What I don't understand is: What's the point of these protests? What are they demanding from who?
this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2025
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Do protests always need demands? I guess I never considered it.
I mean if they don't have one then the question becomes: What's the point? Why would a hypothetical person A go to one of these protests instead of, I don't know, watch Netflix or something.
I've been to protests and thought 'well obviously most politicians won't see this and change their mind, we're dozens of thousands but not millions', but then that's not the actual point of most protests. I'd say they're:
- to publicly establish that there is an organic movement that you can get involved in
- to raise public awareness (e.g. there was recently a nearby protest at a facility manufacturing weapons which locals didn't even know was there and advertising in their schools to groom weaponry engineers, and since most of that community are Middle Eastern war immigrants, it was a big deal to raise awareness)
- to get interested activists, new and experience, all together in a place to network
- to build connections and form political organisation, which can accomplish more than a peaceful authorised protest
If you go there and stand around yelling, you might be wasting time. But if you go there and get involved, that's how you can begin resisting the regime. The people handing out fliers aren't just pests. (only half of them are ;)
TIL. Always interesting to see how things work in free/free-ish countries.
The point is generally to make content for their personal social media accounts.
I protested back in November with a ballot. Seems that wasn't thought of back then.
I seriously hope you're not comparing one (1) vote in the US electoral system to actual political organisation, or rationalising non-participation in politics because you already expressed that opinion on a ballot.
This might have been satire
And these are going to stop it?
No?
That's not the goal of a protest. There's only one way to stop it, and the last couple of attempts missed. If you're not willing to do that, a protest is at least a step towards resistance.
The best way to get something out of a protest is to find your local activist groups there. Political organisation is how regimes are resisted. If you go there, yell, and leave, you're not really making much of a change.