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I just don't understand why people march in the streets, with signs, protesting a lot, when it never does any good, and the government or society never listens to them. So why bother doing it really, unless I am missing something?
Go back to the days of Vietnam. It was the protestors in the street who guided the US to its worst loss ever. But there is more to the story than that.
The US policy in Vietnam consisted of inane rules of engagement, which led to thousands and thousands of unnecessary deaths. Add to that the fact that so many of the servicemen were unwilling draftees, Cronkite had spoken out against military involvement, and Johnson had promised a utopia here in America and the whole thing caught fire. It was awful. (I'm a Vietnam vet)
Did the protestors accomplish anything? ....... probably. But they were misled by the Johnson administration every bit as much as the BLM protestors were misled by the Obama one. Poor leadership - I'm talking about Johnson and Obama has serious, long term consequences. Protestors feed off it and sometimes cause a change in policy - sometimes it is what they want and sometimes it backfires on them.
I just don't understand why people march in the streets, with signs, protesting a lot, when it never does any good, and the government or society never listens to them. So why bother doing it really, unless I am missing something?
Watch a few documentaries about the Civil Rights Movement. Peaceful protest changed the country.
Watch a few documentaries about the Civil Rights Movement. Peaceful protest changed the country.
That was not entirely 'peaceful' though, quite a few civil rights protesters were refusing to comply and disobeying law enforcement, they were viewed as criminals and troublemakers by many, who thought they should just sit down and obey/comply.
If more people disobeyed and refused to comply with certain laws today, I think they would be a lot more effective, too often I see 'political protests' or protests in general, where the people are very obedient and subservient to law enforcement in the area, its almost a complete waste of time.
The only way peaceful protest works is if the protesters have an overwhelming numerical advantage. Otherwise you need violence or the threat of violence.
Vietnam, civil rights, women's suffrage/women's rights, environmental protection, gay rights ... Only those who were born yesterday or who didn't pay attention in U.S. history class wouldn't realize what change protests can bring about.
Vietnam, civil rights, women's suffrage/women's rights, environmental protection, gay rights ... Only those who were born yesterday or who didn't pay attention in U.S. history class wouldn't realize what change protests can bring about.
I think it also helps to have a less peaceful group ready to take their rights by any means necessary.
Vietnam, civil rights, women's suffrage/women's rights, environmental protection, gay rights ... Only those who were born yesterday or who didn't pay attention in U.S. history class wouldn't realize what change protests can bring about.
Gay rights came to fruition mainly due to years and years of subtle conditioning...to change public opinion on the issue, network tv and movies started depicted homosexuality in a non-negative and eventually in a positive light, protesting was a very small part of it.
I just don't understand why people march in the streets, with signs, protesting a lot, when it never does any good, and the government or society never listens to them. So why bother doing it really, unless I am missing something?
Protests are a strange thing... I don't particularly care for them, but I do acknowledge that, when done correctly, they are effective.
You may not see any immediate social/policy changes when protests occur (which is probably why some people think they are a waste of time), but what protests are good at is slowly transforming the way we think about things. They accomplish this, IMO, by being annoying... protests are annoying both to watch and deal with in person, which makes us want to find a way to stop them, and the way we stop them is to work together towards a common goal so that protesters are at least minimally satisfied and can stop protesting.
Bottom line: They're annoying, which is why they are effective. Living with protests going on constantly is draining... and if the protesters are genuinely passionate and convincing in their message (as was the case during the civil rights movement), it can fundamentally change the way we all think by way of guilt.
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