Our own Jazz Hands Club is planning a “silent protest” against Big Oil this Saturday, October 15th. I’m a little confused, because one of their other supposed causes is high unemployment. I’m not sure how trying to shut down an industry that supplies, directly or indirectly, about 50% of the jobs in our area helps, but whatever.
Energy Day is sponsored the big oil companies responsible for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and for building the Keystone XL Pipeline, a potential serious environmental disaster running from Alberta, Canada right into our backyard! Valero and other oil refining companies are seeking a tax refund to the tune of $135million to cover the cost of hydrotreating equipment to reduce pollution. This refund is coming from our property taxes. Money meant for schools may go to large oil companies to cover these costs! We need to educate festival goers that there are serious threats to our planet, local tax money wasted, and a serious corruption chain behind big oil!
Big Oil hates children! And pollution! Oh…wait.
Every Jazz Hands event must be heavy on symbolism. This one is no different:
We will march the perimeter of the festival in white shirts and red bandannas or $1 bills over our mouths. Why do we cover our mouths? Why are we silent? Because the 99% of the citizens in this country do not have a voice in this country! Why do we wear white? It’s the opposite of black, the color of oil, and a symbol of the corruption and collusion rampant in the big energy industry.
Black is the color of corruption??? Racists!!! Jazz Hands are racist!!!
Thankfully our Houston Chapter made sure to get their Orwellian hand signals down pat at the General Assembly last night. Nothing worse than a mob of trendy hipsters running around flashing random hand signals willy-nilly while the Human Megaphone is trying to get its act together:
Hand signals
- Hands raised to either side with fingers up, wriggling fingers (jazz hands, some call it) -also the sign for ‘applause’ in sign language. This is used to show that you agree with the speaker, and is also used when a proposal is being presented, as as measurement of consensus
- Hands held out in front in a SO-SO gesture means you’re not loving the proposal, but you don’t have a big problem with it either.
- Hands held out in front (similar to above) but hanging downward, rotating back and forth. This means that you really disagree with the proposal or statement a speaker is making, but (in the case of a proposal) are are not so strongly opposed that you will Move To Amend (the X symbol)
- Point of INFORMATION- This IS NOT to be used for questions and not for opinions, not matter how pressing yours might be! a Point of Information is only to be used when something being said is lacking a critical piece of factual/empirically based information, or if the basic facts being presented are not accurate.
- Point of PROCESS- Holding fingers and thumbs to form a TRIANGLE. This means we are not sticking to adopted PROCEDURE. For example, if someone held their hands up in the POINT OF INFORMATION signal but starts rambling about their opinions, this signal can be used to express this opinion. The moderator *might* at that time direct the speaker to add themselves to the STACK to have a turn to speak their opinions.
- WRAP IT UP / DO YOU HAVE A POINT?- Rolling the hands one over the other in front of oneself, as though to say “let’s keep things rolling”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.