Marching/Protesting?

[lucifershammer]

just my thought.

Does marching or protesting actually accomplish anything?

if i see a thousand people protesting soemthing that i am all for.. its not going to change my opinion. they're just a 1000 stupid people.

but if my best friend came up to me with a valid arguement, i'd listen, and it might change my mind.

i say concentrate on one person at a time. Dont try to get your message across to everyone. Just one.

[deca]

I don`t know, if it raises awareness then good. I want to go to http://www.non-lethal-weapons.com/ettlingen.html and look into the eyes of the people who are making/testing/using and trying to make legal non-lethal-weapons on our streets.

[lucifershammer]

I don`t know, if it raises awareness then good.

but does it raise awareness? if someone that completely buys the official 911 story sees a whole group of people marching or protesting with banners and shirts, and buttons. its not going to make them think... 'hey, maybe there is something to this conspiracy theory'. its going to make them think... 'holy crap these people are stupid' and just reinforce their beliefs.

if 2000 people marched past my front door right now, with banners proclaiming that Osama was the sole man that led and directed the 911 attack..... it wouldnt make me think any differently. i'd think they're ignorant morons. why should we expect any different from the people we're trying to convince?

[deca]

what else can we do?

[ho1ogram]

Protests are great for hooking up with like minded people. They definetely raise awareness of issues with the general population... for about two days! Nah, really they do get people asking questions. Not everyone of course. Your analogy of the Osama march is ridiculous... they're paranoid robots and you're someone with a brain.

Boring lame arse marches with police escorts can be disheartening... the best ones are the free flowing anarchistic ones (not the smash shit sort of 'anarchists' who are unwitting tools of the state). Creative, fun events have more of an impact than "smash the state" chanting, or holding up signs in front of a store while the police look on. The best ones are the unorganised (no political affiliates involved) blockades and direct action. IMO
The two most fun and empowering events I have been to, blocked the streets off and had performances, muso's, artists etc. One was an anti globalisation 3 day protest that the authotrities knew about but couldn't prevent because of the amount of people involved (about 10thousand I think) and the other was a grass roots artist/punk/hippy/anarchist/studenty gig and march where the cops had no idea it was coming and we managed to block a main road in Adelaide for half a day. It was called reclaim the streets.

Remember that the people who believe the official story of events do so half the time because everyone else does.. they're sheep. If they see thousands of people marching who have a different view of the world they begin to take notice... because eveyone else does, so they follow the new herd if you get my drift. If their friends or people they know are protesting they start to think (hopefully) "hmmm, joe and ted from the office believe this and my neighbour marjorie was at the march.. maybe there is something in it?"

[lucifershammer]

I just dont think they have the impact that people think they do.

they probably have more impact when it is done against a certain company or building,because the business has to do something to get back to work.

but when trying to convey information or change peoples outlook on ingrained beliefs, i think they are next to useless.

[auron]

In 2003, around 500,000 people marched around the center of London in protest of the Iraq war. What did that achieve? :confused:

[chicken_little]

In 2003, around 500,000 people marched around the center of London in protest of the Iraq war. What did that achieve? :confused:

Probably got some of them labeled as "enemy combatants". :(

[lucifershammer]

Back in 1989, ACTUP, an AIDS awareness group stormed the 5th annual International Conference On AIDS. They marched in, took control of the stage and control of the whole meeting, and made their demands. that the govt. needed to change its whole outlook and plan on the fight against AIDS. They read their demands and then marched off, leaving the meeting to the original attendees. A very well organized protest. (and those demands were almost all met) But a couple dozen stubborn ACTUP members stayed behind chanting and protesting continuing to disrupt the meeting. Almost negating the successful protest.

maybe i should have been more specific in my original post. Protests where people just march or stand around with banners and chant their beliefs, are in my opinion, useless. But a well organized demonstration can be a different story.

[notaslave]

I take part in as many anti-war protest as I can afford to travel to and attend.

It hasnt stopped a war yet - well not that we know of anyway. However if no-one protested, we may have invaded Iran by now. I think they are important if only to let the powers that be, know that we are out here and can be counted - as well as photogrpahed and put on their "undesirables" list.

UK Stop the War has complained several times about the incorrect reporting of numbers attending. If police/media/government are falsifying the numbers who attend protest marches (of any type) then they obviously believe protesting has an effect on the larger society.

[notaslave]

Can I retract that last post, lol I 've just been called a hairy lesbian (and they know I had been married a long time) because I go on anti-war marches. Mind you it didnt help that I quoted Major General Smedley Butler's thing. hehehe