The Role of the Protester — 2/7/17
The day after Donald Trump was inaugurated, more than 2 million people throughout America took part in the Women’s March. This was the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history. In the two weeks following his inauguration, more protests erupted in response to Donald Trump’s executive orders, particularly his order on immigration.
Protesting is a part of the American tradition: the American Revolution began as a series of protests against the British Empire, the Civil Rights movement consistently utilized protest, and every war America has participated in has resulted in oppositional protest. Protesting is deeply associated with social and political change. And yet it can be a divisive issue.
Some argue that protest is ineffective — we would be better off using our time and energy trying to enact policy change directly. Others disagree with the method of protesting — whether it be blocking traffic, inciting violence, looting, or kneeling during the national anthem.
The purpose of these readings is to explore the role of the protester. Why should we protest? How effective is protest in achieving social and political change? Lastly, is there a proper way to protest?
All Readings
(1) Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.
(2) Easy MentalFloss article discussing various peaceful protests and their impact.
(3) A study by economists at Harvard argue that political protests can change behavior.
(4) NPR article and an audio bit on whether street protests are still effective.
(6) New York Times debate on what makes an effective protest.
(7) Vox article on strategies for a successful protest.
(8) Time article in defense of the Ferguson Riots.
(9) Time article on when rioting is the answer.
Why Should We Protest?
Perhaps the most famous writing on the role of the protester is by Martin Luther King Jr. in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In this letter, King addressed critics who argued that social change should be fought for in the courts (rather than in the streets). He defends nonviolent protesting and discusses the role of the protester in society.
(1) Letter from Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.
How Effective are Protests?
This is a difficult and nuanced question. Protests can influence the individual (through personal opinion) and the state (through policy). To what extent does it shape either? To think about this, we look both at scientific literature and some case studies.
(2) Easy MentalFloss article discussing various peaceful protests and their impact. While this reading is overly simplistic, I picked it because it gave a good sampling of protests that we probably haven’t heard of before.
(3) A study by economists at Harvard argue that political protests can change behavior. The paper that the article refers to is here. It’s quite long, so I recommend skimming through the interesting parts.
(4) NPR article and an audio bit on whether street protests are still effective.
How Should We Protest?
(6) New York Times debate on what makes an effective protest.
(7) Vox article on strategies for a successful protest.
I’d also like to explore the role of violent protests and rioting. Typically nonviolent protesting is held to the gold standard — any presence of violence in a protest, and the movement is vilified by opponents (e.g. Milo Yiannopoulos). But as Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “a riot is a language of the unheard.” How should we think about violent protests? Here are two Time articles offering (perhaps) alternate views on the matter.
