Explain to Me Please About Protests ... (NOT KATRINA RELATED)

[IdaBriggs]

I am not looking to be flamed, but I am going to ask about something I don't understand.

What is the point of a protest march?

I marched against the war in Iraq. I have marched in the "Take Back the Night" demonstrations. I have marched to help keep women's choices about their medical decisions private, and I have protested against Bush while holding a Kerry sign when the SOB came to my town to talk to the Republicans. In the latter case, I got it: we were showing support for Kerry to the cars driving by us.

But in the first three, I'm really not sure what we accomplished, or what the REAL message we were trying to send was. Frankly, on at least one of those occasions, it simply seemed like we were walking in circles for no reason. And it was cold! (smile) So I'm asking:

Are marches / protests supposed to be telling the politicians something?

Maybe --

"WE CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND WE VOTE."

Or --

"WE CARE ENOUGH TO STAND HERE SO YOU CAN SEE US."

Or Even --

"WE ARE GOING TO GIVE OUR MONEY AND TIME TO YOUR OPPONENT IF YOU DON'T MAKE US HAPPY."

What is the REAL message a protest / march is supposed to deliver?

I watched the mainsteam media pretty much completely dismiss a million protesters in New York during the Republican convention. Those folks came from all over the country -- and there was barely a mention of them on any of the main stream media outlets. They were invisible people; it did not seem to me as if the Republicans were afraid of them or the "power" they represented at all. (Given the fact the election was rigged, I understand why, but still....)

There is going to be a march in Washington on September 24, 2005. I expect a million people will walk around in circles there, too. I don't expect it to get much attention unless the government starts shooting some of the pissed off people if they try to break into the White House for a good "tar and feather" party, at which point the main stream media will shake their collective heads at the "silly" crackpots.

They don't get it. I'm not sure I do.

Is there some "we will each give a dollar to the campaign of any member of Congress who starts work on impeaching this SOB" pledge that I'm not hearing about? Is there any reason anyone in Washington should take this thing seriously?

Can someone explain it to me?

[GOPisEvil]

1. It's about petitioning our government for redress of our grievances.

What will it accomplish? I don't know, but if I stay silent, I'm complicit.

Impeachment is not going to happen with Congress as it is currently constructed; that's a bigger pipe dream in my opinion.

[IdaBriggs]

7. Redressing our grievances HOW?

I'm not saying we don't have a right or a reason to do so. I'm asking WHY they should listen to us when we gather in a big crowd walking around in circles -- what MESSAGE are we really trying to send?

I'm actually really liking the "we'll each give a dollar to your opponents" if the crowd is big enough....:)

[babylonsister]

2. Attention is drawn when lots of people get together

for a cause. Cindy Sheehan IMO broke the apathy in this country and got people thinking. It's no panacea, but it's a start.

[IdaBriggs]

8. Logically, compare the small numbers in Crawford

with the BIG NUMBERS in New York. Why was one ignorable, but the other wasn't? It seems to me to be bored Washington Press Corp with nothing to do (because brainless boy decided he was vacationing) in Crawford during August who made Cindy Sheehan a phenomena.

Is it really about the marketing and less about the quantity of people?

[babylonsister]

11. Maybe everyone is just getting sick and tired

of the bloviating bastard and his poisonous ideas. Even the press corps might be having second thoughts.

[growlypants]

3. It gets your point of view, your cause, coverage in the television and

lets the pepole in the government see, physically with their own eyes, not just polls and shit, the actual AMOUNT of people against said policies. Nothing is more in your face than a swarming mass of protesters (especially if there are HUGE numbers, like in the civil right protests of the 60's). It also inspires others, who may have ben hesitant, to join the cause, thus making the numbers grow even larger.

[IdaBriggs]

10. So how were the idiots in charge able to ignore ONE MILLION PEOPLE

in New York last year? For heaven's sake, they were marching in front of the CNN building.

And don't even get me started on the Terri Shiavo case: half a dozen raving morons got more press coverage than the 80%+ part of the country that said it was completely unacceptable....

There has to be something else going on here, and I really feel like I am missing it.

:(

[hwmnbn]

4. All of the above and.......

we do it so we can see and meet each other. At least I do. Something about being with a like-minded community that inspires me. It may be symbolic but it sure as hell helps me.

[IdaBriggs]

12. Like minded community makes sense to me.

Thank you for sharing that. :)

[John Q. Citizen]

5. Why not ask Cindy Sheehan? Or have you heard about her and

her invisable protest?

OK, there is a little sarcasm there, but you get my point. Or do you?

[IdaBriggs]

6. There were thousands of protests against the war before Cindy.

Did they do any good? In my not so humble opinion, a "bored" Washington press corps with nothing to report in Crawford during the month of August actually paid attention to her message. That seems to be more about being in the right place at the right time with good marketing savvy. Would the rest of the protesters previously (including me) have been better off putting our energy into "something else?"

[gratuitous]

9. Do the right thing and let go of the result

I can't end world hunger, but I can feed some hungry people. I can't end homelessness, but I can support a program to transition some homeless families back into mainstream housing.

And every now and then, it seems to make a difference, at least to the person who is now fed or housed.

I can't end a tyrannical fascist regime that's usurped power in the United States, but I can refuse to cooperate with it.