Tell me why small protest groups think they will make a difference.

[Thatperson]

Virtually always, all they do is drag policemen away from other things, and achieve nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELJh2bTK1ew "People voted with hope for change" I didn't see "Change" on the ballot paper

[Tara]

Just because there's little chance of making a difference doesn't mean they shouldn't even try. By protesting, regardless of how small the group is, you are raising awareness and getting critical information out to the public. A few years ago I was in a protest group against Proposition 8. We were small, but the public began to gather once we began to chant and yell. There were no police anywhere. Multiple people spoke about their experiences with Prop 8 and how it's affected them. By the end of it, people off the street were talking to the organizers and getting pamphlets and being educated. So a small group has very little chance of making a vast political difference, but they're making a difference in individuals who have the power to vote, which in due time can make a political difference. EDIT: Your signature is awesome. High five for Ferris Bueller!

[Jorge]

Because if nobody tries, we will be controlled even more.

[Spartiate]

Because a lot of protesters are just in it to be disruptive and rebellious, many of them barely know about the subject they're protesting.

[Thatperson]

But wouldn't it be a better use of their time to actually engage in the political process by forming a political party, and promoting that?

[Spartiate]

Like I said a lot of protesters are just there to wave signs and make noise, they get to play victim against some kind of authority figure.

[Hidden]

Because if there were never any small protest groups, where would the large protest groups come from?

[Cacophony]

I'm sick of people being apathetic to the world around them. I think that people should stand up for what they believe in. The feeling of defeat that has hit a lot of activists/protesters is staggering. People can make a difference in this world. Throughout history if it wasn't for the people who stood up and took a stand against what they felt is wrong, not much would have changed for us. If you're not standing up for what you believe in, or don't care to then you'll never make a difference. Even if you don't make a difference doing it, at least you tried. If you don't have beliefs about what is wrong or right then you probably shouldn't be so apathetic. A small group of protesters raises awareness for the people around them. Their cries may not be heard by the government, but if thousands of us gather in mass our cries will be heard. Personally, I'm a firm believer in direct action and black bloc tactics. Direct action is politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action participant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_action I was recently at a may day/international labor day protest. There were about 5,000 of us. Together we were marching against the new racial profiling law in Arizona, people were marching for workers rights, immigrant rights, and a whole slew of other issues. The end of capitalism was another. This did several things. It reached a lot of people on the streets that day who were uneducated about big issues happening in the world, and gave them a chance to talk face to face with people about those issues. It got news coverage. It was completely peaceful but still made quite the ruckus. I was at a protest a while back. This was right before the Chinese olympics while meanwhile China was slaughtering Tibetans. I marched with thousands of Tibetans that were in San Francisco at the time. This got a lot of news coverage and created a lot of awareness about what was happening to the Tibetans. It also showed solidarity with the Tibetans. It showed them that we cared, that although we were not their to suffer the horrors they were going through, we would rise with them and shout out against the injustices being done to them. Even small protests can gain news coverage. I was at a protest, again in San Francisco. This was right after Oscar Grant, an unarmed black man was shot in his back while he was laying face down on the ground with his arms behind his back. We were speaking out against police brutality and for justice to be had in the case of the officer who gunned him down. There were about thirty of us. Ever news station was there. I went home that night and most of the news channels were airing segments on the protest. This also raised awareness. Thirty people. That's not that many. Other reasons to protest: To reach large numbers of people with your message. To create solidarity among organizers and marchers. To show political prisoners that they are not alone. To see how your government responds to dissent. To build coalitions with other protest groups. To make the system realize it is vulnerable. To show the strength of your organization. To throw the system on the defensive. To expose the crimes of the powerful. To make the police think about what they are protecting. To motivate the undecided to join you. To remove feelings of helplessness. To make the system react to you. To show who owns the streets. To exploit the news media. To create your own media. To rattle the complacent. To speak truth to power. To mobilize people. EDIT: Because a lot of protesters are just in it to be disruptive and rebellious, many of them barely know about the subject they're protesting. Being disruptive and rebellious is fun. You should have fun. I think everyone should take to the streets and, to quote Blatz, "fuck shit up!"

[ninja9578]

If there wasn't a small protest group refusing to ride buses in Mississippi how would the civil rights movement start? Small protest groups turn into large ones if the cause is just.

[ChrissyMaria]

Something small, can grow...plant a seed and a tree will flourish one day, that tree with spread out more seeds, developing into more trees, until the landscape is entirely dominated by the trees. That's why people protest, its a gradual and unstoppable force of awakening, an awakening of the human spirit which has been destroyed over the past few centuries.

