A protest occurs when at least one person is not satisfied with the status quo or current state of something in society or the world. The protest is conducted to bring about awareness, support for the cause, and ultimately change. While a group of protestors will ultimately be more successful, a single person is enough to spark a protest. If one person feels passionately about something, he or she can inspire others to join the fight (and this is not to imply that protests must be violent). There are many different tactics that may be used during a protest. Strikes, boycotts, and petitions are a few of the most common ones.
To be successful, a protest needs to generate sufficient support for real change to occur. This must happen at the grassroots level first. Many protest groups desire media attention, which can provide free publicity about a cause. In order to cause change, people must first become aware of and educated on an issue. Therefore, mass exposure to a particular issue via the media can expedite a protest campaign, especially if the media portrayal is positive or if the general public is already sympathetic with the protest’s concerns and arguments. Ultimately, a protest’s success is measured by its ability to instigate change and accomplish its goal. Once members of the public and politicians are educated on an issue, widespread support should be enough to facilitate the desired change because of our democratic system.
3 comments:
That was very insightful to point out that a protest can actually start with just one person. That was a very good point. I agree that in order for a protest to be successful it does usually need widespread support.
Alex's post raised two questions for me in terms of clarifying the terms that everyone has been using in their blogs: what does it mean for a protest to be successful (what would our criteria for that be)? Also, what are some of the kinds of change that protests work towards?
I agree with the statement about a protest needing only one person to state his or her idea on a matter to be considered a real protest. I also agree that even though one person is enough in some cases, it helps to have the argument noticed whether it is through means of television, radio, national speeches, or any form of announcement that will grasp the attention of many people. This allows the protest to have more success. The criteria for success should be anything that accomplishes the protestor's goals. This could be any amount of effort depending on what the protest is concerning.
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