Advocacy with a Side of Laughter and TMI

From Laughs to Advocacy
The Better World Campaign could have gotten all indignant about this Daily Show piece. Instead, they are using Jon Stewart’s popularity to their advantage. Smart. The head of a state association of park and recreation managers said some members had asked her to encourage a boycott of the show “Parks and Recreation” when it premiered in 2009. She said “No, we’ll just look like we don’t have a sense of humor. Let’s use it as a hook to talk about why parks are so important.” We say: good call. But then—APEP loves Amy Poehler, so…

Hunger is not a Game…
Fact: $214 million dollars. That’s how much The Hunger Games made last weekend. As this frenzy continues, the good folks at Oxfam and the Harry Potter Alliance are hoping to use the tremendous momentum behind the movie to draw support for their GROW campaign against global hunger. The catchline?  “Hunger is not a game.” Turning the average moviegoer into an advocate is a huge challenge; let’s see if this campaign moves the needle.

The “Virginia” Monologues: Now Playing on Facebook
If you follow Virginia state politics, you’re surely aware of HB462, the bill signed by Gov. McDonnell earlier this month requiring an ultrasound before women are eligible for an abortion. In response, women’s rights advocates took to the street…and to Facebook. Activists quickly began posting on the Facebook pages of Republican state lawmakers some…umm…rather intimate details about their health. Call it TMI advocacy. They’re taking legislators to the ob-gyn, one uncomfortably candid posting at a time. Kudos, ladies!