The mainstream media often portrays activists working for peace and justice as people on the fringe of society. This is a label that we have to work actively to overcome
There are many stereotypes associated with those involved in the peace movement. The image of the pot-smoking, unemployed hippy springs to mind. While certainly there are those who indeed emobody a lifestyle befitting this stereotype, this is just like any generalization. You can't lump an entire group of people together under one label.
In my local peace planning organization there are people from all walks of life. There are professionals, academics, students, and artists. There are Christians, Jews, Muslims and the non-religious. There are different cultures, ages, styles of dress, tastes in music, there are vegetarians and meat-eaters. Some people smoke, some people drink, some people do neither. Some live very non-traditional kinds of lives, while others are conservative in many ways.
And political views? Don't even get me started! We would probably all be labelled as "left-wing" but "left" covers a variety of viewpoints within. It's almost like a religious group with different denominations that gather together one umbrella.
In essence, it is just like any cross-section of society. What we all share in common is the desire to live in a peaceful world and see an end to war. How we vision accomplishing that end may differ, but peace marches and rallies are about showing solidarity towards this common cause regardless of those differences.
Unfortunately, it is sad when the mainstream media either ignores peace-related events, or reports on them in a way that diminishes their importance. At our demonstration against Canada's occupation of Afghanistan in late October of last year, a few major television stations and newspapers came out. They came too early, left before things really got going, and gave readers and viewers the impression that hardly anyone was there. In contrast, the "Red Friday" that was held showing support to our troops was given much more coverage in a postive light.
The media also has a tendancy to focus on when something goes wrong, such as an incident leading to someone's arrest, or to choose to interview the most pierced people in the bunch. On the other hand, sometimes it is the people who espouse extreme viewpoints who can be the most vocal, and end up being broadcast or quoted in print.
As a result, many people who are sympathetic to the cause of peace are literally scared of getting involved in any organized peace activities. They are afraid how it will reflect upon their lives and have rammifications in their personal and work situations. They may also be afraid of getting arrested or hurt.
The truth is, most peace events are safe, orderly, and attract a wide variety of people. If you are interested in getting involved in the peace movement, don't let the stereotypes keep you away. You might just find out that we're more "normal" than you thought.
