Success History of Raging Grannies - Essay Example

Number: TA Raging Grannies Raging grannies are a group of older women that battle social and political challenges with humor, songs and dynamic actions in North America. On many occasions, they have generated reactions from authorities when they inflict giggles from unsuspecting audiences. This group comprised of colorful old women over the age of 60. They advocate various issues regarding peace, the environment, women and other social justice issues (Carole, 2007). These old women (grannies) don colorful costumes such as shawls, skirts and hat that have various decorations when they while they recognize themselves as feisty grandmothers. They organize peaceful protests and sing their political messages in places such as shopping malls, city halls, armed forces recruiting centers where they stage anti-globalization demonstrations. Furthermore,they have perfected the art of humor to draw the attention of the public and authorities to various issues that afflict the society (Sawchuk, 2013). Evidently, these women are feminists that use satirical protest to advance their mission of social justice. In this regard, this paper explores the major strategies that raging grannies employ in fulfilling their mission. Raging grannies insist that they do not entertain the public with their humor, but actually seek to advance various interventions regarding the issues in question. Incidentally, they have a powerful mission that reads: “Hey, look over, Grannies proud and strong Time to hear our voices, Time to hear our song Silent for too long, Speaking up at last ‘Cause now the earth Is crying out... Hear the Grannies’ voice sing!” (Carole, 2007) The voices of raging grannies transcend the borders of North America. Moreover,they have a powerful determination to rally the world towards embracing the best practices in order to mend the broken social fabric. In this regard, they have spread to other countries. They usually dress up in clothes that betray the stereotypes of older women. Thus, they have had a long history of attention from journalists. History of Raging Grannies Raging grannies first came into focus in Victoria, BC in 1987 (Caissie, 2011, 126-142). Evidently, they had registered various frustrations regarding societal ills such as sexism and ageism that existed in the society. Incidentally, past traditional modes of protesting did not bear any fruit. Thus, these women decided to exploit various forms of protesting to raise the attention to the issues that were of great concern. Consequently, they gathered on Valentine’s Day and presented an oversized card to the chairman of the federal defense committee (Sawchuck, 2009). This presentation was in protest of the nuclear policies in Canada. The protests went on for a long time and culminated in protests about issues such as housing, child poverty and self determination for indigenous people. As a result, the movement gained international repute and spread through the United States, Israel, U.K. Japan, Australia and Greece. It is of importance to note that raging grannies is mosly composed of white people from the middle class category. The rules and policies do not allow men to join the movement. However, spouses of the protesting women have occasionally been seen when they take part in reciting the protestation lyrics. The members of this group possess certain experience in life issues, advanced age and wisdom. They continue to advance various issues that they deem important to their mission and cause. Furthermore, they share songs and support through various media such as newsletters, websites and electronic mailing systems. Incidentally, raging grannies do not have a centralized system through which they advance their activities owing to their spread in various part of the word (Narushima, 2009). Consequently, they have organized themselves into various groups that enjoy relative autonomy as they focus on issues affecting individual countries. This autonomy enables the groups to organize its resources and networking via various platforms. Such networks are supported by various views and ideas of other groups when they are shared through the internet. The grannies value the tradition of women and have taken the risk of justice and peace. For example, the mothers of Russia took to the streets to demand food for children in 1900 when their children were suffering from hunger. In 1970, the mothers of Plaza de Mayo stared down a military officer that had killed their sons and daughters, brothers and as well as husbands in Argentina. In South Africa, the women resisted pass laws in 1950 while Chilean women made artworks to heal their hearts in reaction to the horrors that had been meted upon the people of Chile by the autocratic Pinochet regime (Carole, 2007). Understanding the Strategy These grannies have created distinctive uniforms that give them a sense of collective identity. Furthermore, they wear smiles that pose no harm, outrageous hats, frilly aprons and pink running shoes to enhance their visibility. Their display of matronly dignity is seen when they wear long white gloves and patent leather. This innocent display of their figure