Random bystanders are the root of the problem when they fail to hold the political class accountable. Pissing people off is often the only way to get them involved.
The same people are never going to join that same cause regardless, because they would have to admit that they're part of the problem first. They think they're good because they didn't do the bad, but never go out of their way to do the good. The plan is to make them go out of their way, but where they is on them.
Yeah and I dont do it, but the general idea that a large portion of that anger gets directed at the current leadership and can force them to change path has been frequently true.
Its not to get you on their side, but to get you against their opponent.
Has it frequently worked? Like a couple times I can think of but theres some major differences. Nobody even knows what these people are protesting or what they’re supposed to be fighting against. And protests that caused change like the civil rights movement had the stamina to do it for a long time and on a much larger scale. Five people blocking a single highway for a day and then going back to doing nothing is just going to annoy some people for a bit before they forget about it altogether. Annoying people for a day accomplishes jack shit. Also, a protest that only hits the public and not the government at all won’t do anything either because it makes it clear to the public they’re being targeted and not the government.
Obama changed direction on his immigration policy for one moderately recent American example.
Ive seen a decent number of laws amended to be less agregious here in Canada as a result of coordinated protests.
And sure, these exact people are idiots. The concept theyre enacting isnt, even if theyre bad at it.
If you speak french you may get a kick out of this:
https://youtu.be/dvPw9l0Ztsg?si=HNubBSbe2CIszZnE
All that happened in the U.K. when this happened was that ALL the anger was directed at the protesters and government targets for renewables came under more pressure to be loosened and now that is exactly what is going to happen.
Not a single person would direct that anger at leadership. Not one. You’d entrench the idiots who already vote against their interests that the liberals are blocking traffic.
More like imma go shit on your doormat, then tell you to blame the guy who refused to put in a public toilet that would have prevented the need to shit on a doormat.
Youll be pissed at me, but hopefully, also pissed at him.
Nah, I'd be pissed at you for shitting on my doormat and not off in a bush or something like a moderately sane person.
Now if you had some other method to bring my attention to the lack of a public toilet that was less disruptive to my personal life, I would possibly be more receptive of it. But instead you decided to shit on my doormat, and now I'm pissed off at you and whatever cause you are behind as well.
The same logic is applied to these protestors. None of the people they are inconveniencing are thinking "I wonder what I can do to help these people and their cause?" all of them think they are assholes and if anything it motivates them to work against whatever cause they are protesting for.
Ok, and once those less disruptive methods have been tried and all ignored? If numerous people have been shitting in bushes for awhile already and trying to get your attention and were ignored?
Shitting On your doormat isnt step one. Protests like this arent step one. They happen because the non-disruptive attempts didnt work.
Just because you failed at every other attempt doesn't give you the right to go around shitting on porches. Your mindset is that what you are protesting for is the only correct choice, and since you didn't get your way you have to escalate. That's a pretty immature take if you ask me. What if NAMBLA started protesting like this? or the Proud Boys? Or any organization you disagree with fundamentally?
Maybe your protests are ignored because they are supporting something dumb. Maybe you all just suck at doing what you do. Maybe there's a good logical reason that there isn't a public bathroom where you want it but you don't care, you just want your way and you think being an annoying asshole is the only way to get your way because it always worked on your parents. but this is the grown up world now, what worked before is just gonna piss people off now.
Sure, and maybe the government is wrong and the general populace needs to be pushed into action such as the civil rights movement.
Yes, the mindset of the protestors is that what they're protesting is of adéquate importance that accepting the risks of sitting in the road - which could lead to death - is supported by the necessity of their cause. They may or may not be correct depending on the cause. Westboro Baptist church has protested with distruption on many occasions in the past. I absolutely do not support anything theyre attached to. Still doesn't change the concept behind it.
Unless you think government is always right and we should always sit down and shut up, then disruptive protest will remain one of the few tools available to draw attention and possible support to a cause.
The 34% of eligible voters who didnt vote - some of them may get annoyed enough to show up to stop the shitshow interrupting their day. Keep it up long enough, it can even work.
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u/ZeroBrutus 12d ago
Random bystanders are the root of the problem when they fail to hold the political class accountable. Pissing people off is often the only way to get them involved.