Monday, April 23, 2012

A hive of industry...

Friday, ProtestKid and I helped hand out almost 1,000 copies of Occuprint's Strike paper outside Ditmars Blvd Station. I stood quietly and held them out, but ProtestKid was an outreach natural, "Have you heard about May 1st?" he asked people, handing them the paper. "It's free!" he'd cajole, walking backwards and turning it around at puzzled commuters, "Look, it even has funny cats on the back!"

He chased people down-- every single person getting off the N & Q train at Ditmars Blvd, on the exit we stood at, had to consider whether they wanted to say, "No, thank you," to ProtestKid or not. At least twice, after he had trouble taking No for an answer, I'd pull him back verbally, "You have to stop when they say no, ProtestKid," and they'd turn, look at me, and change their minds. The other times, they usually at least smiled gratefully at me... So it was still a positive Occupy experience for everyone.

Also, he pursued kids in particular, which I would not have thought to do. (Because really, it's creepy for adults to do that. Don't do that) and they would smile at him and take the paper and I think most of them at least read the funny cat cartoons. Which is as much as I expected from the adults, so...

ProtestKid ran non-stop for almost two hours, one paper at a time, one interaction, one smile, one intense discussion on the merits of lolcats and strikes and the 99% at a time, "Take two!" he said to the gypsy cab drivers who grinned at him and kept saying no until finally they gave in and took three. "Take one for a friend!" he enthused at the preening teenagers outside McDonalds. And they did.

I thought I would post about the beautiful and functional linen scarves/headwraps/handkerchiefs I made Sunday and today, but really it was nothing compared with his boundless enthusiasm Friday evening.

Here's to ProtestKid, and the future I hope he earns for himself and all the other kids.

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