"... I hope they still admire their courage," Walton said.

Standing around complaining about stuff takes courage?

Only in the Bay Area.

USA,
It takes courage to stand in front of your community and take a stand on controversial issues. They are doing more than "standing around complaining about stuff", they have organized a group to make their voices heard and now have a documentary premier showcasing their efforts. It definitely takes more courage to be a Raging Granny than writing snide remarks with a anonymous name.

PROTESTING only gets you heard....it nevers solves the problem. Don't just protest. Invest the time and get involved in changing or fixing the problem you see.

If you're upset about a new law then get involved by changing the legistation. If you're upset about the condition of a neighborhood then get involved in cleaning it up. If you're upset about human rights violations then report what you see to law enforcement or get involved in developing laws that prevent it. Do something ...don't just match in the street and cause more problems.

PROTESTING only gets you heard....it nevers solves the problem. Don't just protest. Invest the time and get involved in changing or fixing the problem you see.

If you're upset about a new law then get involved by changing the legistation. If you're upset about the condition of a neighborhood then get involved in cleaning it up. If you're upset about human rights violations then report what you see to law enforcement or get involved in developing laws that prevent it. Do something ...don't just match in the street and cause more problems.

The Raging Grannies are awesome! I can't wait to see the movie!

Well, you got me on that one. Anonymous posts are the lowest form of protest, but walking down the street carrying a sign is the second lowest form. It is easy to do, and in this area it is hardly controversial. The granny's clownish behavior only weakens their message. The fact that someone would film them and try to show it as if it was serious material is just plain sad.

There are serious problems in the world and real people giving their all in a climate of real danger. This isn't one of those cases.

Well I can assure the readers that the members of the Raging Grannies do a lot of the usual volunteer activities. Many of them have been doing so for years, maybe even before their critics were born. Workng at fool closets, lobbying legislatiors, phonebanking, gathering signatures, registeering voters, and walking precincts to pass good laws or defeat bad ones, -probably a lot more work than their critics have ever done.
That said, with the media in the hands of a few giant corporations a lot of issues are misrepresented or not covered at all. That is where all the street action comes in. Those signs and lyrics are the fruit of a lot of research and thought. And since a lot of folks live in a state of denial, it may well take humor and and song and dance to convey the less known and often not so cheerful facts.

Oops I spotted some typos in my comment. Yes, I do know how to spell "food" and "register" Oh well.

Frances -- If so, it is all that more foolish that they throw away that real work with the clownish public behavior.

(I won't see your typos if you don't see mine.)

USA, 'clownish behavior' has a long history as an important, effective part of social protest-- start with the court jesters of old, move on to the Boston Tea Party, humorous folk songs of the last 2-3 centuries, segments of the anti-Vietnam war movement, the earliest gay-rights activists, all the best stand-up comics in my lifetime, etc, etc etc. All effective, all silly, and as American as the proverbial apple pie. Combine that with the tangible grassroots work done by the Grannies and you have a group with the ability and willingness to make a difference.

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