Do protests make a difference?
- Thread starter Katrina
- Start date
The '3.5%' rule' suggests they can do. Statistically it takes 3.5% of the population to effect serious political change. However the likelihood of change diminishes by 50% if the protest becomes violent.
That said we currently have a fair number of people protesting against the influx of asylum seekers in the UK. While I doubt there are enough people protesting to meet the 3.5% rule and there has been a degree of violence, it has caused our somewhat ineffectual left wing Government to start parroting right wing ideologies.
I suspect in this case the protests will make a difference and the difference will be largely negative.
I think they do in the long run if done properly. It's fine to protest and have signs but when you have groups destroying property, it's no longer a protest but a riot. That won't get the point across at all and I think people tend to think of riots when they hear the word protest since the two seem to be brought up at times when they're both different. You'd see over time that protests have helped marginalized people throughout the years, that's the thing though it takes years and even decades for change to happen.
Yes, protests can make a difference. They give people a way to show that many voices care about the same issue. When enough people speak out together, it can draw attention from the public, the media, and leaders, which sometimes leads to change. Not every protest brings immediate results, but they can start conversations, influence opinions, and push decision-makers to act.
A cynic could point out that protests force stuff on others that don't want it. I don't know if that's the best strategy. For example, in the Civil Rights era of the US, Malcom X argued something similar, saying African Americans should earn respect, just as an earlier A.A. leader, Booker T Washington said the same (but in a different sort of strategy).
If protests don't make any real difference, governments all over the world won't be so afraid of people coming together to protest against them. Protests bring to the fore of public discourse the failures of the system or government. A well organized protest always triggers a change.
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