General Discussion

joshcryer

(62,536 posts)

94. Not very much if at all.

Wed Apr 22, 2015, 05:27 AM

Apr 2015

I used to participate in the black bloc in my youth. I since stopped doing it though I felt it did serve a purpose (a lot of kettling goes on in mass protest and people get hurt, if you distract the police, it can be a good thing in the long run; I know that is extremely odious to say, and I am not advocating violence, but I won't condemn it when it happens because I know why it happens).

It's pretty low on a scale of achieving change that exists. I mean, you want change, run for office, elect people, vote, that's how you get things done. It's slow, but that's the only way to really have a powerful effect. Colorado legalized marijuana. That wasn't done by mass protests. It was done at the polls and getting out the vote.

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I think some protest tactics like blocking walkways hurt more than help progressive causes. [View all] alp227 Apr 2015 OP

The point of a demonstration is to take an overlooked problem and put it in peoples' faces. HereSince1628 Apr 2015 #1

Police brutality does far more than inconvienience our lives. It kills us. bravenak Apr 2015 #2

At least people could go to other restaurants if they didn't like the sit-ins. alp227 Apr 2015 #6

You are full of it right now. bravenak Apr 2015 #12

"There are not businesses damaged" Explain what happened in Oakland then. alp227 Apr 2015 #15

Not every protest has property damage. bravenak Apr 2015 #37

Tell that to the people stuck in riot worn Detroit. romanic Apr 2015 #82

That riot is not every riot. bravenak Apr 2015 #84

That riot romanic Apr 2015 #89

What has that to do with the black lives matters protests? bravenak Apr 2015 #90

You brought up property not me. romanic Apr 2015 #93

What obnoxious display of bigotry? bravenak Apr 2015 #95

Preventing students from going to class. romanic Apr 2015 #96

And that's bigotry? bravenak Apr 2015 #97

For instance romanic Apr 2015 #98

White flight was happening before those riots. get your facts straight Quayblue Apr 2015 #110

How many riots does it take to irredeemably piss-off the people whose lives were trashed? Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2015 #99

Seriously, WHY do you use the Anarchy symbol as your avatar? Erich Bloodaxe BSN Apr 2015 #101

I would invite you to gain a deeper understanding of anarchy. Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2015 #115

This is ridiculous. The protests are not riots. bravenak Apr 2015 #106

You said, "That riot is not every riot." The word "that" was used in the determining sense. Nuclear Unicorn Apr 2015 #116

Uh, yeah, because the poster I was talking to wanted To talk about riots. bravenak Apr 2015 #120

Errr my gawd a sidewalk was blocked... giftedgirl77 Apr 2015 #7

Yep. bravenak Apr 2015 #39

I saw more romanic Apr 2015 #83

This message was self-deleted by its author jen63 Apr 2015 #104

+1000! jen63 Apr 2015 #107

I wish you would watch the American upaloopa Apr 2015 #3

Discomfort is one thing, ruining lives is another. alp227 Apr 2015 #4

What about the dead unarmed black men? bravenak Apr 2015 #8

I wish people cared, too. alp227 Apr 2015 #14

When the peaceful protests are ignored then violence upaloopa Apr 2015 #19

At what cost though? alp227 Apr 2015 #21

At that point at what cost doesn't matter upaloopa Apr 2015 #24

On what objective measure are you basing your cost-benefit analysis/guess? LanternWaste Apr 2015 #27

Right up to the point SwankyXomb Apr 2015 #70

America is changing. bravenak Apr 2015 #26

America is always changing. cwydro Apr 2015 #64

That was not a discriminitory remark. It was a reminder that the same stuff was said about the bravenak Apr 2015 #68

Boomers are involved in current protests. cwydro Apr 2015 #78

Nobody said we weren't. bravenak Apr 2015 #80

Finally some young people join us! peace13 Apr 2015 #109

I wish we were there too. bravenak Apr 2015 #113

The two are unrelated.... Oktober Apr 2015 #61

There is no way to know that is going on. upaloopa Apr 2015 #18

What about the lives ruined by police brutality? bravenak Apr 2015 #5

I have nothing against you. But why put words in my mouth? alp227 Apr 2015 #9

A protest does not ruin their lives. bravenak Apr 2015 #16

Fair enough that people can call work if the commute is unexpectedly blocked. alp227 Apr 2015 #20

I think we should block everything, myself. bravenak Apr 2015 #31

How does that help justice? Travis_0004 Apr 2015 #60

>Thanks 840high Apr 2015 #79

Definitely. romanic Apr 2015 #86

"as those poooor inconvenience folks who never have to deal with racism and shit..." oberliner Apr 2015 #10

