So I saw some interesting photos online today. I'm going to mention 2, and they have an interesting sort of contrast about them.
One was about people in Memphis (not necessarily from Memphis, but definitely an "event" that is taking place here) going out and protesting about the things happening in Ferguson MO right after the Grand Jury decision that is being made on the case (I won't bother going into a great deal of detail here; just look up Ferguson and Michael Brown and you'll be able to read plenty of articles on it). It was spreading information about when and where, and had the twitter campaign bit (#shutitdownmemphis) at the end. It strongly evoked imagery of revolution and trying to spread awareness about social injustice.
The other had the exact same information for the most part. It had the other picture in it, but the substantial difference was an excerpt from a local lawyer urging people to have food, water, gas in their car, and "a gun with lots of ammunition."
I certainly agree with the food water and gas, of course. But there is a HIGHLY politically charged message here. Why bother saying the gun part, except if one is expecting violence of some kind? These are, after all, supposed to be peaceful protests: That's the whole point of the Ferguson debacle. That these people would cause violence would go against the entire message. What I'm NOT saying is that there is no need for people to defend themselves, and that violence isn't, in fact, a distinct possibility- humans are fallible, and some people are crazy. Likely, there are some who don't look at this the same way I do, in that violence is the thing they're trying to stop, so violence is the worst route to getting that goal accomplished.
People's words say a lot more than they often intend- our bias shows when we speak. I'm sure this person doesn't want there to be a great deal of violence against anyone- that would make them despicable beyond words. Peace is what everyone wants, though it certainly accomplished little, in my opinion. I may not be one of the people out there, but I think that what these people are trying to do is right- stand up for what you believe in, because if you think everything is just fine the way it is, then don't bother changing what you do. On the flip-side, if you want change, you have to act on it by actively changing your own life.
What d'you think: Is it right to protest in the streets? At what point is peaceful protest no longer an option, and so other measures have to be taken? Or is that even a line that CAN be crossed, meaning that the only right and good protest is peaceful? Are people right for packing weapons and expecting violence? Would you / have you feel / felt threatened by protesters? Where is the line drawn for arming oneself?
There is nothing wrong with people protesting and standing up for what they believe in, actually more people should do it to prove that the community care about the things that are wrong with this society. We have been discussing in class about the bourgeois and the proletariat. These people are the workers that take part in exploited labour and to the owners of companies that make sure that wages stay low and that profit stays high. These is a perfect example of people that should take action and wake up from that matrix that they are living in and make sure that people know that there are more possibilities other than being part of these systems. Sure it’s a working system, but it is only benefiting the bourgeois. Not most of the workers realize that this is a never-ending cycle that will take courage and community effort from people to make a change.
ReplyDeleteNow going back to the protestors, of course they should voice their opinion, but they should also keep in mind that when people start to do different things; other groups of people (usually the bourgeois) do not like to see things change because they way things are now. Which is how they keep making ridiculous amounts of money, while workers barely make enough to survive. More people should protests and that is why there are unions in place, but in order for those actions and changes to take place there needs to be an effort from everyone. Once people realize that there is power in numbers there will be a stronger effort to make sure that those changes happed.
I agree that violence is not the way to get a goal accomplished. I think that maybe the “power in numbers” phrase has been taken a little too literally. “Power” isn’t to mean “overpower.” I am all about standing up for what you believe in even in the face of danger, but I think standing up for what you believe in can be demonstrated in non-violent, beneficial and productive fashions. Peaceful protests where people join hands in a circle and sing Kumbaya(spelling) is probably not going to happen because let’s face it, this isn’t the 60’s People seemed to really hear each other out back then. They entered a peaceful protest with an open mind and an open heart ready to fix any situation calmly. But maybe if there was a way to get society to not automatically hate each other anytime something controversial happens. If there was a way foreign and domestic disputes could be handled in a calm collective manner, the world would be a happier more peaceful place.
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