By Paige Hoblak (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: April 11, 2012
Last week a 77-year-old Greek man killed himself in Athens’ busy Syntagma Square. In his suicide note, blame pointed to the Government; as a result of austerity cuts, his pension was reduced drastically, to the point where he saw no other means to an end. He wasn’t the only one; after the cuts, many protestors took to the already havoc-stricken city streets of Athens.
After reading about this, I was reminded of the infamous self-immolation of Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, ThÃch Qu?ng ??c, back in the 60s. ThÃch Qu?ng ??c publically lit himself on fire in the open streets of Saigon to bring awareness to the horrifying conditions that were taking place under the oppressive Di?m regime.
These are extreme cases, but there seems to be constant news coverage about protests emerging all over the world. We are no stranger to this, as our city has had its fair share of protests in the last year or so with Occupy Wall Street, not to mention street rallies, teacher walk-outs, and public preaching on anti-abortion. These are some of the most familiar protests, and we have all been witness to these tactics several times over.
But does protesting really function in generating change?
Protests have been used to ignite reform since the 16th century with the first recorded protest: the Protestant Reformation. Protests take on a range of different forms, but they all express a similar purpose. Raising awareness is their primary goal; creating movement is secondary, and not all protests are successful in doing so.
Ultimately, I believe in the power of protest; I think that protesting is an influential form of communication that should never be overlooked. Protesting empowers the citizen who feels voiceless. Protesting has led to many changes that have been of incredible benefit. I feel like protesting may be often seen as a stereotypical characteristic of hippies, but what would the world look like without the people who are willing to stand up for what they truly believe?
The protester’s role is to challenge a current or upcoming policy, idea, movement, or system in a such a way that it creates attention and a public forum for debate in the community or media. After awareness has been raised, the next step is for reformation. If a protester can actively engage other believers in their cause and subsequently generate change, the protest will have reached its underlying goal.
But I believe that, no matter what, all protests, no matter how big or small, achieve somewhat of a ripple effect in the larger scheme of things. I admire the courage that goes alongside a protester; better yet, I envy their courage and admire their willingness to confront their opposition with confidence despite social norms. Sometimes this ends tragically, as it did in Greece this past week. But above all, I believe in the importance of standing up for what we believe in, and letting our voices be heard, no matter who is listening.
