Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
I Don’t Have the Time to Protest
Does that title sound bad? I’ve always thought about that. How did people make it work, even back in the 1960s? How did they keep food on the table and clothes on their backs and protest?
I see the protesters clashing with police on TV or social media (Twitter typically) and I still feel that protesting peacefully now is lost on this generation. Many times protesters (not all) will be overly aggressive and violent towards the police and they often damage property. (Of course, this kind of protest is not new either.)
I always wonder: Why is it that people don’t realize the power in words? Instead of yelling at the police or throwing things at them or fighting with people who don’t agree with you, how about taking a microphone and a speaker and speak out against the things that you want others to take notice of?
Even still, I remember that I have a family to take care of. Yes, I’m saddened and disappointed with certain failings of different people, from those in authority to those who are regular citizens. But I have to keep a roof over my head and help my wife with the bills.
How do you manage protesting while taking care of personal responsibilities? Any “professional” protesters out there in Ricochet-land?
Published in Policing
Certainly not me. My one time attending a protest was at a 2009 tea party demonstration in downtown Ponca City, OK on my lunch break. It was underwhelming, to say the least.
My impression is that most here at Ricochet feel more akin to your way of thinking. Persuasion matters more than yelling on the streets. I’m sure this is due largely to the self-selecting effect that comes with a subscription fee to join.
-E
Professional protesters are often college students (shows you the real value of a college education these days), and government employees whose employers agree with them and are happy to let them off work to protest. Non-value-added people, in my humble opinion. Many are also unemployed youngsters living in Mom’s basement, not paying rent, and posting to Facebook and Twitter all day. Pathetic. Then, there are the professional anarchists, who come out to smash store windows and generally cause havoc. We get a lot of those in Seattle, and since they keep coming out and doing damage (wearing face-masks), it shows that the Seattle city government is on their side, not the business-owners whose property is destroyed.
I’ve always wondered the same thing. On the right end of the spectrum, you might ask Mollie Hemingway. She got arrested one time and everything. She could give you a better look into what kind of people are able to protest abortion and how they manage it in their lives.
Yeah, I was with a group of others protesting a kid being put in jail over some issues with a young lady and dealing with an alleged sexual assault back in my college days. I don’t have the time now. Plus, in the small town that I live in, it’s pretty quiet.
Is she here on Ricochet? I know I don’t get responses from her on Twitter.
Good points! That’s sad if that is true what you wrote about Seattle.
I wonder the same thing, Jerome, whenever I see the protests. Where do they find the time?
When I was in high school I protested a whole lot—you name it, I protested about it, cutting class to do so. The cutting class was a big part of the attraction, and since the protests were conveniently located near the museums, I could go look at some art after I’d finished declaring that the people, united, will never be defeated. Otra vez no puedo venir…. then I went to college, and there was classwork I was actually interested in, so I protested somewhat less, and with more discernment—Apartheid in South Africa mostly (conveniently-located S.African embassy). Got married, had a baby, moved to Maine… now, I occasionally turn up at a vigil (e.g. for the fallen Dallas officers the other night) but I don’t really protest all that much. That may change if Hillary is elected. I can be one of those angry, middle-aged ladies in large earrings, shrieking and stamping my sensible shoes in front of the White House…
How is your family? Baby pix yet? (Why is the new Ricochet not equipped with a “baby picture” feature?)
Like, srsly.
My 4 years at college were some of the best of my life. I was learning a ton for my future career, and all my extra time was taken up with music, culture, and beautiful women. Plus I worked so I could graduate debt free. Protesting seems like such a sad way to waste such precious time.
-E
It’s a good title. Good luck with taking care of the family & all.
As for the protesting–not even America can accommodate all comers–some ambitions do not have another outlet…
The point of a protest is to give the “Mainstream Media” (i.e., the progressive & Democrat controlled) cover for bringing up the agenda. If over half a million show up in Washington D.C. each year for Right to Life, it’s old news for the rest of the country and if mentioned in D.C. it’s only to warn people about the potential traffic problems.
Here in the slightly conservative Midwest, any wacko progressive cause with 10 – 20 protesters makes the nightly news, wearing us down to accept gay marriage, etc. Tea Party groups are usually ignored, regardless if 100 times that number show up.