Did I say that? bravenak Apr 2015 #13

You wrote that the people being inconvenienced never have to deal with racism oberliner Apr 2015 #30

You misunderstood. bravenak Apr 2015 #33

Fair enough oberliner Apr 2015 #44

C'est la vie! bravenak Apr 2015 #47

I respect your point of view oberliner Apr 2015 #52

The goal is not to change minds. bravenak Apr 2015 #55

I'm going to respectfully disagree oberliner Apr 2015 #56

Two different movements. bravenak Apr 2015 #57

No doubt, the first world convenience of many people was disrupted on August 28, 1963. LanternWaste Apr 2015 #11

The March on Washington was 20+ years in the making, and was part of a large and multi-faceted Chathamization Apr 2015 #28

Then objectively measure the righteousness of the two protests for us LanternWaste Apr 2015 #34

How about effectiveness? Do you think the Days of Rage and the March on Washington were equally Chathamization Apr 2015 #40

Bush had the right idea with free speech zones. Gidney N Cloyd Apr 2015 #17

I agree with you. A bunch of people holding signs and marching draws attention. A bunch of people okaawhatever Apr 2015 #22

The 99% zipplewrath Apr 2015 #23

What people really mean when they complain about 'Black Lives Matter' protests gollygee Apr 2015 #25

Glad that a white guy can set everyone straight on Black Lives Matter oberliner Apr 2015 #36

You being a snarkbucket seems a little off. bravenak Apr 2015 #41

I meant Nick Wing - the guy who wrote that piece oberliner Apr 2015 #48

I'm fine with white folks writing about black stuff. As long as they're not being assholes. bravenak Apr 2015 #50

Fair enough oberliner Apr 2015 #53

Regardless of the cause, it comes down to one question: is the tactic effective? arcane1 Apr 2015 #29

Organize, get behind a progressive candidate, and... Mike Nelson Apr 2015 #32

I cover this shit nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #35

There are plenty of middle class and rich white people protesting oberliner Apr 2015 #38

I am talking of my local experience nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #42

Gotcha oberliner Apr 2015 #45

I just observe and report nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #51

Thanks for sharing that oberliner Apr 2015 #54

Nonsense. Daemonaquila Apr 2015 #43

What you've written is definitely not true oberliner Apr 2015 #46

Hell yeah! Everything you just said! bravenak Apr 2015 #49

Hmmm but that was such an inconvenience to tea drinkers. gollygee Apr 2015 #58

Like making it impossible for a person in a wheelchair to get to their job? oberliner Apr 2015 #62

I did not post it, but we have had nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #63

Can exceptions be made? oberliner Apr 2015 #65

And who is telling you that this is not happening? nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #67

From the OP oberliner Apr 2015 #69

A lot of it is media management nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #72

Thank you for sharing that oberliner Apr 2015 #73

You welcome nadinbrzezinski Apr 2015 #74

What exactly would you have people do? guillaumeb Apr 2015 #59

This is the same complaint made about labor strikes. Starry Messenger Apr 2015 #66

What if a bunch of anti-abortion activists shut down the freeway at rush hour? Throd Apr 2015 #71

Shhhhhhh... linuxman Apr 2015 #87

They have a right to protest gollygee Apr 2015 #114

"((((((inconveniencing people)))))))" 99Forever Apr 2015 #75

So an inconvnience to the people that use that gate is worsre than police murdering an unarmed Agnosticsherbet Apr 2015 #76

You're kidding, right? Have you ever publically protested anything yourself? Hekate Apr 2015 #77

I have protested, most recently here. alp227 Apr 2015 #81

Also.... peace13 Apr 2015 #118

The people defending this shitfest romanic Apr 2015 #85

Welcome to DU. peace13 Apr 2015 #119

I'd like to say these types of linuxman Apr 2015 #88

I don't have a problem with it. joshcryer Apr 2015 #91

But does it change anything in the long run? romanic Apr 2015 #92

Not very much if at all. joshcryer Apr 2015 #94

I agree with you. I also think people who fast as a protest are ridiculous. Vinca Apr 2015 #100

And make sure that you are voting on a black box....not! peace13 Apr 2015 #105

Only New York state held out on HAVA until we got paper ballots. Bohunk68 Apr 2015 #111

Sounds like a good one. peace13 Apr 2015 #112

people who have been comfortable allowing their public officials to kill and injure with impunity bigtree Apr 2015 #102

Who said the general public were "comfortable" with police brutality? romanic Apr 2015 #108

Thanks for this bigtree. peace13 Apr 2015 #117

If not the sidewalk, where then? peace13 Apr 2015 #103

in Ferguson bigtree Apr 2015 #121