To Protest Or Not To Protest

I can honestly say that every single person out there believes strongly about SOMETHING. What that something is can vary from clothing styles to government policy to which fast food restaurant has the tastiest fries. It is human nature to have strong feelings on things that matter to us and in turn it becomes nature to fight for these beliefs. How we fight for these beliefs and why we fight for them is widely varied. We may participate in a casual argument with someone who has opposite views or may go so far as to get into a physical fight (not recommended) to defend your beliefs. More effectively, you may start a petition or organize a protest if it is a large issue that you think people need to know about. Not everyone will share your same beliefs, but you are bound to find many do and will support or even participate in the protest. This brings us to the question at hand, when should you protest, and when should you not?

The initial thought is that hey, it is a free country and I have the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest. What is to stop me from protesting anything that I want? Well technically and legally speaking nothing is there to stop you. But would it really be worth while to protest something like letting people with 13 items go through the 12 item express line at the grocery store? Maybe that is a poor example, but what I am getting at is that feeling strong about something does not necessarily warrant a protest. If people went around protesting anything and everything that bothered them, protests would begin to lose meaning. I have actually already noticed this as I see more and more protests everyday about small issues. In my opinion, it would be more constructive to find other means to express a strong belief when the issue is small. These could be newspaper ads, internet forums and the newest means, online protest sites such as iProtest. These allow you to find others who share the same beliefs and to discuss with them what could be done besides a full blown protest.

Now on the flip side, some issues deserve a movement such as a protest or even multiple protests. The iraq war is a prime example. The way Wal-Mart is causing local businesses to shut down or how police seem to be using tasers excessively and recklessly could all be issues that deserve a full blown protest. This is not to say that other means of getting the word out should be ignored. Internet forums, newspapers, protesting sites such as iProtest and any other means available should be utilized as well. If you believe in something strongly enough to organize or participate in a protest, then you will want to get the word out any way possible.

The underlying point to take away from this is that we cannot let our nation and our world, for that matter, become protest happy. That does NOT mean that we cannot express our views and share our beliefs in other ways. If you wish to organize or participate in a protest, take an objective look at why you would like to do so and what it will acomplish. You may just find logging online or calling the papers would be a more effective means to get the word out.

Thinking of starting a protest? Do you believe in something so strongly you just have to take action? You can start by getting the word out online: iProtest - Protest Anything