Protests and People!
City Hall
Have you ever gone to any form of protest?
Protests and People!
Have you ever gone to any form of protest?
- Yes
- 6 votes
- No
- 6 votes
- Why Bother?
- 1 votes
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Yes again forgive me i hope this is not a double thread.
Protesting has been one of the key movers of society , from Africian American peopls rights to gay rights, it has been used as a tool of speech and power.
I ask you do you think protesting is used enough? Do you think its outdated?
At what point should people be able to protest such as NAZI Party Protests wich still occur in this nation today.
I would like to point out massive protests occured in L.A. and all over the nation today for immagration rights, i'd like to point out that the politicans have not settled this issue and one of the possible reasons is because of the amount of people protesting.
From Vietnam to gay rights protests have been used. Are they innfulencial, are they usefull, are they outdated what do you think?
Shinsengumi89
Yahoo! First Post!
Well each protest is different. I love the way people like Ghandi would protest, or how they do it in Europe (in some places they work twice as hard). But when it involves violence or lack of work, then i disagree. Although here protests gives students vacations
merged: 04-11-2006 ~ 05:39am
Oh and i've protested all my life. One day i went to school but didn't study so that they wouldnt fire a teacher.
The problem with protests (publics ones anyway) is a lot of officials don't take them seriously because their filled with a lot of bored or activist people. If you actually went around and interviewed everyone at a protest you would usually find that around half wouldn't be able to accurately tell you what's been protested about, what their trying to get done or would just say they thought a protest would be fun to go to, a way to pass the time or skip work. Not saying this is always true but i know a lot of people who've gone to protests for that reason.
As for violent protests just go to the web and do a little search on France at the moment. There are a lot of people protesting and there are police on standbye for every one of them and when it turns violent they start arresting, it's reached the point where a protest is treated as a security threat. On the same note something will be done about protests to stop the damage being done and sometimes fixing a problem is the easiest way, in other words violent protests often work HOWEVER i still condemn them.
I have never gone to a protest on a public level (I.E. the mass protest ). I do believe in the rights of individuals to be able to assemble in an orderly way to voice their concerns, the views, whether the politicians and the gov't (U.S) likes or not.
I.E. the mass protest rallies across the good ol' USA concerning immigration issues. I do admit, immigration issues must be adressed, I will not bore anyone w/ this.
I did take part in a "worker's revolt" peaceful of course ! Where I werk at, my co-workers and I stopped for one hour and a half. I was protesting for better wage, that I felt it was worth protesting, even though I could have lost my job ! U heard that before, usually w/ less than positive results for the employee. I got my raise $1.25-per hour + !) That was more than 15 years ago, oh the joy to live here in the Land of the Red, White and Blue !
I do believe that mass protest do werk. What's even better is "The Power of the Ballot", so "GET U A** out there and VOTE !"
Oh dear...being a Californian, some of the protests on the immigration law (concerning Mexico) hit us hard. Some people I respected actually went protesting by ditching school that one Monday---which caused a lot of problems for the schools (I heard the schools in our district---not sure about others---lose $20 per student that is absent everyday). Needless to say, my high school marked all of them truant, along with a fine that comes with truancy for any Californian school.
I personally believe in protest, but what they did that Monday was unwise
By doing so, they are wrecking their education as well as the education of
others (since the school runs from funds from the number of students attending
it). They could at least protest on weekends.
I don't believe in violent protesting, which is what they did. As one of my classmates (who ditched to protest that Monday) said, "We were ready to riot out there!" He mentioned sitting on cars and the people throwing vegetables at the cops. I frown upon that kind of protesting.
Again, I will plead the 5th on this thread......I mean, how can you fight for job equality and you hopped the fence and don't pay taxes, like those who work hard and died for? I could understand if they entered the country legally.......this is not the case! Then 80% of countries revenue made by them are sent South of the Border! Frankly it isn't my concern what anyone do with thier money, but loss of revenue effecfts our economy, which in turn, effects my pockets!
*hmm.....less than 30 seconds........*
I tend to believe that protests are all but useless in these days. In times past a protest was a huge event. It was based on a subject that brought thousand or more together to reach a common goal. Nowadays everything is protested. There will be protests outside the grammy's because Eminem is there, and he is a gay hater. There will be a protest over a Got Milk? ad because drinking milk is cruelty to animals. Protests are a side show with so little meaning anymore. Once you see something enough you just get used to it.
Just think back a few years, you heard about a car bomb blowing up in the middle east, it was a big event. Now you hear about them via the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. Protests are the same way. A bunch of people getting together, yelling whatever and nobody listens. The only people that care are the cable news networks because it's a slow news day and there isn't a plane in a holding pattern because it's landing gear is stuck.
As for me protesting, I think that should be obvious. Besides, even if I wanted to... I kinda couldn't anyway... Oh the punishment!
I agree with shoujoboy, nearly every aspect of modern culture has an anti-culture and it really seems to have gotten to the point that there's a vocal group out there somewhere that is willing to protest anything and it's getting out of hand. What a lot of it has come down to is a lack of tolerance, which is sad after we've gotten so far in civil rights only to shift intolerance to other issues and aspects of culture.
Protests have lost my respect after people started protesting at the funerals of soldiers claiming that their deaths are gods divine punishment for the US's acceptance of gay rights. I'm not gay, I'm not overly fond of the idea either, but if others want to live that lifestyle that is their choice. It's one thing to protest those rights if you have some issue with it, but to then claim that the death of someone completely unrelated to the issue is because of it, and to then go to their funerals and protest during their families time of reflection is just morally wrong and if they were truly such great devout christians they wouldn't basically spit on the deceased and their families for an issue they are not a part of.
