From the beginning, the Raging Grannies were committed to nonviolent and creative protest that often interlaces humor and imagination. In their website is a description of their protest philosophy:

From then on, they wore disarming smiles, increasingly colourful clothing as a parody of stereotypes of older women, wrote witty satirical songs, brought a good dose of irreverence and a dynamic imagination for creative protests in their challenges to authorities. Divesting themselves of an “artificial notion of decorum and dignity” (Walker, 1998) they “reversed cultural expectations by empowering themselves in a society which belittles their experience and point of view” (Burns, 1992, p. 21). The Granny figure allowed older women to claim a public space. They often confounded authorities with their unpredictability and imagination. They once rode to the base in a horse-drawn carriage and carried flowers when a nuclear submarine was in. An article found in a granny’s file, which had no date or publication name or author, said: “Officials at the base had to confer for quite a time about the request. . . . Finally the word came that the flowers couldn’t be taken onto the base” (”Grannies Ride in Style”). Their actions often created ambiguity: why would inoffensive flowers delivered in an inoffensive horse-drawn carriage be refused when submarines containing nuclear arms were allowed in? Their unpredictability disturbed complacency, challenged routines, roles, and assumptions.

In the San Jose Raging Grannies website it is written"

1987: The Raging Grannies were founded in Victoria, British Columbia by a group of peace activists who wanted to increase their effectiveness and impact.

Prominent among their stated aims were these:

* to be non-violent in all activities

* to court the press

* to shock with their unladylike antics to get attention for their issues
* to be independent of any other organization

* to use street theater, humor, satire and props to get their message across.

A big part of a Raging Grannies' protest are the songs that they sing during their protests. The subjects of these songs range from corporate personhood, global warming, single payer health care, to the war in Iraq and Afganistan. They have a Raging Grannies website for their songs, listing over 345 protest songs written by various Raging Grannies from across the nation. Here are some sample Raging Granny songs.

Where Have All the Fishes Gone?

Author: Marcy Matasick, Albuquerque Raging Grannies
Tune: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Where have all the fishes gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the fishes gone?
Long time ago?
Where have all the fishes gone?
Killed by oil spills everyone
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Where have all the oceans gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the oceans gone?
Long time ago?
Where have all the oceans gone?
Turned to toxic crude oil dumps
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Where are all the living things?
Long time passing
Where are all the living things?
Long time ago?
Where are all the living things?
Cooked by global warming
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

How will planet earth survive
This destruction?
How will planet earth survive
Such callous greed?
How will planet earth survive?
Profits matter more than lives
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Single Payer Teachers
Author: Casey Garhart
Tune: Nothing Like a Dame

We’ve got single payer teachers
We’ve got single payer cops
We’ve got single payer heroes
who fight fires without stop
We’ve got fancy cars and houses
and wealth without compare
What ain’t we got?
Single Payer Care!

Canadians get good health care
the British get it too
the French, the Dutch the Germans
just to name a few
But we get health for profit
and there’s an awful smell
What don’t we get?
We don’t get well!

(solo)
insurance companies and pharmaceuticals govern our policies
(solo)
totally oblivious to our own health care . . .realities

(all)
There is nothing like health care!
Nothing in the world!
All we need is Single Payer
to have re-eally good health care
to have re-eally good health care

Rainbow

Author: Catherine Verrall Regina, Sask grans
Tune: Somewhere, Over The Rainbow

In our land there’s a rainbow
People all
Colours lighter and darker
Gay, straight, short & tall
Muslim, Jew & Christian
Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i
First People’s & Newcomers
Rainbows in our sky
It matters not how families form
For Love is Love and that’s the norm
Faith’s leading
It matters not what words we say
Creator, Allah, God
Life’s spirit, heeding
In our land there’s a rainbow
No room for strife
Each one respected & valued
Each a gift of life

Recently Pam Walton of Pam Walton Productions created a 30 minute documentary called Raging Grannies about the San Francisco Bay Area Raging Grannies chapter. Walton focuses on the individual Grannies to get to know them better and to see what motivates them to be a Raging Granny. Dana Sawchuk, Associate Professor of Sociology of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA wrote of the documentary:

This thought-provoking look at the Raging Grannies is funny, inspiring, and surprisingly moving. Viewers can gain valuable insight on the workings of one of the movement's most active chapters, observe a sample of unique Granny protests, and are treated to an incredible series of interviews with individual Grannies. I highly recommend this fascinating documentary for activists and for students at all levels in Sociology, Women's Studies, Community Organizing, and Gerontology.

Since I last saw the Raging Grannies during the health care reform rally, the local Bay Area Raging Grannies have been busy protesting the privacy issues surrounding Facebook, picketed at various Valero gas stations to voice their opposition to the company's support of Proposition 23, protested a Google proposal to set up a two tier internet access, and protested to save the beavers of Martines, California. There are 60 Raging Grannies gaggles all over the U.S. and Canada, including British Columbia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Tucscon, Arizona, South Florida, Seattle, Washington, Metro Detroit, Michigan, Madison Wisconsin, Ottawa, and Indiana, with many more.

I'm glad that there are women like the Raging Grannies fighting the good fight for our nation. I end this blog with youtube videos of some of the causes that the Raging Grannies have fought for. Thank you Raging Grannies and keep singing.

THE RAGING GRANNIES PROTEST THE BP OIL SPILL

THE RAGING GRANNIES SING FOR GAY MARRIAGE

THE RAGING GRANNIES SING FOR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS

THE RAGING GRANNIES SING FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM

THE RAGING GRANNIES SING AGAINST WAR AND OCCUPATION

THE RAGING GRANNIES FIGHT GOOGLE FOR NET NEUTRALITY

THE RAGING GRANNIES FIGHT THE PROROGATION OF THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT