Canadian activist. I have a friend who is working in Toronto.

[alfredo]

And she is having a bit of culture shock. She is used to in your face, up close and personal style we have here. Here in Ky we just walk up to people and engage them. She found that the people there didn't seem to like that approach. What works best for the street activist in Toronto?

BTW, She's working for Forest Ethics. http://www.forestethics.org/

edited to add link

[amitten]

1. Maybe she should wear a tree costume.

Who doesn't love a friendly tree?

[alfredo]

3. I could see her doing some street theater.

She's fearless, and has a strong Anarchist streak.

She's from Alberta and it appears it is a different culture. Much of her recent political training has been with Green Corps. The bulk of her work has been in the south.

[screembloodymurder]

10. Yea, with three leaves.

Sex sells.

[Lautremont]

2. She should pretend she's scalping tickets to Borat.

But seriously, as a Canadian, I can confirm not much liking the in-your-face approach. But an alternative? Maybe just gearing down a bit and picking the right target - Bay Street ought to have plenty of them. Alpha types in suits.

[alfredo]

4. I should ask her about Ali G.

She's a Palestinian Jew.

How do activist get their word out in Toronto. What is the approach?

Here in Lexington. I buttonhole people, I stand on planters and seats testifying at the top of my voice. I have a clipboard surgically implanted. The back seat of my car is full of fliers, yard signs, staple guns, tape signs, magic markers and stickers.

I guess the people of Toronto are more reserved. I don't know.

[TlalocW]

5. Well, I was going to suggest

Offering free back bacon and tuques.

TlalocW

[alfredo]

6. Or some good back yard

bud.

[breakaleg]

7. If she's out on the street trying to pitch something to passers-by

or similar, I'm afraid she has her work cut out for her.

In Toronto, they are just considered an annoyance and ignored. Sorry, no advice.

[alfredo]

8. How do they do it. What works to spread the word?

How are people informed of issues? Is there a medium they tend to use?

[Lisa]

9. Toronto does have a nonconformist streak ...

But it tends to be hidden. The city may not be ruled by the old Protestant elites and the Orange Lodge (and the notorious "blue laws" which cracked down on booze and even Sunday shopping) -- but the "Toronto reserve" is still present. Some areas of the town played host to hippies and arts communities in the 60s and 70s, so it may be important to choose the right place if one wants a more enthusiastic reception. And since Torontonians like to see themselves as sophisticated and cosmopolitan, appealing to that side of the city's personality can't hurt.

[alfredo]

11. She has tapped into the some of the sub culture.

She relayed an incident on the subway. She hurt her foot and is using a cane. There were no seats and she had to stand. None of the young men gave her a seat. That was depressing, but a big Italian woman told her to come over and sit on her lap. So she rode to her stop on a very comfortable lap of a kind lady.

I think she just needs to take the time to learn the culture.

[Lisa]

12. that's so sweet!

As a Western/Prairie Canadian (I think you said she was from Alberta originally?), no doubt she has noticed a lot of differences. I was waiting for the bus in my hometown of Hamilton (the next city over from Toronto) when a young woman blurted out to me that she was amazed by how quiet Ontarians are. She was from Winnipeg, and was used to complete strangers making conversation as they stood in line. (When I did eventually visit Winnipeg, I found out that this is indeed true -- several people said hello to me, in my first few minutes downtown.)

I suspect that the young men didn't even think of offering her a seat -- it's not that they saw her and decided to be rude, but they could have been looking right at her and she just didn't register. I confess that even after living on the west coast for more than a decade, I still have times when I zone out on the bus and just don't notice that there is someone who is elderly, handicapped, or carrying a burden who would appreciate a chance to sit down. (And even in Victoria, a city where people routinely thank the driver as they get off the bus, they had to put up a sign reminding riders to give up their seats.)

There's a rather funny anecdote about an experiment carried out on a TTC bus in the 1950s or 60s, by the actor Christopher Plummer, and one of his pals. (I forget the other man's name, but it's described in Max Ferguson's autobiography.) The two guys pretended they were a couple of yokels visiting Toronto for the first time, and kept reminding each other that they had to get off at Grosvenor. As the bus neared the stop, they blissfully stared out the windows of the bus, remarking loudly that if they didn't meet their friend at Grosvenor, they would miss out on the chance to do all the exciting things they had planned that day. Apparently the other passengers began to clear their throats, shuffle their feet agitatedly, etc., but nobody actually piped up and told them that they should get off! Plummer charitably said that he felt it proved that Torontonians are NOT as callous and unfeeling as other parts of the country claim they are, because when they finally wound up their prank and got off the bus, still in character, the other passengers were too embarrassed to look them in the eye!

[alfredo]

13. She needs to put aside her American political training to some

extent.

I fear she has taken to heart my retail sales approach to politics. For four months she watch how I worked, and other local street activist who use basically the same techniques. To her credit, she quickly understood that our approach doesn't work.

So putting this question out there, I am trying to help her adapt to a different culture.

You painted a very vivid picture of the people up there. Garrison Keillor couldn't have done a better job of describing people.