Protests are meaningless now, more an excuse to declare ones opinions as being better or more correct than anothers. Most of them are no longer about anything meaningful, but merely one groups declaration of intolerance toward another groups choices. There are still some protests with meanings, but shoujoboy is right, most are just meaningless side shows now.
wohoo, I love you subject shin <3
protesting is my love, street politic is my life.
So of course I'm a little biased when I say protesting is a vital thing for a healthy democratic country. But it is. Having the population stand up for miscellaneous causes/beliefs is a sign to show they still care about what happens int heir country, and they want to have a share of say in what is decided.
I know It's harder to say YES to let's say Nazi or Ku Klux Klan demonstrations but they still should be legal. The right way to fight them is by speech, not violence or law.
about the USA;
The US doesn't have a story of "street politics" like Europe has, and it should be viewed differently than what happens in France or other countries. Americans traditionnaly don't go out in the streets much. And well I won't take position about the immigration issue because I'm really not informed well on the actual situation. but;
I completely disagree. When you go on strike, protest or do any civil disobedience/political action, you have to accept that you will loose a day of education/work. It is only a matter of assuming you action and it's consequences. People don't go on strike for the fun of it, and civilians don't protest on weekends because it doesn't get as much attention/doesn't cause much problems in the "social order", and why do we protest if it's not to cause a little disorder?
about France:
well I can't say I'm as informed as the French MT members here but I did follow quite closely what happened in the streets and as we could see in the papers this morning; it was all worth it, Chirac removed the contract law. Now of course FOX showed the most violent parts of the protests because this is what gets people to watch their channel. The rest of the planet is very aware of the fact that the violent incidents were not representative of the whole students movement, and there really is nothing in common with May 68'. So no France is not starting a revolution lol.
Also, these same violences were mostly not even provoqued by the anti-CPE protesters (students and syndicates) but by the banlieue immigrants who caused trouble this past year burning cars and everything. They took advantage of the huge demonstrations to blend in the crowd and attack protesters and scrap cars..
ive protested against a certain teacher in our school who was racist against a student, who was a good friend of the majority of the school. protesting is good, to get your veiws and opinions out there and known.
nope. People who actually accomplish things don't have time for such crap.
Nope, rather than protesting, how about going back to school and become a lawmaker?
Protest are for people who have no other ways of expressing oneself, just shows how weak you are.
tanteikun i respect your opinion but, what about the protests that led to African American Civil Liberties, or Ghandi who helped free the people of India, so i'm guessing all of that was worthless. and Boris i think that was just rude to say the least.
I disagree. People who are accomplishing things have better things to do with their time than attend protests.
Rhetorical! You did not proove your point, you merly tried to justify your rudeness.
If you truly had something to say you would have cared to develop your idea in a little more than one line of text.
Oh man I am going to regret this, BUT..........
Shin, Boris is right on this one. From a certain point of view........
Protesting does put the issue out on a public forum, so all could see whatever injustice it is, but that is all it will ever do these days! You have to make change from INSIDE the system, not outside on the street curb! Those who want change could simply VOTE or put their name on next years (or this years) election ballots to replace the ones who are not doing enough! You must make change happen, not complain about it! The immigration issue has to be address, granted, but will it really benefit the cause in the end? Here is what I said on the issue in another forum:
Protest now, the future generations is going to pay later. I had a unique opportunity to chat with a German citizen while I was getting my car fixed; he has applied for a work visa to the US many times in the past. The thing about work visas is that you have to pay for them. And if the US State Department turns your visa down (could be various reasons) you can resubmit the request; for another fee. If you are granted a work visa, you are allowed to work up to a year, but after that you must leave and submit another request for a visa, for a fee......
Mexicans don't have that luxury to spend money for these visas, so they jump the fence. What I proposed is that the US loosen the standards currently imposed, but make it harder for illegals to work and live in our country. That way they will understand that "hopping the fence" is only making their lives more miserable than simply applying for work.
Well for me i don't think mexicans should be protesting in OUR country, they are not citzens, well i think you wissed the poin that in past times protesting has been useful, i realize voting helps but what of those who are to young to vote, hmmmm, or who don't want to join the military. So again what about the Civil Rights Protests and Ghandis.
merged: 04-14-2006 ~ 07:26am
missed the point*
what about giving more actual examples like France? The student's movement won, chirac removed the CPE law.
Rhetorical! You did not prove your point, you merely tried to bait me. I have yet to see you or Mr. 89 give any evidence contrary to my facts, however rude you may think reality is.
going to a protest is better than people going to war so I support protesters as long as its peaceful
i protested the war in iraq in 2003 in colorado springs, colorado. i was part of the protest that was teargassed. i really hope to never experience tear gas again, but i would go protest in a heartbeat. it's hard to explain how it feels to be part of a huge group of people like that, all united by a cause. it's thrilling and you really feel empowered. it's sad that what we protested for (peace) was disregarded totally, but it was an expierience i'll never forget. i'm proud of my dissent.
When protests get violent, they not only decrease the respect that observers have for the protest, but it also doesn't solve the problem. Organized and open discussion type protests are nice in that they invoke dialogue about the issue instead of ignoring or being close-minded about it. Also, sometimes those who protest do not fully understand the issues they are arguing. They may take it at face value, not knowing the possibly legitimate views of the other side.
Never been involved in a protest, never want to be involved in a protest. No protest will ever be for a cause I could support.
On the other hand, I have driven through a Union picket line before. They called me scab, and I told them "That's Mr. Scab to you."
As a last through a scab forms over an open wound. So if I'm a scab what does that make them, Leeches?