[Lëzen]

Question for those of you supporting protesters: Where do we draw the line between people who protest "for a good cause" and those (normally the age of college freshmen) who just do it to get out of school or some other bullshit like that? 9 times out of 10, the two groups are indistinguishable. Should we really encourage protesting if all it's gonna do is cause a bunch of ill-informed, know-nothing twerps to miss out on more important things? Like, for instance, the education that they paid good money for? And what really constitutes "constructive" protesting? Amassing in the middle of a major state highway and delaying those who have, you know, JOBS to get to? (Yes, that actually happened here in CA.) Is "standing up for what you believe in" really worth aggravating a bunch of people who have nothing to do with your plight...especially those who've got better things to do with their time?

[Spartiate]

Question for those of you supporting protesters: Where do we draw the line between people who protest "for a good cause" and those (normally the age of college freshmen) who just do it to get out of school or some other bullshit like that? 9 times out of 10, the two groups are indistinguishable. Should we really encourage protesting if all it's gonna do is cause a bunch of ill-informed, know-nothing twerps to miss out on more important things? Like, for instance, the education that they paid good money for? And what really constitutes "constructive" protesting? Amassing in the middle of a major state highway and delaying those who have, you know, JOBS to get to? (Yes, that actually happened here in CA.) Is "standing up for what you believe in" really worth aggravating a bunch of people who have nothing to do with your plight...especially those who've got better things to do with their time? Well said, many protesters attract negative attention to their "cause" with their actions. Good example was that Olympic protest in Vancouver that ended up turning into a riot with widespread looting and hooliganism, how are we supposed to take these protesters seriously after that.

[Hidden]

@Lezen: If life were already perfect, then yes, I'd agree that people have better things to do with their time than protest. Even if it does stir up some trouble, I'd rather have that and changes for the better than just keeping everything the same.

[Lëzen]

^There's a very real difference between trying to change the world, and throwing all your common courtesy out the window and being a complete asshole to those who don't have a goddamn thing to do with whatever it is you're speaking out against. Next time I hear about a bunch of self-righteous cockweeds obstructing traffic again, I do believe I'm going to drive to the site with a Super Soaker full of cat urine and unload holy hell. A holy hell full of AMMONIA. Then we'll be seeing who can out-asshole whom.

[Supernova]

Because a lot of protesters are just in it to be disruptive and rebellious, many of them barely know about the subject they're protesting. Like I said a lot of protesters are just there to wave signs and make noise, they get to play victim against some kind of authority figure. Yeah, doesn't it suck? coughcoughteaparty But wouldn't it be a better use of their time to actually engage in the political process by forming a political party, and promoting that? Because the American politicomedia system only allows two parties. ...you know it's true. heh, politicomedia, I think I just made up a word that perfectly describes the election system in America.

[ArcanumNoctis]

Virtually always, all they do is drag policemen away from other things, and achieve nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELJh2bTK1ew "People voted with hope for change" I didn't see "Change" on the ballot paper At the very least it is about the principle of the matter. Principle is something rather void in this day and age. Rather sad...

[Cacophony]

Wow, Lezen. So - you're pissed off that college kids miss school to go protest? What about the life experience and knowledge they gain from talking to people who are passionate about a cause that they find important? Not all college students go off to protest just to skip out of school. I think that if they're doing it just to get school off, they'd probably say they're going to protest and then go off and do something else. And where abouts in CA if you don't mind me asking? Was it when the 880 was shut down, I think it was by Berkeley or something. I wasn't there for that but I heard it was awesome. And for the record, if some asshole ever came at me with a super soaker full of cat piss I'd tear gas them in the face and promptly kick them in the balls(assuming, of course, that they had any). Not a threat, just hypothetically speaking (but really, I'm sure a lot of people would be behind me on that one, especially if they were in the line of fire). Do you even care what it is people are getting so pissed off about? Or are you perfectly content to drift from home, to work in your happy air-conditioned world? Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if people never stood up for their rights, what they cared about? Yeah, women shouldn't be allowed to vote. Black people shouldn't either because, we all know they're only 3/5's of human beings. Mexicans should be able to be searched and deported and detained if they don't have papers on them and they happen to live in Arizona. What about Oscar Grant? Or the recent police killing up in Portland?Yeah, protesting sucks man. Let's just let the powers that be have all control over us, let's give up every bit of our free will. Honestly, do you have a problem with a peaceful protest? How about permitted protests? If the commuter paid attention they could find out that there was a permitted protest going on. Do you believe in freedom of speech? Do you think it's a bad thing to stand up for what you believe in? Do you think it's okay for riot cops to beat up 12 year old girls who are peacefully protesting? Did you follow the RNC at all? How about the G20? Have you ever been in a free speech zone? Have you ever felt like all of your freedom has been completely stripped from you? Have you ever actually cared passionately about anything that didn't directly effect your day to day life because you live in a bubble?