What is the point of protesting?

[Parththakkar12]

This is a serious question. I've never understood the rationale behind protesting. How does it work? What do people hope to achieve by protesting for or against anything?

Say some crime happens. It could be a sexual assault case by a powerful man leveraging his power. It could also be the George Floyd thing. Everyone loses their minds and starts protesting! Why exactly is everyone doing that?

[SgtPepper]

Communication! 

[Onemanwolfpac]

Parasites wanting government to input laws. Not actually Doing the work and creating the change but i digress. 

[Nak Khid]

9 minutes ago, Parththakkar12 said:

This is a serious question. I've never understood the rationale behind protesting. How does it work? What do people hope to achieve by protesting for or against anything?

Say some crime happens. It could be a sexual assault case by a powerful man leveraging his power. It could also be the George Floyd thing. Everyone loses their minds and starts protesting! Why exactly is everyone doing that?

They want to pressure the government to make policy changes.   And in this case they wanted the officers involved in the incident charged with murder.  So far one has been. 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Nak Khid

[Parththakkar12]

Communication of what? Is it a resistance to 'evil'? It generally happens when some crime happens.

What do these people expect? Do they expect to live in a perfectly safe society? Do they really think that if the police/government did its work perfectly that we would have a crime-free society? Do we still believe this collectively?

Generally, from what I've seen, the protesters don't have respect for due process. This turns out to be hypocritical on the part of protesters, in that they sabotage the working of their own government when they're asking for better government!

Edited May 31, 2020 by Parththakkar12

[SgtPepper]

2 hours ago, Parththakkar12 said:

Communication of what? Is it a resistance to 'evil'? It generally happens when some crime happens.

What do these people expect? Do they expect to live in a perfectly safe society? Do they really think that if the police/government did its work perfectly that we would have a crime-free society? Do we still believe this collectively?

Generally, from what I've seen, the protesters don't have respect for due process. This turns out to be hypocritical on the part of protesters, in that they sabotage the working of their own government when they're asking for better government!

The purpose of protest is for individuals to organize and collect together to communicate a specific message to the government.

The purpose is to enact change through policies or in general to express dissatisfaction with the current system. 

It's sort of like asking, if someone cut you in line at the grocery store, what is the purpose of saying, "excuse me, you cut me in line, that's not cool."

Protesting is the collective big version of that small interaction. 

Assuming, you are talking about the protest related to the George Floyd case. The purpose is to enact police reform, change police interact with suspects, holding police accountable who engage in excessive force, raise awareness about how black people are disproportionally mistreated by police officers.

So In other words, people expect police to them like a human and with some respect. 

2 hours ago, Onemanwolfpac said:

Parasites wanting government to input laws. Not actually Doing the work and creating the change but i digress. 

This is not historically factual.

Black Americans have demonstrated that civil disobedience and coordinated protest does make change happen. 

 

[Leo Gura]

Protests can be very effective. Historically when people are upset, they gather in crowds and the politicians get scared and make some concessions.

A politician cannot win reelections so well when people are protesting under his leadership. It's a clear sign of bad leadership.

[Parththakkar12]

When I look at a protest, I get the feeling that they don't really understand how the system works, or the complications of making it work. Do they do their homework before getting on the streets, or is it just emotional reactivity? This is a pretty serious topic as real people's lives are on the line if it turns violent.

I can understand why a politician would get scared of protests. However, would the politician make good decisions when they're scared? Why is it necessary to put pressure on politicians in such a crude manner? 

Do you even know what you're asking for? As a protesting rally, what bargaining power do you have? Who is to decide whether what you're saying makes sense or not? Why should politicians even pay attention to you, if your solutions may not be the best?

[Nak Khid]

13 minutes ago, Parththakkar12 said:

When I look at a protest, I get the feeling that they don't really understand how the system works, or the complications of making it work. Do they do their homework before getting on the streets, or is it just emotional reactivity? This is a pretty serious topic as real people's lives are on the line if it turns violent.

I can understand why a politician would get scared of protests. However, would the politician make good decisions when they're scared? Why is it necessary to put pressure on politicians in such a crude manner? 

Do you even know what you're asking for? As a protesting rally, what bargaining power do you have? Who is to decide whether what you're saying makes sense or not? Why should politicians even pay attention to you, if your solutions may not be the best?

keep in mind the American Revolution

[Jacobsrw]

3 hours ago, Parththakkar12 said:

This is a serious question. I've never understood the rationale behind protesting. How does it work? What do people hope to achieve by protesting for or against anything?

Say some crime happens. It could be a sexual assault case by a powerful man leveraging his power. It could also be the George Floyd thing. Everyone loses their minds and starts protesting! Why exactly is everyone doing that?

