Under the "Doesn't work" category, file pretty much any form of street protest in an area where the rule of law and democracy is felt by the populace (i.e. America, as opposed to some third-world dictatorship).


The few street protests which make a difference are those that keep their message on-target; Cindy Sheehan's diluted her message quite a bit, and her impact has waned accordingly. Inviting in outside groups (Particularly those, such as ANSWER and UFPJ, that have proto-communist agendas) is never helpful.


One of the few protests which has worked well, from a PR standpoint, is the "pink slips" protest in Times Square NYC; a few thousand people silently holding up pink slips in protest of outsourcing.

Of course, even an effective protest like that one still contains next to zero meaningful discussion of the issue itself, but it's good for swinging a popularity point or two.

Activism isn't necessarily where it's at these days.