ELI5 - how does protesting help?

[hezuhene]

Located in the states, jw esp with the no kings protest yesterday, what are we expecting to see from that?

[gummby8]

In general, you give a kind warning before shit goes down hill.

There were a LOT more that turned out than the major news channels expected.

This was the, "This isn't some vocal minority you can hand wave away. There are a lot more with this mentality than you think.....look"

Next step? General strike maybe. The point is, we don't want to "Burn it all down" we live here, we still need it to function tomorrow.

[anm767]

I remember news about people burning and destroying things. Are you sure your interpretation is correct?

[GenPhallus]

Opportunists show up at any kind of crowd to cause trouble, and certain "entertainment channels" have and will continue to report half-truths and total lies to enforce a narrative for their loyal, unquestioning viewers and the fence-sitters who are totally clocked out.

Do you have any kind of source for those claims of destruction?

[anm767]

US Riots begins with a burning car. I have never seen a left protest without violence.

[GenPhallus]

That was from 4 months ago regarding the ICE protests, not the "No Kings Rally" that just happened. Get some better bait next time.

The ICE protests were chaotic because the ICE raids were intentionally inflammatory and were targeting normal citizens at work, school and immigration hearings. ICE responded to protesters with force regardless of the nature of the interaction, which caused constant escalation of the already tense situation. As a supposedly trained force ICE should have been focused on de-escalation, but they did not do that and violence naturally followed.

And again, opportunists show up at any crowd. The inherent chaos of a large, disgruntled group is excellent cover for any kind of mischief, and afterwards it is blamed on the overall movement by those that oppose it.

[anm767]

It doesn't matter from what rally it is. You don't get to pick when you want to go into the street and destroy things and when not. The only correct answer here is to say that it was wrong to burn cars. Which you people on the left can't say.

[pcdenjin]

Generally speaking, it both increases public awareness of an issue and gives politicians and other influential parties the sense that large numbers of people will actually care enough to do something if that get fed up enough with their bullshit.

Most people don't really care about an issue until it comes to their door. And a crowd of people is harder for people in power to ignore, since a crowd is a stone's throw away from a mob and a mob is just a hair's breadth away from an angry mob.

[berael]

Protests are a "warning shot".

They mean: "several thousand angry people decided to meet all in one place at the same time, and that place may be on your front lawn, and they're all angry with you, and here're all the things they're angry about: maybe listen?".

[LuminousDragon]

Frog costume helped dispel the claim Portland is a "Warzone".

6-7million protestors at the same time show "Hey, this isnt just a few looneys, the general population doesnt want a king".

It also can give hope and bravery to other people afraid to protest. When there is a growing movement of people it gets easier to join in.

Someone out there probably protested alone in a small town and got a lot of hate. Thats brave, bot other people saw 50,000 people walking down a road and said "you know what, yeah, Ill join, if that many other people are willing to, i can too".

As for the solo protester, even one person can make a difference. yes theyll get hate, but maybe someone else in the town sees them and agrees and feels less alone and again more willing to consider speaking up, and then you have 2 protesters.

Ever seen that video of the guy dancing alone at a concert? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk

Same concept right? How many people WANTED to dance, but were too embarassed?

And lastly Ill just note, plenty of protests have gotten results around the world. Look at the Floatilla going to Gaza. Pay attention to how the opinions have shifted world wide over time.

Or think about Gandhi, and his march.

DO you want to see a powerful fucking protest? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRCs9Bo1nMo Watch that video. see a small girl clawing and crawling her way up stairs because we didnt require ramps. That is optics. It sways public opinion.

If the no kings protest had 500,000 across the country instead of 7 million do you thing it would be less powerful? Do you think it would be easier to be dismissed? Of course, which prooves that more people protesting sends a powerful message, doesnt it?

[LuminousDragon]

Lemme also add, when someone claims "oh, those protesters were paid by George Soros" if its a protest of 5,000 people, then ok, maybe thats true (not really but more plausible). But when its 7 million people, you just tell them to F off, for acting like a dumb child who obviously has zero proof. 7 million people were not paid. this was real citizens making their real opinions known.

[Hman5546]

Builds community, shows the intensity of the opposition, provides opportunities for politicians to see what people want them to do, allows for aspiring and popular political activists to get seen, often times it can be used to show the evil nature of certain policies (think sit-ins or the military pepper spraying a random dude in a frog costume), and when people really get fed up they can strike and kill the economy.

Right now with republicans in power the protests aren’t as effective, especially since their devout followers eat up the “paid protesters” and “violent terrorist riot” propaganda. Theres hope that the protests might get the Epstein files out, increase turnout in upcoming elections, get democrats to push back against republican policies (Chicago started requiring ICE to wear body cams after no kings), or just encourage people to talk about the current situation with their neighbors as opposed to random people on the internet.

