I think Rudd’s point is, does spectacle convince those who aren’t already part of the cause to join? Medea with a banner in Congress or Greenpeace chasing a whaling ship or ANSWER doing a mass march - these may help build your ranks, but those folks already were on your side.

A real mass movement needs to convince the centrists and even those formerly hostile to you.

Bob, have you looked at Stephen Duncombe’s book,
“Dream: Re-imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy”? He makes the case for a political strategy that embraces a new set of tools, since fantasy and spectacle dominate popular culture. Learning from Las Vegas, however, does not mean adopting its values. Duncombe outlines plans for an “ethical spectacle.”

Greenpeace, Critical Mass, and CodePink come to mind as groups who have used spectacle effectively in organizing.

Lisa in LA