got nothin’ on a human megaphone.
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it’s one of those simple genius idea/designs that emerged from necessity. when people wanted to be heard in such a large crowd, we usually resort to a bullhorn (and electronically amplified megaphone). but, the city of new york outlawed bullhorns in large crowds (noise pollution or some such nonsense.) so, the erstwhile community response was to do one of those touchy-feeley (how’s that working for ya now, sarah?) stupid ideas that worked like a charm. the individual speaking says what they want to say and the crowd within earshot simply repeats what he says – all in unison! the result is the message is spread throughout the crowd. sure, it’s awkward and slow and a little silly. but, it actually works! when you ain’t got nuthin’ you ain’t got nuthin’ to lose. and let’s not forget: when all you have is lemons, make lemonade. this sort of invention brings to mind a bazillion silly homilies. it’s just too perfect.
but, the human megaphone has precedent. in the distant primordial past, these same problems were overcome in similar inventive ways by groups simply wanting to speak and be heard. in fact, the original megaphone (not the human version) was just such an invention. same with amplification of any sort. we’re all monkeys and we love noise. when we speak we want to be heard above the din.
just after the the russian revolution of 1917, there were suddenly an enormous number of people desperately asking for information about what was going on in their new culture ‘of the people’. they didn’t know what to do or where to go or who did what. they were extremely hungry for news. the fact that most of them were illiterate and penniless, having grown up under a feudal system where education was reserved for the rich elite made things even worse. there began a practice of reading the daily newspapers aloud in crowds of listeners.
as this phenomenon gradually grew and became popularized, the ‘living newspapers’ evolved beyond just reading the news to actually performing the news. first it was posters and props and diagrams on stage to help explain things more easily. but soon it became dramatizations of that news in monologues and sketches and speeches. soon the old hoary stand-by of music was applied as well. it’s as if traveling troubadors singing their stories actually became a news medium (in fact, i guess they were).
the theater companies got sucked into this process actually carrying convenient portable sheets – ‘sets’ – that could be quickly and easily repainted with new information even at the last minute (like the image above). the “talking heads” (literally) would roll it out and do their stuff. not only did it get the daily news across, it also became a wonderful way to control that information. the propaganda applications come naturally as the groups simply told the stories they wanted to tell in the way they wanted it heard. it was the fox news of the soviet revolution.
so, when i saw this wonder ‘human megaphone’ of the Occupy crowds in use, i immediately reflected back on this earlier example of a similar solution. those who have power want to control how we think. but because we’re all big naked monkeys, we will always gibber among ourselves and create new ideas that spread. it’s nature of language. it’s our true genius. it’s also our saving grace.
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