Are public protests and rallies an ass backwards way of achieving a goal?

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Serraph105

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#1 Serraph105
Member since 2007 • 36040 Posts

So here is something I have considered in the past. Let's say you are at work and you need a favor from a fellow co-worker or perhaps you are the boss and have some new work to delegate to people on your team. Isn't it generally agreed upon that the best way to get what you want is to treat that person with respect and kindness so that they will not only do what you want/need, but also be happy to do it for you? (If I have this wrong let me know)

So why are protests, and public rallies (particularly those aimed at the government though not always) so often the exact opposite of respectful in nature? You hear people yell terrible things, and hold up incredibly offensive signs that they would never dare use to try and get people they know to do something for them. Now obviously some protests are effective from time to time otherwise we would find some other way to get whatever it is that we want done, but the more I look at the nature of this sort of thing the more I think how ineffective they must be due to the way they are usually handled.

What do you guys think? Are protests largely a terrible strategy to achieve a goal?

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lamprey263

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#2 lamprey263
Member since 2006 • 44564 Posts
protests bring issues to attention, it's up to the public's opinion on those issues that sway whatever movement in any direction, and things like the message and the way people bring attention to it can also sway public perception, it can be backwards in achieving its goals, it helps if a group has leverage in its ability to force change
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LJS9502_basic

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#3 LJS9502_basic
Member since 2003 • 178846 Posts
They bring the issue to the public.....which is sometimes all that's necessary.
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Rhazakna

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#4 Rhazakna
Member since 2004 • 11022 Posts
It may be true that protests rarely achieve their goal, but asking the government nicely never works. Getting a bunch of people together to say "pretty please" isn't going to make power structures change, or shift in any real way.
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Fightingfan

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#5 Fightingfan
Member since 2010 • 38011 Posts

This thread makes me want to be part of a riot.

I hope we have another Rodney King case so I can throw rocks.

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Capitan_Kid

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#6 Capitan_Kid
Member since 2009 • 6700 Posts
Hell no they arent. Non violent protests are some of the greatest ways to achieve a goal. Look at Martin Luther King Jr or Gandhi. They both brought great change through these protests and managed to rally the people together.
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Fightingfan

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#7 Fightingfan
Member since 2010 • 38011 Posts
Hell no they arent. Non violent protests are some of the greatest ways to achieve a goal. Look at Martin Luther King Jr or Gandhi. They both brought great change through these protests and managed to rally the people together. Capitan_Kid
You think that approach would work against Hitler
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Master_Live

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#8 Master_Live
Member since 2004 • 20510 Posts

Maybe you should participate in a rally or two and then tell if it is backward.

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GazaAli

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#9 GazaAli
Member since 2007 • 25216 Posts
OP is too simplistic. Protests and rallies are all about competing and taking part in power games of different contexts. You'll need to play dirty at some point. Isn't this what the purpose of protests and rallies is all about? That a certain issue should have been addressed in a proper way but it wasn't, so now the concerned party need to resort to other "improper" measures?
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Ugalde-

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#10 Ugalde-
Member since 2009 • 3732 Posts
[QUOTE="Capitan_Kid"]Hell no they arent. Non violent protests are some of the greatest ways to achieve a goal. Look at Martin Luther King Jr or Gandhi. They both brought great change through these protests and managed to rally the people together. Fightingfan
You think that approach would work against Hitler

I don't think the OP is talking about Hitler