Protest is an effective means of creating change
Protest isn't always the best method of changing the world but it can be
quite useful under the right circumstances. It gives a voice to a cause.
People who are upset can show that they desire change. Demonstrations
also inform people about topics they wouldn't otherwise recognizing.
(Good ol' fashioned consciousness-raising.)
Protest is particularly effective when you have many people with
little traditional power and a few with much traditional power. This is
because the many can literally block the few from accessing their power
by taking over buildings, forming picket lines, etc.
The effects are increased when the few is not an ultimate power.
That is, if the few has someone to answer to, they will be more likely to
work with the many to resolve the issue, in order to avoid problems with
the next level up.
Protest becomes even more useful when the few and/or those above the
few care about public relations. A dictatorship which achieves its power
through force may not worry about looking bad in the eyes of the public,
but a company which depends on voluntary purchases from consumers will do
all they can to show that they are friends of the masses.
All of this points towards the University as a perfect place for
protest to arise. This is certainly not the only place for protest, but
it is an example which works well. The students greatly outnumber the
faculty and staff at most colleges, yet it is the staff and faculty who
generally create the policies of the institution. The administration is
responsible to the Trustees, the alumni, and perhaps the city or state if
the school is public. A university is very dependent on its reputation.
That is what will attract good students, teachers and researchers. That
is what makes the University.
This is why much of American protest-centered activism, particularly
those in the 60's, (such as the Society of a Democratic Society, the Free
Speech Movement at Berkeley, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee, the Freedom Rides and various Anti-War campaigns throughout the
nation), is closely tied to higher education and students.
Look at where you are. Might protest be an effective means of change
for you? If so, take advantage of it.
Related Pages
The work of each individual helps
If the system doesn't work, change it
Protest is nothing new
Pitfalls of volunteerism without activism
The Perfect Standard and why it's bad
So you're ready to start a movement
Please mail any comment or suggestions to kerig@sas.upenn.edu
