Each city's action has also invited controversy and debate about tactics and strategy. In that spirit, I have written about some ways to sharpen future mass direct action scenarios. We can fully appreciate the hard work and sacrifice that has gone into each of these recent experiments and still act on our freedom to make different choices for next time as we learn more about how to make social change in the twenty-first century. And even though I write about the future and use some of this year's examples, I've also woven in direct action examples from the past in order to honor our ancestors and to reduce the near-sightedness that comes from only knowing about the activist culture immediately around us. If they repress us, they put themselves in a bad light, and the public is educated about our message.
Many examples can inspire our creativity.
Some campaigns to save old-growth trees have set up these dilemmas. If, for example, the protesters are allowed to sit in the trees, the trees are saved. If the protesters are stopped violently, the public is educated and new allies can be won. African American students in the South were very creative with such tactics, for example sitting at the lunch counter asking for coffee. If they were served, racism took a hit.