By Katie Stobbart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 26, 2014
“Always in your stomach and in your skin there was a sort of protest, a feeling that you had been cheated of something that you had a right to.”
— George Orwell, 1984
Despite the feeling that many protests I have participated in or observed had few long-term effects, I still believe protest is an effective tool for social change.
There have been a number of protests recently. Occupy. Idle No More. There are protests about the economy, about education, about human rights, about the environment. As close as Burnaby, students and activists are risking arrest by defying a court injunction to protest pipeline developments on the mountain.
Elsewhere, stakes are even higher. In Ferguson, violent demonstrations continue, especially after the November 24 decision by a grand jury not to approve criminal charges against Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in August. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Hong Kong, two student leaders in the months-long pro-democracy protest there were arrested.
High stakes and a lot to lose usually also means there’s a lot to be gained. But with so much conflict happening everywhere that seems to go on forever, it can seem hopeless. The people in power (governments and corporations, for instance) usually have time and resources that give them additional waiting power.
People can only stand in the street — or on the mountain — for so long.
On one hand, it’s encouraging to see so many people standing for their beliefs, rising against oppressive forces, and taking a stance to protect their vision of the world they want to thrive in.
It can also be incredibly disheartening. Protestors are unjustly arrested; discouraged with legislation, red tape, and court injunctions; and in some cases killed for their efforts. After everyone inevitably leaves the site of protest, it often seems little has changed in the grand scheme, even after small victories.
It can be a hard beating to take, even for someone who’s not caught up in the centre. I worry oppression will win. I’m afraid we’ll forget what the fight is about, that it won’t really matter in the end: some of us get a black mark on our permanent records, some of us die, and some of us turn off the TV and shut it all out.
I’m also afraid of protest. The ideal I’ve carried with me is an image of peaceful protest — but the violence building up and spitting out in almost every part of the world, from all sides of conflict, is something I don’t like to think about. I know I’m lucky not to be living it — at least not right now.
I think it’s important to stand and defend what we think is right, but I fear it’s a fight that goes on forever. Following updates on protests and conflicts on social media or even participating in protest feels almost futile — it would be easier to just turn away and focus on something else.
Instead, focus on that idea of social change. Social. That doesn’t have to mean literally standing on the mountainside, even though that is one approach. It can also mean sharing it. Not on your Facebook wall, but in your conversations with the people you surround yourself with. Spread awareness of injustice and create a movement for change — a movement through the collective spirit. Often those who turn away do so alone. Instead, turn to other people. It’s not as immediate or fiery as the movements happening in the centre of conflict, but it’s a positive action. It’s a good starting place, because at the centre of a protest is the strength, will, and vision of the collective.
