Need help with poster for Millions Missing event

ahimsa

ahimsa

Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Hi,

I have everything ready for the Sunday Millions Missing event except one item.

I want to create a poster to put up near our table. I ended up getting a tri-fold display board that will stand on its own (Digression - I was going to use plain piece of poster board but when I tried leaning it against our table I saw how easily it could slip down or fall over. And I didn't want to tape it to the table).

I'd love to get some ideas for what to put on the poster!

The main surface area is 20 x 28 inches (50.8 x 71.1 cm) with two side pieces that fold out.
TriFoldDispayBoard.jpg
I'm not sure whether I'll have enough time/energy/ideas to draw on those small side pieces so I'm focusing on the central area for now. It's white and I'm going to use colored markers/sharpies (mostly black and red, maybe also blue and green?)

I'm no good at drawing! That means words & numbers, facts and figures. But if you have ideas for things that are easy to draw I might consider them.

I know I want to include "free bookmarks" - people always like free stuff! :D

I want some sort of main title to announce who we are. And I want to be able to use this poster again at future events so other information should be general stuff that won't get out of date.

So, what would draw people walking into the library over to our table? Any ideas? I'm sure I won't be able to use all the ideas but please don't hold back - let's brainstorm!

My question is this - What would make a person who knows nothing about ME want to get closer to find out what's on my table?

Thanks!
 
If you want people to be attracted to find out what it's about, maybe put something a bit cryptic. When I wrote a blog post about ME I called it 'This could happen to you'.
Here's an off the top of the head suggestion.

ME/CFS

Mystery illness

It could happen to you

Find out more here

Free bookmarks
 
Whatever you thought you knew about ME ...
... you are probably WRONG!

People with ME just get very tired, like everyone else ...
... wrong! Even small amounts of exercise can leave people as if they ran a full marathon.

etc., etc.

Maybe with some scientist quotes like those comparing HIV sufferers to pwME, etc., etc.

But each paragraph following the same format/rythm ...
People with ME blah blah ...
... wrong! Punchline ...
 
Thanks for all the ideas .... keep them coming! :heart:

I like the idea of being a little bit vague on the poster - lure them in closer so they can pick up some info. :)

FYI, my event is in the USA. While I absolutely love that quote from Carol Monahan, and other statements that came out of that session (is that the right word? maybe it was called a debate?), I'm thinking the average American will not be impressed by a quote from an MP in the UK.

Also, I'm not planning to mention the PACE trial or CBT/GET or other issues. Too much detail for random passers-by to absorb. I'm just not feeling up to doing something that's like a protest. I just want to talk with folks and hand out information. As it is I'm worried it will be too hot for me and I'll have to cut the event quite short. We'll see.

I am happy that finally I can reference the CDC without worrying that they will have CBT/GET on their website. Some folks are wary of medical information from non-profit groups and they want to know what the government says.

Anyway, having a phrase about how serious this is seems like a good idea. What do you think about Elizabeth Unger's description, "America's hidden health crisis"? The article is from 2017 but seems pretty good:

https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2017/05/me-cfs/
 
@ahimsa, I don't have ME, my wife does. I was once what I call the innocently uninformed, who I believe are the people you want to draw in. I think it is essential to not view this through the prism of the fully enlightened and informed. To me "America's hidden health crisis" is valid, but very dry, and a headline common enough to not catch someone's eye as they pass by. It is akin to walking down a busy high street, full of shop windows, each one trying to make you pause as you walk along, even if you did not intend to pause and look. Which is why I said what I did. You need something that catches attention, just long enough to intrigue them sufficiently to know a bit more. Maybe something daft like having a toilet pan (just the pan, not the whole thing!) on the stand, with a big notice saying something like "The health of millions of Americans' is being flushed down the pan!" Etc, etc.
 
Barry said:
I was once what I call the innocently uninformed, who I believe are the people you want to draw in.
Click to expand...

So true! I tried to get at that idea when I said, "... what would draw people walking into the library over to our table? Any ideas?"

I do realize that I'm trying to draw in folks who know little to nothing about ME. And even those who think they know something probably "know" the wrong things. I agree with your underlying assumption.

That said, people are different. Some are drawn to emotional appeals, some to scandal/politics, some to scientific displays (that's me, nothing specific to ME, just my personality), some to artistic displays, and so on.

I can't please all these groups, obviously! I'm just hoping to come up with something eye catching and intriguing enough to get some folks to walk over. :)

Also, whatever I put on the poster has to be an angle that I'm comfortable talking about when they walk over. If I try to play up a "scandal" angle, or try to play gotcha ("You think you know about ME? You're wrong!") it is simply not going to work.

First of all, with my brain fog, I'm lucky if I can make a complete sentence. I might seem reasonably coherent here on the forum (or maybe not;)). But in real life? Not at all.

Often I can't even answer yes/no questions! (My brain overloads with all this detail and corner cases/exceptions. My poor husband is so patient...)

Second, I don't want to stir up any animosity in strangers. Just walking down the road in Portland my husband has been told, "Go back to your own country!" Some folks have yelled, "Terrorist!" I don't want to stir up any fears/angers that may already be in their subconscious mind (implicit bias).

And if someone who approaches our table happens to get confrontational ("Scandal? Are you criticizing our government?!" etc) then I am toast. So, I definitely don't want to go down that road.

I do support and respect all those wonderful people who are willing to do these type of confrontational protests! But it's not a good fit for my husband and myself.

:heart: Anyway, thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas! :heart:

This thread is helping me get over that feeling of not knowing where to start when looking at a blank white poster.
 
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@ahimsa : How about something like: "Look at ME - tomorrow it could be YOU"

That would be the angle that ME can happen to anyone - any age, any race, any social class, so nothing controversial in that. Could be followed up with that that's why we need much more research: to cure the ones affected but also to find the cause so maybe others, like YOU, won't ever get it.
 
Ravn said:
@ahimsa : How about something like: "Look at ME - tomorrow it could be YOU"

That would be the angle that ME can happen to anyone - any age, any race, any social class, so nothing controversial in that. Could be followed up with that that's why we need much more research: to cure the ones affected but also to find the cause so maybe others, like YOU, won't ever get it.
Click to expand...
That is by far the most compelling argument.

People were terrified of AIDS, and with good reason, but you could actually take steps to protect yourself. Not with ME, there is nothing whatsoever that will protect you as far as we know (and damn would it be useful to know about that). Tomorrow, you could be on a path to lose everything important in your life and there is a single thing you can do to lower the odds: end the damn denial. And the loss isn't even just material, you will likely lose everyone you know and love as well, in the worst possible way: they won't even love you anymore, they will cast you out like a broken clock.

People spend hundreds, thousands even, per year insuring themselves against disasters that pale in comparison, both in terms of loss and probability. Even the most thorough and accelerated program to make effective change would be at most about the cost of a single coffee. It's just stupid to reject it.
 
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