Abstract

Protest - yes!  Mindless and selfish protest - NO!!

Article

Protests are very desirable and shoould beencouraged.  They are the ordinary citizen's only means of being heard by those in power whose friends control much of the media,who in turn favour special interests.

It is particularly desirable that the young should protest, even when they are wrong.  Apathy at that age would be a disaaster for society.

That given, there is a limit.  It is totally unjust and personally egocentric and selfish for protesters to harm others by their actions.  Mostly it is only self-promotion by exhibitionism, which is somewhat forgiveablein the young and immature.  But to cause harm to other individuals, alone or as a group, is unacceptable to the point of being criminal, and certainly robs the protest of any pretence of moral virtue,as distinct from mindlesss zealotry.

It is also counterproductive in that it shames the causeof those who protest properly, and turns the publicagainst their cause.

To hamper the traffic of the homewardbound who are tired from  a hard day's work will not attract much sympathy to the cause of those, many of which have not bothered about a hard day's work.  And to cause loss to farming families is the height of ignorance and intolerance. The nature of the activity manifests the want of quality of the thought which it is designed to advance.

Even the disruption of the activity of companies is crass. Blatant breaches of the law, justified by personal judgments are not only a display of arrogance but also dangerous. Social cohesion demands conduct within the law.  No doubt the robber or rapist feels justified according to his/her own lights.

Protest by all means,but do it within the law.  And DO IT PROPERLY. Follow it up with some hard work that is effective at elecction time. Ordo you not havve enough faith in your own cause to putit to the test of the judgment of ordinary people?