Final Blog Post!

After going back through what I originally thought a protest was, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one thing I would change in my original analysis and a couple things I would add. I still agree that a protest can happen anytime someone discontented with the circumstances around him or her takes the initiative to stand up for what they believe in to try to make a difference. But here, I would like to add that it doesn’t have to be something you are unhappy with, it can be something you are proud of, or want to encourage others to believe.

I also still believe that a protest can consist of one person or as many as thousands. My original example of a protest consisting of one person is the monk who lit himself on fire during Vietnam. This is still the first and most effective single person protest that comes to my mind, however, after this semester I have seen that there are others. Now, I think of the punk scene, all this takes is one person dressing differently to make a statement and stand out from the norm.

After looking through all the protests from PETA, to the guerilla girls, to civil rights activists I do want to take back one statement I made. In my original analysis I said “I believe most effective protests have large numbers of supporters,” now I believe that the most effective protests have not a large number of supporters, although that is helpful, but a dedicated and ACTIVE group of supporters. Anyone can agree with a cause, however, if there is no action no changes will be made. Numbers do help in garnering media attention, but that can only go so far.

One other point I would like to add to my original analysis is that almost anything can be made into a protest. The decisions we make everyday say something about what we believe. From African Americans in the civil rights movement deciding enough is enough with discrimination, to a comedic talk show host like Jon Stewart who talks about politics everyday. Even the artwork we see on the streets or in museums and the music we listen to on the radio can be protesting something. Most things have a meaning and are done for a reason, which means that quite often they are “protesting” something