Protesting Does Not Work

I truly wonder what Black Lives Matter activists and other protesters really want. Do they want actual change or do they just want attention? How does rioting, looting or even blocking a highway help them get anything other than that?

As a white man in America, I can assure you that many white people see these protests as nothing but negative. Very few see a positive side to it. The most common thing I hear at work or in social settings is “Can you believe these protesters? All they want to do is riot.” While this is obviously not always the case, it happens often. This is what people see. It is not effective. It is actually damaging. It is not working.

What would be more effective is to calmly talk to the media about things that should be changed. Or aggressively talk to them. Specifics. Broad statements like “Justice for ______” or “We want reform” or “Black lives matter”, while simple to chant are also easy to ignore. Specific, meaningful changes like “We want every police officer to wear a body camera in the United States” holds more weight. While this is just an example, I, and many others are much more likely to listen and push for reform when it isn’t just a slogan.

So, I ask, without a shred of sarcasm: “What do you want and how do you want to get it?” Once those questions are answered, we can move forward and look for a true solution. Until then, I will ignore the useless protests along with the rest of “white America” because that nonsense is not in search of true reform and only serves to divide us more.

Please, let’s talk.