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The buzzword for these coming weeks is "protest", and likewise a lot of criticism against activism is being thrown about rather carelessly. Where to begin evaluating this criticism is rather tricky, but I'll take a stab in the dark.
The "voice" of a protest is not, as many people seem to think, the voice of a group; it's the voice of many different people who all have the same thing to say. Every person in the crowd is unique and has his/her own past experiences. They are not there because they are obliged by some over-looking authority who has instructed them to go. Baaa.
Which of course leads to the question, why should anyone attend a protest? The criticism against attendance usually rests on the fact that it is pointless, and while just how pointless it is is up for debate it is also vastly unimportant.
Whenever anyone attempts anything in life - whether a protest or not - the chances of success are not definite. When we act we act hoping for consequences, but not knowing whether those consequences will definitely be realised or not. One does not need to look far around oneself, or deep into his/her own past to see clear examples of how one's actions did not result in the consequence s/he was hoping for. But this does not mean that we cannot act. If anything, not acting simply because the consequences you hope for might not occur is a sign of cowardice. If you cannot go stand up for what you believe in when there are people beside you, how will you ever stand up for what you believe in when you are alone? There is no courage when the outcome is clear, only when things look unlikely will there be any need for bravery.
And by "what you believe in" I do not only exclusively mean social issues. I mean for your own values, for the people you love, for the things you want, for anything and everything which is important to you. You couldn't stand when there were others beside you, and you expect to stand alone? Those who sit for so long doing nothing will find their knees weak when they are forced to act. Meow.
And maybe you might look at a cause and say that it's not something you believe in, and you walk away and that's fine, but don't dare look at those who stood their ground and say they are fools or clowns, because the joke's on you friend; when your turn to fight comes round, and I assure you it will, you won't have a drop of courage in you. You distanced yourself from those who knew how to fight, ended up with those who knew only how to hide, and from repetition and repetition of the same cowardly behaviour you yourself became a coward; a "man" or "woman" who shunned those who fought, you distanced yourself from thoughts of resistance and became complacent and scared. Cluck cluck.
So that's one thing, do not shun those who fight for what they believe in, if anything commend and learn from their own strength. And for those who have the desire to protest, but for some reason have not, I have kinder words. Who you are is reflective of the choices you make. The consequences of your actions may result in nothing but by taking a stand you are practicing the virtues of courage, determination and (for most causes) kindness. If these are the virtues you wish to have, you should know that they do not come easy, and much less do they come instantly. To be brave, strong or kind are not momentary choices, they are choices one must make again and again until bravery, strength and kindness become part of who you are. Becoming virtuous means that making certain choices becomes easier, but for those choices to become easier you must be trained in making them. If you live the life of a cruel creature, you will not be able to suddenly choose kindness when it becomes critical that you do. These traits are things you must habituate into and they will not suddenly become part of your nature overnight. Roar.
One might ask what authority I have to make such claims, but I do not make these claims on my own authority; I make them based on the very fundamental facts of human behaviour. Go read, look, search, ask, and you will never find strong evidence that acquiring a virtue is instantaneous. Rather you will find much the opposite.
So, the bottom line, yes there's a small chance of success, and yes it may seem pointless. But you protest to stand by your own virtue, you protest because you want to be kind and strong and determined. You protest because, come what may, you have your ideals and you will stand by them and be yourself in the face of everyone and anyone close enough to here you bark. Woof.
