I always hear it as generic protests against Trump, so maybe it's an issue of coverage over simplifying?
Signs like Fuck Trump and Love Conquers Hate don't inform is all I am saying. When protesters are interviewed and say they're against inequality I am left saying okay, what does that mean specifically?
As usual, the media covers stuff that gets clicks/views. The vast, vast majority of signs at the protests I have been to were not of this variety. I try not to judge all conservatives by the examples that are brought up in the media because I assume they found the loudest, most ignorant guy.
Fair enough but I am limited in what information I can realistically have, I honestly cannot meet with protesters. I learned more about the immigration restrictions from nontraditional media than anywhere else honestly. All I am saying is a YouTube video or an article or something like that does a lot better job of getting the message out than standing in the street with a colorful sign.
I mean if it makes you feel better great, but I don't get how people equate that with taking the time to communicate with government officials or something else far more effective.
How is it that it is so hard to understand that people are doing both? Literally the assembling people is the first step in getting those people to ACT, and keep acting?
I'm going to say this again, in a more lengthy manner this time.
To those of you who mock the protests or say you “don’t understand it,” or even imply – or state – that protesters are being silly, or stupid, or that they aren’t accomplishing anything: I have a few thoughts for you.
Protests are accomplishing things. They are showing all of those who protest the strength of their numbers. They are also drawing sympathetic people out of the woodwork and convincing them to start acting, as well. People who have never protested anything in their lives are coming out for these demonstrations. Millions of them. Millions. These people are not just out there for their health, or because people are giving out free T-shirts. They are there for a reason. And don’t be disingenuous. You know what those reasons are. Even if you don’t agree with them. (And if you don't? If you truly have literally no idea what the issues are that are being protested? That's on you to find out. There are plenty of sources out there that are telling you exactly what the issues are, if you care to read them.)
No significant social change in this country was ever accomplished without protest. We all know that, from looking at our history. Regimes don’t want us to protest because they know that. Which is why, every time a movement begins, there’s pushback from the people most interested in maintaining the status quo.
Individual people are less likely to stand up against what they know to be wrong when they think they are alone. That is why protests are important. That’s why the freedom to assemble has been enshrined in our Constitution: because it is so vital, and because it’s one of the first things the powerful try to curtail when they are abusing power. When protests happen, the first step of the powerful is to mock and denigrate the dissenters, to try to sway public opinion to force the people back into the shadows.
So, the powerful want you to mock protests that question the establishment. They want you to help push the dissenters back in the shadows, by insulting and belittling them and their cause. So, mock away. But recognize that in doing so, you've bought into the discourse that seeks to control you.
Consider this:
Instead of saying that you don’t understand “them” – how about you put the focus of your words where it ought to be: on you? Because if you’re against the protests, it’s either because you don’t see anything going on that you feel strongly enough to protest about, or it’s because you actively condone the things you’re seeing our government do. Your lack of understanding or lack of support is just that – yours. You own that. I do not own that. The protesters do not own that. Because trust me, if things were happening that convinced you that you or people you cared about were personally, immediately threatened -- you would be protesting.
(And don’t even start with the “people breaking shit in the streets” crap. There was NO violence at the Women’s March. There was no violence last night in Minneapolis. Just don’t. Do not lump everything together and dismiss it out of hand. Read the Cracked article I posted below, and spend a few minutes thinking about it.)
So, to recap: next time you’re tempted to say, “I don’t understand the protesters/the protests,” or you find yourself opening your mouth to mock them as being whiny or (insert your preferred dismissive adjective here), choose one of these “I” statements instead:
A) I do not care enough about this issue to get involved; or
B) I actively support the things that they are protesting.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-powerful-people-trick-you-into-hating-underdogs/