Hey man, I’ve felt similar to you on this. Protesting from a third person perspective seems absurd and non-conducive to meaningful change. It seems more like an antagonist approach at first. A lot of the protesting we see today is extremely primitive and tribalistic.

To first answer your question, it appears protesting is a means of either last resort or unstable ideology. People sometimes protest because they feel there’s no practical solution that will otherwise produce a prompt response. Or people sometimes get consumed by herd mentality and become identified with a group. Mindlessly act out the dogma of the group without considering its implications. In both cases it is a matter of ego survival. 

I have never been not so much for protesting, by in large. However, over recent years I have seen that protesting has potential to be empowering and revitalising, providing it is done strategically and authentically. Violence, damage and abuse do not need to be akin to protesting. Nor does discerning an enemy to incite a contest against.

There are peaceful protests but sometimes they too create aggravation. I feel protesting needs to have more pragmatic intent behind it than merely trying to stronghold an opposition. It requires pragmatism, long-term solution, funding for a actionable cause, community work, and networking. Fundamentally, protests are short-term strategies. There needs to be supplementary solutions.

Protesting requires consciousness if to be done effectively. If that’s even possible that is.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Jacobsrw

[Preety_India]

Hahaha. I'm laughing. 

Protests means they aren't going to put up with nuisance. 

Protests are the reason why they opened the Arbery case. 

Protests are the reason why Obama called for police to start using bodycam.

I don't believe in protests that leads to violence and someone innocent losing their lives. 

But protesting is important and can be done in non violent ways. It's about showing diffidence and raising awareness. 

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Preety_India

[Leo Gura]

57 minutes ago, Parththakkar12 said:

Do they do their homework before getting on the streets

Lol

It's way past that.

[diamondpenguin]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Protests can be very effective. Historically when people are upset, they gather in crowds and the politicians get scared and make some concessions.

A politician cannot win reelections so well when people are protesting under his leadership. It's a clear sign of bad leadership.

Ex: Trump and his space force when there is nothing but peace in space. 

[Lindsay]

5 hours ago, Parththakkar12 said:

This is a serious question. I've never understood the rationale behind protesting. How does it work? What do people hope to achieve by protesting for or against anything?

Say some crime happens. It could be a sexual assault case by a powerful man leveraging his power. It could also be the George Floyd thing. Everyone loses their minds and starts protesting! Why exactly is everyone doing that?

To make a statement. To be heard. To them it seems like the Trump administration only cares about economy. So let’s fuck the economy even more with the looting and the burning. And all the damages tax dollars have to repair.
I’m on the northwest side of Chicago, and it feels like a war going on. Police sirens, and business alarms blaring. Shots fired, its total chaos. They are taking just for the sake of taking. It’s not even a protest anymore. It’s criminal looting and vandalizing. “Fuck the economy, that’s all you privileged people care about” kick em where it hurts.  Take what you can because it’s easy for the privileged to get their needs met with their privileged opportunities. Here’s our opportunity to get our needs met under oppression. 

[lmfao]

@Parththakkar12 How deep are you willing to go into this:

1) Taking survival for granted: from a pragmatic point of view, protesting and riots put pressure to get what you want. It can be as simple and linear as that

2) You can contemplate survival in all its forms 

Edited June 1, 2020 by lmfao

[Parththakkar12]

9 hours ago, Preety_India said:

Protests means they aren't going to put up with nuisance. 

Yeah but what bargaining power do you have as a protester? Why should anyone listen to you? You're just out on the streets potentially breaking the law. I'm having trouble understanding the 'importance and significance' of protests as you call them.

[Preety_India]

@Parththakkar12  because I'm a citizen. You forget that it's a democracy. The government has a constitutional obligation to listen to people. 

Otherwise the democracy can be safely disbanded and jungle rule can begin if the government doesn't listen anyway then its no different from a dictatorship. 

 

[Jahmaine]

[Parththakkar12]

I'm starting to feel scared for our world tbh. If one White cop killing a Black guy on camera can induce such a huge outcry and reaction, there's tons of more skeletons in the closet which will come out one by one. How many more protests will we see? What will the collective do to the systems we currently have?

Shit is getting really ugly in the US. The reaction is nation-wide. I'm starting to feel scared for the safety of Americans tbh. Are you guys safe in there? Or is the reaction getting out of hand? What will happen to the supply chains for your essential services?

Edited June 1, 2020 by Parththakkar12

[Parththakkar12]

Also the way the media is trying to paint it is absurd. The media is trying it's damnedest to paint it as a positive movement of 'showing solidarity for Black people', doing the 'Black lives matter' thing. There's looting, riots, burning police cars, etc. I mean, how much can you delude yourself as the media?! This is a new high in the media's self-delusion. Like damn, being Leftist is literally all that matters to them!

Do they not think that Antifa will take advantage of this? Are they that willing to play dirty against the Right?

Edited June 1, 2020 by Parththakkar12