Solidarity denotes the unity and mutual support among individuals with shared objectives, crucial in protests for reinforcing collective resolve. Protests are strategically held in high-visibility, disruptive locations to maximize impact and draw public and institutional attention. This disruption compels acknowledgment of the issues, leveraging collective action to catalyze societal and political change. In contrast, low-visibility protests are often ineffective as they fail to generate sufficient public awareness or pressure for change.

  • Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    Protests are effective if there’s a credible threat to those with the power to change whatever is being protected about. If the protesters do not pose a threat of any kind (and I don’t mean just one of physical violence, since that’s often one of the least effective potential threats, although it can have value at times) then nothing will change.

    But protesting where you cause an inconvenience to those who neither support nor oppose the protesters can often be a bad move. On occasion it can serve to bring people’s attention to the issue and convince them, but in my experience, if the first experience someone has with an issue, the first awareness they have of it is some protest that caused them problems, that person is likely to be disinclined to become a supporter of the cause, and indeed is often likely to be pushed towards opposing and cracking down on the protest.

    This of course can backfire, since if the protesters pose an electoral threat, for instance, and the protests cause a bunch of people to be angry at them and just want the crap to end, those in power are given the message that hey…there’s support for just getting rid of the protesters.

    • spujb@lemmy.cafeOP
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      7 months ago

      i mostly agree but i just want to add that sometimes the “credible threat” can be as simple as public awareness

      especially for new or deeply unpopular movements (like pro-palestine), the public getting to see for the first time that there are like-minded souls with the same unpopular yet powerful ideas can be vastly threatening to those in power

  • morrowind
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    7 months ago

    I agree but what the hell is that subtext? You can talk in regular english, this is politicalmemes, not politicalmanifesto

  • dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    This might be the lamest use of this meme format I’ve ever seen. It’s not in any way the wrong message, but it’s insanely lukewarm.

    “I’m gonna make you some tasty food.” “With only mild spices in it, right?” Is the same vibe.

  • doingthestuff@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    This is effective in areas that permit it, particularly blue parts of the US (from an American perspective). You have to be more careful in red areas. Disruption is generally some kind of infraction. Although protest in general is constitutionally protected in traditional free speech zones, any small breach of the law will be met with the excessive force of the law.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    You can protest however you like. However if your plan is to be disruptive or destructive for its own sake, that extra attention you get will be negative. If t you think you’re making a difference by hurting people who could or would support you, you’re wrong. If your goal is headlines regardless of what you’re protesting in the name of, I’m likely to ignore you

    When it’s a cause I care about, when you’re driving away supporters, then I object. When it’s a cause I also protest for and you’re making me distance myself from a bunch of extremists, I’m annoyed.

    • njm1314@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      The people who get upset about protests would never ever support those causes to begin with. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to deceive you. Not a single person who got upset about black people sitting in the wrong bus seat or blocking a lunch counter gave a rat’s ass by the right of black people. Not a single one. It’s the same for every single protest ever. This is a fiction that you’ve been taught in schools by liberals and conservatives who don’t want you protesting.

  • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I have no problem against high-visibility locations.

    But for the love of God,

    Just don’t be IN the way.

    Not only you’re endangering yourself, you’re also being annoying af. People still have things to do.

    • Cowbee [he/they]
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      7 months ago

      Protests are only effective if they are disruptive, not just visible.

      • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Doesn’t sound very peaceful and legal.

        If you really love high visibility disruptive locations, make sure you don’t end up highly visible and disrupted on my windshield.

        • AnyOldName3@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Bombing things until they got the right to vote wasn’t peaceful or legal when the suffragettes did it. If asking politely didn’t work, there’s no reason to think that asking politely but in a different place will fare any better.

          • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            So you’re going to fight genocides and promote peace with bombs and killing people?

            Makes no sense. You’re insane, bro.

            • AnyOldName3@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              That worked pretty effectively in the 1940s, whereas asking the Nazis politely not to invade Poland was completely useless.

              • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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                7 months ago

                True, sometimes, you have to fight fire against fire.

                But it should be the last option.

                I think peace and diplomacy should always be the priority in any situation.

        • Cowbee [he/they]
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          7 months ago

          Why would anyone change anything for peaceful and legal protests? Significant change only happens because it is disruptive.

            • Cowbee [he/they]
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              7 months ago

              You mean a leader of deeply disruptive and illegal protest movements?

                • Cowbee [he/they]
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                  7 months ago

                  He was not, he was disobedient in a wildly disruptive and active manner.

                  Study any civil movement in history and you’ll see that it change happened because of disruption.

        • njm1314@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Peaceful protests are a myth taught to you by those in power who don’t want you a protesting effectively.

          • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            “Those in power” genuinely don’t give a damn about you.

            They are too busy with their own lives.

            You’re an annoying, disruptive, incompetent and/or unproductive member of society that has nothing better to do than create problems.

            Having to use violence and chaos is a reflection of your own powerlessness and inability to be productive in a positive matter.

          • Frank Ring@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Maybe, I don’t protest. Most of the time, I consider them a waste of time.

            I prefer focusing on things that I actually have control over.

            I have no control over “those in power”. Whatever that means. Just like I have no control over you. But I do vote during elections when I can.

            I’m too busy building my own business, working, taking care of myself and the people that I love.

            Whatever you’re actually trying to achieve by protesting, I always assume there’s a more effective and productive way to go about things.