Thanks for responding! You might have to get those “sensible shoes” ready. I’m not quite sure if Trump will see the White House.
Thank you for asking. My wife and I are doing well. About 2 months and 2 weeks left until Elijah (the name that we have chosen for our son) makes his grand entrance into our world.
I appreciate you keeping up with that. That would be interesting if Ricochet had a baby picture feature…haha!
Thank you, and good point!
You can always start a baby picture group.
Seawriter
Oh, good point! I think I remember when there was a huge pro-life march going on in DC back in January. It was on Twitter, but when I turned to CNN (I think it was CNN), there was no news about it.
Excellent idea! I will have to remember that!
The Thursday night protest here in Dallas was scheduled for the evening because most of the protesters have jobs.
But I have wondered about the “professional protester”, like this Deray character who appears to be an Al Sharpton starter kit.
Follow the money, and there the truth will be.
EDIT: I suspect there’s a corollary between employment and the peacefulness. The protest Thursday night here in Dallas was very peaceful. Protesters were taking pictures with police officers, and by all reports everyone was friendly. And I’m willing to bet 90% or more of those in the protest had jobs.
A lot of people in this world need to hear your message: Use your words.
When I lived in Chicago back in the 90s, one of my co-workers was an older African-American lady. She told me lots of stories about growing up on the South Side, and one day she mentioned that she’d been part of the protests against Richard Daley (the elder Daley, not Richie M.) in the 60s.
She said that many of the protesters were working-class black people (not college students) who skipped work to march downtown, where the protests were filmed by TV crews. The next day her boss called her in and asked her where she had been… she told him that this was a civil rights issue that she felt strongly about, and that for her it was the right thing to do.
He said “Thank you for being honest” and let her take it as a vacation day.
Some of the other people she knew who’d been there decided to lie and say they were sick; their bosses had seen them in the crowds on the nightly TV news, and several of them lost their jobs.
Not that there would be a ghost of a chance of hiding that today, in the age of 24/7 news feeds and InstaFaceTweet…
Totally agree. Young males need an outlet for their energy. If it is not spent in a productive manner, it will be spent in other ways. It is no coincidence that decent paying jobs are hard to come by in the Middle East.
My wife frequently reminds our 5 year old of this exact thing. Perhaps if more 25-year-olds were told this when they were 5 they wouldn’t need to hear it now.
-E
Good luck to you and your wife, Jerome.
I think that someone started a baby picture thread on the member feed a while back. Elijah’s grand entrance sounds like a great time to start a new thread!
Back in the day, protesters were really protesting and took the time and the risk to stand up for their beliefs. Friends and neighbors made sure they didn’t go hungry or unsheltered.
Yes, thank you. Political protesting is a luxury and largely ineffective. People have families to feed.
This is the same for people in 3rd-world countries. When I argue people should be allowed to immigrate here and have a much better life, often others will argue that they should stay there and “fix their own country.” But you’ve articulated perfectly why that is a ridiculous and wrong-headed suggestion.
Love the name you’ve chosen. Can’t wait to see the photos!
Why would you assume that saying that immigrants should “fix their own country” is insisting that they run protests? It seems that everyone here agrees that protests are “a luxury and largely ineffective”, and I don’t think anyone believes it will work in other countries. Unless you can show that “fix their own country” = protests, this argument is fallacious.
-E
Lucky for me, I’ve worked 30 years for the same company. So I have a slue of PTO days in my pocket. So when I need to Protest, I due it on my dime (in a sense). I have a feeling I’ll be using a few PTOs in the coming months for a little non-vacation activities.
There’s also the power of negative words. I’d specify “use constructive, “peace-building” words.” (Thanks for your post.)
I’ll bet you have cool baby pictures already even though Elijah is still in his mommy’s tummy. That’d be a great way to get the group started!
Love the name Elijah, by the way. I have fond memories of reading a book called “Elijah” (also known as “The Mantle” and “Prophet of Fire”, depending on publisher’s whims).
When I was a kid, I remember the Iranian hostage crisis being reported on the nightly news. My dad would see the footage every day of angry mobs protesting in Tehran, and would say each time, “don’t these people have jobs?!”
I demand baby pictures! ( can that count as protest?)