To most effectively employ this point of strategy, I think where we would get the biggest bang for our buck is through standing together under the umbrella of one or both of our national nudist organizations, either The Naturist Society or the American Association for Nude Recreation. Become a member, encourage other nudists you know to become a member and get active. Writing a check and putting another membership card into your wallet or purse is not enough. Seek opportunities to get involved within the framework of one of the national organizations. As I’ve said before, I’m not the activist type in the sense that I’m not likely to join in a public nudity protest and risk being fined, arrested or imprisoned. I think those who do engage in this kind of “in your face” activities do have their hearts in the right place and have the best of intentions, but I think these kinds of demonstrations are really counter-productive to our cause. They offend people and really only serve I think to make nudists look like a bunch of wild-eyed, extremist nut cases. Extremism has never been well tolerated in American society. Even though patriotism is foundational to the American experience, even extreme displays of patriotism are likely to garner public criticism and even the negative attention of governmental agencies. But when any group stands together in large numbers and presents a unified front, people take notice. One need only look to history and see how effective was the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Rights Movement to see why naturists and nudists need to bid a speedy farewell to our past failed strategy of individualism and get it together as a group. This means not just those that have the desire to engage in social nudity but home nudists as well should secure membership in TNS or AANR. As far as getting actively involved, there are many less extreme things we can do than participating in public nudity demonstrations. Both TNS and AANR offer free printed material that can be handed out or posted in public venues. You can support organizations like the Naturist Action Committee and the Naturist Education Foundation with your checkbook. You can get involved with the national organizations by offering, no demanding some innovative changes. For one thing, when you look at the web sites of both TNS and AANR you find an awful lot of stuff, but I can tell you from personal experience, if you are interested in joining, you really have to look hard to find membership information. It’s almost as if they are apologetic for offering memberships. I think they need to make some changes to their own models of doing business. Membership should be the most stressed and highly visible part of their web site presentation. Not only information about how to join but why it benefits you to join. Join one of the many nudist social networking sites and use the forums to post cogent and well articulated arguments for why being a national nudist organization member makes good sense for all nudists. If you are open about your status as a naturist or nudist and given to public speaking, you could contact local non-nudist social and fraternal organizations and offer to serve as a guest speaker at one of their meetings where you would have the opportunity to present naturism and nudism in a positive way to groups largely ignorant of what our lifestyle is all about. I think you might be surprised by how receptive some of these groups might be to such overtures. Not all of course, but some. If you are a member of The Naturist Society and regularly receive their excellent magazine, Nude and Natural, you could do something as simple as leaving your copy in the reception area of your local dentist or doctor’s office or other public area after you have finished reading it. Yes, perhaps it might be thrown out as soon as it is discovered but perhaps a few people might read too.
If you are a business owner, you could consider if appropriate, including AANR and TNS printed materials in your product packaging, providing low or no cost product rebates and discount coupons that AANR and TNS could use as a membership benefit or premium, provide links to AANR and TNS on your business web site, donate a product or collectible for use in AANR and TNS recruitment campaigns, make a cash contribution to help TNS and AANR fund membership development through direct marketing and web outreach or donate advertising space in magazines, catalogs, web sites or on any television show you produce or are associated with. Come to think of it when is the last time you saw a television ad for TNS or AANR? Think never! Both organizations could easily come up with tasteful advertisements that could be acceptable and non-offensive to anyone that could help get our message out and likely it is lack of financial resources that prevents them from doing so. Yes, the Internet is largely taking dominance when it comes to advertising these days but there is still plenty of room for effective outreach through television and radio spots. Doesn’t it seem obvious how this could really boost a more mainstream perspective for naturists and nudists? I admit to being more than a bit enamored with the effectiveness of the National Rifle Association model for furthering their Second Amendment rights agenda and they employ many of the same methods I have just suggested to wildly successful effect. We as naturists and nudists could do far worse than copying their model to further our First Amendment rights agenda. In summary the keys to successful employment of Overwhelming Power is organizational membership and active participation. Similarly to the real “Shock and Awe” battlefield concept, imposing this overwhelming level of power against the adversaries of social nudity on an immediate and sufficiently timely basis could allow us to seize the initiative with respect to public opinion and so paralyze and overload our adversary's perceptions and understanding of events that they might be rendered incapable of resistance at the tactical and strategic levels.
Next Installment - Shock and Awe Part 3: Dominant Battlefield Awareness
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