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Panties for Democracy

Print This Post Print This Post | 10.22.07 | Dina | 9 Comments

Send your panties to Burmese embassies as a sign of protest for the atrocities being committed by the Burmese regime. A new 4BG00376.jpgwave of activism, Panties for Peace - a manoeuvre meant to embarrass and insult the Junta:

“The manoeuvre is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee. Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman’s pants or sarong will make them lose their strength,” Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.”

My friend Ange is in the process of setting up a blog for this too .. one of the pages that’s ready there is a list of Burmese Embassy addresses where you can send in your panties. A great way for women to protest!!!

Brief Edit: conversation in the comments to this post made me reflect .. there is lots for marketers and PR folk to learn from online activism that uses social software so effectively to gather community support - this is just one example. “Technology with heart” is how I’ve described social media in this context earlier!

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9 Comments

  • On 10.22.07 Scott Bauman wrote this:

    Dina,
    Whenever I see stories like this it makes me wish I was doing something more important than B2B PR. I don’t wear woman’s underwear (at least not that I’d admit), but I’ll forward this to people I know. Not just because it’s a great cause, but because it’s a great idea.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Scott

  • On 10.22.07 ange wrote this:

    Thanks Dina! Male underwear most welcome too (including those guys who are shy to say they wear panties, the generals will never know :P)!

    Cheers :)

  • On 10.22.07 Dina wrote this:

    Scott - thanks for your support! They may not know the difference between male and female undies :)

  • On 10.22.07 Scott Bauman wrote this:

    It’s official then. I’ll be sending undies to the generals too!

    Scott

  • On 10.22.07 Dina wrote this:

    Heh!! But seriously, lots for marketers and PR folk to learn from online activism that uses social media so effectively to gather community support - this is just one eg. “Technology with heart” is how i describe it.

  • On 10.22.07 Panties for Democracy | Political news - democrats republicans socialists greens liberals conservatives wrote this:

    […] post by Dina This was written by . Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007, at 1:46 pm. Filed under Politics. […]

  • On 10.22.07 Digital Demystified wrote this:

    They Want Your Undies…

    Over at Conversations with Dina, Dina tells us about an effort to protest the atrocities in Burma. Her post tells about a friend who is encouraging women to send their undies to Burmese embassies to disturb the ruling junta. Apparently,…

  • On 10.28.07 Burma » Blog Archives » Failed Safety Net wrote this:

    […] to Myanmar in Protest www.flickr.com/groups/free_burma www.flickr.com/photos/ripnread/1678744255 dinamehta.com/blog/2007/10/22/panties-for-democracy/ jezebel.com/gossip/panties-for-peace/-312872.php […]

  • On 10.28.07 Burma » Blog Archives » freedom for burma wrote this:

    […] to Myanmar in Protest www.flickr.com/groups/free_burma www.flickr.com/photos/ripnread/1678744255 dinamehta.com/blog/2007/10/22/panties-for-democracy/ jezebel.com/gossip/panties-for-peace/-312872.php […]

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» Word of Mouth - more powerful in Asian countries