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August 18, 2017
Is There Any Point to Protesting?
By Don Smith
The article reviews the history of political movements and concludes that recent protests, in the U.S. especially, have been ineffectual. The protests against the Iraq War in 2003 didn't stop the war. Occupy Wall Street had little direct effect. The Women's march on Washington didn't stop Trump and the GOP. Mostly protesters just let off steam. The real work requires engagement with politicians and smart, top-down organization.
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The article reviews the history of political movements and concludes that recent protests, in the U.S. especially, have been ineffectual. The protests against the Iraq War in 2003 didn't stop the war. Occupy Wall Street had little direct effect. The Women's march on Washington didn't stop Trump and the GOP. Mostly protesters just let off steam. The real work requires engagement with politicians and smart, top-down organization.
Authors Website: http://waliberals.org
Authors Bio:
Democratic Precinct Committee Officer, activist, writer, and programmer. My op-ed pieces have appeared in the Seattle Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and elsewhere. See http://WALiberals.org and http://ProgressiveMemes.org for my writing, meme images, musical creations, and animations.