The Effect of Protests
- willchoikim
- Jul 30, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 31, 2020
A crowd surrounds you, waving signs and shouting messages. They march through town, making their voices heard. Protests have been employed by those who want change since the 1100’s. They were integral in the fight to end segregation, Mahatma Ghandi’s campaign for Indian independence, and securing women’s rights. But are they the most effective way? Have they not been abused as an excuse for violence? Or as ammunition for political rivals? Every protest starts off innocent. But there are certain people, who see a pure, passionate crowd, and think, “that’s a ready made excuse!” However, there is no better way to bring an issue to light than for a mass gathering of people to literally shout it across a city. Protests may have dire consequences, but without them, the consequences will be much worse.
Why Protest?
The risk of protesting, and the unfortunately lacking amount of laws protecting protesters, would discourage many people. Take Ghandi, and MLK! They showed everyone, I wil go through pain and punishment, and nothing will silence me! They were at risk to be killed, jailed, and court-martialed. But protesting isn’t about that moment. It’s about a movement, and the change that they spark. It’s about fanning that fire, and letting in burn bright. Letting the world know that you won’t rest until this issue is solved. That you will get out of your bed and march across cities, if it makes change. You’re being part of something greater than yourself, a movement with much more impact than yourself. The Greensborough Counter Sit-In inspired thousands of restaurants to help fix segregation. Rosa Parks simply refused to get out of a bus seat, and she was able to make waves in the civil rights movement. Throughout history, protests have successfully affected policies and laws.
Protest Are Helpful
Although protests are easily corruptible, and often result in unconstitutional backlash (for example, Portland’s recent ban on protesting for incarcerated protesters), they incite change in major ways. Moving away from prominent historical figures, thousands of protesters have changed the way we think about certain issues. The George Floyd protests have brought attention to police brutality, and the various other cases following were viewed in a much more open light than before. Protests have also brought to light, among other issues, global warming, illegal poaching, endangered species, and racial bias.
The Abuse of Protests
Protests have, indeed, been abused constantly. Even today, in America, the “land of the free,” peaceful protesters have been called terrorists by our nation’s very leader, threatened with firearms, shot, gassed, and used as scapegoats. They have been used as an excuse for our failing economy, our poor handling of COVID-19, and even as an excuse to strip citizens of their constitutional rights (Portland Incarcerated Protesters, Trump Church Photoshoot). So why should people protest? Why should anyone have to feel fear to exercise their constitutional rights? Why should citizens of a country that used to be an example of democracy, now fear backlash for exercising free speech? We can only fix these issues ourselves. How? Through protests! They have no right to bar us from protesting! They do not have the power to forcibly remove us from public spaces, and we cannot let them get away with it! We need to shout into the streets, “We won’t be silenced!”
Conclusion
Protests have been abused. They have been used as a scapegoat. And they have resulted in injury and death. But protests have made change. They have served us faithfully time and time again. We cannot let anyone crawl over us. We will not let them silence us. And everyone will hear our message. The Nordics used marches (though of a slightly more barbaric demeanor) to spread word, and so have we. No matter how much pain is inflicted, or how many people will be lost, we will march on, as the Nordics did.
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interesting read!