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Protest as Addiction?
I was struck by this comment from WorkingMom, which came in after today's protest show:
The most interesting part of this show to me was that if you removed the specific issue of protest, the three guests all sounded like the same person. I do think there is a time and place for activism and protest but I think that more often than not the protesting lifestyle becomes the important thing for activists and the issue is really secondary. I attended an environmental studies college and was surrounded by hardcore activists. The ones who were most commited to the cause were generally bitter, unhappy and lonely. I decided then that having fulfilling, caring relationships with people and trying to be a decent, kind and responsible friend, citizen and parent was possibly the truest form of activism.
ScottMill had a similar comment, with (just a bit!) more sympathy:
There is a sort of addictive quality to a life of protest. When I first moved to Portland, I witnessed many demonstrations, and they had a real charm, a kind of edginess, that there was something big going, matters of life and death, a war of sorts. Being part of a group with such strong views, is rather addictive, but sometimes the addiction can almost supersede the message. It is hard to say whether all this is an illusion or if there is some real value in it.
For the protesters out there, are these comments fair? Do they ring true?
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As WorkingMom said, perhaps people who protest are bitter. But maybe that is a sacrifice they make to fight for something they believe in. Or it could be another chicken and egg:
1) Maybe they were already bitter people and that is why they were attracted to this life.
OR
2) Maybe a life of protesting, is inherently, or by proxy, a life of anger and defiance. Anyone who focuses a lot on the injustice of the world is going to be pretty angry. How could you not be?
But as I said, perhaps the life is a "sacrifice" of happiness, and their determination or even anger is necessary to propel them to work hard enough to try and change things. Kind of the way a coach riles up a team. Maybe out of this anger comes a greater good.
I alluded to this before, that I feel you can't be very logical or grounded and pursue this life, you have to be a little angry and little crazy to work so hard at something that is perhaps futile, or just to focus your attention so fully on one area with such certainty. Because there are so many injustices to focus on, it seems impossible to just pick one unless you do so emotionally. This could all just be half-baked nonsense, but there is something similar between people who protest and people who preach---there is a quality they share: they both think they can and should change the world. At least for our sakes, the protester usually develops their beliefs through ethical thinking rather then the moral faith of the preacher.
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I've been associated with very successful campaigns and peaceful protests for most of my (long) life. Now there is a cause which supercedes all group actions for me, and that is the world food issue. I've been acting on my own, or with one or two people for a couple of years in Portland, also successfully: Here is the premise:
"Meat production is the No. 1 cause of global warming." Wow: even if people don't agree with this statement, I'm pleased to report that we few activists have handed out thousands of vegan and vegetarian starter kits to people who really want them, including the most recent outreach, at the film, "Food, Inc." which has been held over two times at Cinema 21. We say this: 27,500 children die of starvation every day in the world. 85% of all crops grown in the U.S. are fed to farm animals. By going vegan on Mondays (our campaign), we can free up the food which should go directly to hungry people, brilliantly bypassing the production of unhealthful fast food and bypassing the torture of 50 billion+ animals each year. Factory farm emissions send carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere in quantities surpassing all of the world's transportation combined.
20% more heart attacks occur on Mondays (see "heartattackmondays" on the web;
Sir Paul McCartney has asked all of Great Britain to "Go meatless on Mondays"! (source: NPR).
So, continue to act in protection of trees and follow your own passions, while starting to do the most proactive thing today: Going vegan, for your health, the environment and the animals!