MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024 - PROTESTS

 Monday, May 6th, 2024-PROTESTS

Changes to society can be complex.  

I agree with Martin Luther King (and many others) regarding non-violent demonstrations.  Following Gandhi's leadership, his protests were non-violent- if the other side used force, the media condemned the police or army. 

I was in college during the violence of the Vietnam protests. I’ve been racking my brain to think of what might have triggered our protest.  Mai Lai was earlier; Kent State was later.  Anyway, there was a protest.  This was about 1969 when the Vietnam War was a hot topic.  I had friends who moved to Canada to escape the draft and a friend who spent time in prison as a conscious objector.  

There wasn’t an email, web page, or way to communicate quickly. Word of mouth around campus said, “Rally tonight at Morey Hall.”  There were chants, “Hell No, We won’t Go.”.

It was early May, a nice day for a protest - so we had one.  Eventually, the firetrucks arrived and started spraying students with their high-pressure hoses - and we dispersed.  Yep, I was in a protest with about 500 other students- and it broke up peacefully.    

Sometimes, the protests were real, but not always. Having something to complain about is human nature. There was a group in the 1960s called Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly Everything (or SWINE). 

Nearing the end of the semester, I think we all enjoyed a night of burning off some “steam” and frustration.

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Recent protests have been about Israel and Palestinians.  I think some people just like to protest-  I view that both sides have used violence.  

Students protesting is a sign of a healthy democracy. 

Authorities suppressing students' protesting is a sign of an unhealthy democracy.

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There is a concept in history of a balance board.  When things are chugging along well, the center of the board is balanced.  However, as one side (generally a political entity) gets more power, the board tilts to that side.  If it stays that way too long, the protests turn into riots and can be dangerous.

A classic view of this is the French Revolution. For centuries, the Kings and nobility took (and took, and took). The peasants had no power—the rich had everything, and the poor had nothing. The famous quote (which has been disproved) is supposedly from Marie Antoinette. When asked, “Why don’t the people have bread?” she supposedly answered, “Let them eat cake.”  The royalty were out of touch with the people.  

As the balance got more lopsided, the people began to revolt. While farmers with pitchforks were no match to a well-trained militia with guns, thousands of farmers against hundreds of military eventually overthrew the government.  Along the line, some of the militia joined the protestors.

The anger from years of hardships finally toppled the regime, and the balance board flipped to the other side.   The French Revolution ended in chaos.  It took a few years until Napolean set up a makeshift balance.

Yes, protests can point out errors -but actions have consequences. The concept that evolution is better than revolution is the best method.  

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More tomorrow!!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, ©, May 6, 2024