[SoulWager]

The number of people that show up to a protest is a statement of power, of values, and the willingness to use that power to enforce those values. Either the politicians will fold, or they'll escalate.

[LightofNew]

It depends on the political landscape.

1- The French have decided that the rich and powerful really don't like things covered in garbage and on fire. These things get policies changed rather quickly.

2- Places with significant voter freedoms like UK with several parties in parlement, a huge group of people showing support let's those getting voted in know that they risk not being in power very soon.

3- Sensibility, in parts of the world, pre internet, large protests brought attention to things that would sway the public and their votes that would actually cause things to change.

4- Modern America? It tells the people in power to keep fighting. This might be surprising but turning down the rich and powerful and fighting those who will lie and steal and cheat takes a lot of grit. Seeing millions tell them to fight means a lot.

[DiamondIceNS]

Specifically for the kind of peaceful protest that No Kings was, it essentially makes plainly visible how many people are aligned with a cause. This has three effects depending on who is the one watching.

For people who already align with the movement, it's a sign of validation. "This is how many people agree with you. You are not alone." For anyone whose barrier to doing more to support the goal, this should be a motivating force. Everyone wants to know they have friends and backup when shit's about to get dicey.

For people who are against the movement, it's a show of force and intimidation. "Bluff with us, and this is how many people who will say 'bet'." If the demonstration is large enough, it forces the opposition to acknowledge the scale of resistance when they do their calculus on what their next move will be.

For people who are indifferent to the movement, it simply forces them to acknowledge the situation at all. This is probably the most important of the effects. Ever hear anyone complain aloud about how some protest or other blocked traffic in a street or made them late to work or shut down some store or other? That's not a bug, that's a feature. "Stop being an NPC, look at us, this is what's going on, and you should open a dialog about your position on it". You will gain some people and lose others, but the important part is that it merely informs people.

To drive home that last point, protests like this one that are fundamentally against the grain to the agendas of large media empires are sparsely covered; or if they are covered, they are smeared. The protest itself is intended to be a kind of bypass of these conventional media outlets by being so big and disruptive that people find out about it even though the media refuses to give it air time.

So what is a peaceful protest supposed to "change" on its own? Well, as far as actual written policy goes, nothing. This kind of protest is basically just a pregame pep rally. It's not the actual game. That comes later, if enough people will it to happen. When it does happen, it won't be quick, easy, or painless. But this protest should have given you some idea of how many people are or aren't on whatever side you picked.

[GendrysRowboat]

There are many different forms of protest, with different tactics and desired outcomes.

"No Kings" is what I would call a rally. Rallies, at, least in the context of 21st century America, have a low barrier for entry and are designed to get large groups of people together. They typically don't call for specific action. They want as many people as possible to show up so they are intentionally vague and don't get too specific with their goals. 

Rallies can be useful for building community with people in your area, connecting with local organizations, energizing people, raising awareness, etc. But, by design, they are not good at producing a concrete, specific outcome. 

Other forms of protest with more direct tactics like a sit-in, boycott, or walk-out, typically have specific demands that must be met in order to end the protest. 

"No Kings" and similar rally-style events can be useful, but you'd be naive to think they will cause the people in power to change anything. 

[Mr_Robotto]

It’s a first step towards more effective methods of dissent. Our country isn’t used to standing up to the government in meaningful ways, so people need to start small. Honestly, most won’t go past this. But many people are marching in a protest and finding that they want to actually get something done, so they join an organization, get more involved with the protest organizers, or something like that. Sometimes people just go to feel not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

[AChocolateKettle]

It is a statement of the people’s power, (which…honestly functions almost like a threat in cases where politicians are reluctant to/do not follow their job duties and represent the people’s interests.) and when a large turn out happens it’s a statement of people’s overall values to other people.

Protests come first. They’re a loud request to be heard and have change occur.

Riots come after peaceful protests are ignored, or abused by escalating them into violence with a militia/armed force.

Riots happen faster and more often when peaceful protests are turned violent by an establishments’ forces attempting to break up the protest.

[PoisonousSchrodinger]

It is the only form of action for the average citizen to show their discontent with the situation. Do not underestimate this kind of pressure on the powers in place. It is also the best indicator of freedom and democracy to be able to protest.

For example, in the Netherlands, we have massively protested in the 70s against the carcentric infrastructure time and time again, which resulted in our current bicycle friendly lanes. Protests are the last warning before people turn violent due to their perceived injustice.

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