allows them to speak out and express themselves more freely. They come out as tough and highly opinionated and simply say what they think. This strategy works out for them because older ladies are usually perceived to be silent, warm and often irrelevant in contributing in the national discourse (Hill, 2000). Their costumes signify some level of playfulness that arrests the onlooker imagination as they enter the realm of the play. Another strategy that works for these women is their niche in relaying a special story that has social and political roots in the eyes of white women. In this regard, they display a feminist performance that carries an ability to mix various elements. Furthermore, they sing in unison and remain conscious of what they regard as their deepest commitments (Sawchuk, 2013). These women display the bravado of warriors that would not be deterred or threatened while championing their ideology. Moreover, they draw links between peace and social justice regarding the spending by government and corporate outfits. For example, a song dubbed “Taxes for schools carry” the message below: Taxes for schools, we are for Taxes for weapons never more Tax breaks for poor folks we are for Loopholes for Lockhead, never more Healthcare for all, we are for Weapons for war, never more A living wage, we are for Corporate welfare, never more (Carole, 2007) Evidently, the women employ a unique strategy that enables them to achieve their intentions. In this regard, they show up in various occasions without being invited. Furthermore, they join various activists at demonstrations and crash military recruitment centers as well as government proceedings. For example, the Ottawa grannies stormed the seat of the Canadian federal government (Caissie, 2011, 126-142). They are equally very firm when confronted to explain some of their actions and remain adamant that they will go where they have not been invited to rally the world attention to their grievances. These women have been arrested by various authorities but the arrests have only served to fortify their feminist ideologies. They have remained loyal to their innermost convictions about their mission. The Raging Grannies use their grandmother identity as a protective function for themselves and the activists. They take refuge in their dressing as grandmothers that provide a buffer zone between them and the police. Consequently, some of them have escaped police arrests. Incidentally, they believe that nobody should put an old lady in handcuffs and that doing so would pose a public relations nightmare for the police. Raging grannies exploit grandmother identity as a powerful way of transmitting the messages compared to other traditional forms of activism (Hill, 2000). Many grannies believe that it is easier to get their points across in this movement than in other movements because grannies are not valued in other movements. This strategy has seen them achieve some of their missions in the various countries they are present. The use of humor has worked out well for raging grannies. These are always humorous and unpredictable. In this regard, they use humor to attract people while they pass their message. This strategy gets people gathering around them rather than run away from them. In so doing, they can pass various pieces of information to many people. They treat serious topics with wit and silly tricks that offer them a winning combination. Consequently, they are effective in employing serious humor trick to persuade people. This trick is supported by Granny Alma Norman, who believes that people are more likely to respond to ridicule than head-attacks. She believes that nobody desires to be mocked or laughed at (Sawchuck, 2009). In this regard, presenting something in a more humorous manner gets under the skin of most people. Serious talks only bear justifications and counter-responses that often deviate from the expected outcome. In a nut shell, Raging grannies have come out clearly as feminist advocates for social justice. Their efforts have gained influence throughout the world. It is, therefore, proper for various government agencies to respond to the call and establish mechanisms that can guarantee effective social change reinforce the concept of sustainable development. Bibliography Caissie, Linda. "The Raging Grannies: Narrative construction of gender and aging." Storying later life: Issues, investigations, and interventions in narrative gerontology (2011): 126-142. Carole, Roy. When Wisdom Sparks Fly: Raging Grannies Perform Humor as a Protest. 2007 Hill, Linda. The Raging Grannies: Personal Attributes of Older Women Involved in Population Education for Social Change. 2000: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/14484/1/MQ53315.pdf (Accessed on 23/11/2014) Narushima, Miya. A gaggle of raging grannies: the empowerment of older Canadian women through social activism. International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2009 Sawchuk, Dana. Peace Profile. The Raging Grannies: A journal of Justice. London, Routledge. 2013 Sawchuk, Dana. The Raging of Grannies: Defying Stereotypes and Embracing Aging. Journal of Women and Aging. London. Routledge. 2009 Read More