Hit em Where it Hurts and Protest
Protest can be done through parrhesiatic speech or through the body. The successes and failures of each lie within the amount of recognition they achieve and the clarity of their message. If we want to see change we must look to those who have created a successful movement and learn from their achievements.
The Strength Within Your Voice
Parrhesia is taking the opportunity of free speech to speak ones truth. It is a tool we use when we hit the streets and decide to demand change. Parrhesia takes courage to stand up to those who are in power. What is it that gives people the courage to protest? There are clusters of feelings in different magnitudes that spark individuals to protest. The feeling of anger towards a government that doesn’t protect you or frustration of a government that takes away your rights. Sometimes it’s anger, fear, sadness, or hopelessness. People feel it in all shapes and forms and may even feel all of those emotions simultaneously. We as people should expand our empathy and demand change even when we aren’t the ones being affected. People should protest for others as often as they protest for themselves.
The Women’s Strike in Argentina
In Argentina a 16 year old girl named Lucia Perez was brutally murdered by a group of men. She was abducted outside of her high school and taken to one of the abductor’s homes where she was given drugs and repeatedly raped by the men and alternative object such as a wooden pole. Her death was due to immense pain that led her into cardiac arrest. This horrific act left a pain in thousands of people’s hearts nationwide that brought upon protest. Argentine women wore black and went on strike for one hour. The women stated
“In your office, school, hospital, law court, newsroom, shop, factory, or wherever you are working, stop for an hour to demand ‘no more machista violence”.
They later explained that, “Machista violence refers to violence spurred by male chauvinistic behavior.” Their protest was successful in which it allowed their message to be heard loud and clear. Thousands participated to demand an end to the violence which showed that their movement achieved recognition. Unfortunately there is still machista violence that takes place globally. Although it was not put to an end it is important that these women continue to spread awareness about machista violence and send the message that women will not be victims to such cruelty. We must all as women create solidarity and show that we will not tolerate such violence. This protest was a great example of women protesting for others who are affected by machista violence.
Purple Spring in Mexico
The Purple Spring protest in Mexico was similar in which women were standing up against violence towards other women. This march was more successful because they took their protest to another level and made it more personal. Not only did these women hit the streets and use their voices to demand change, they also used social media to gain more recognition towards their cause as well as strengthen solidarity with women globally. Women began sharing their stories of sexual violence and were no longer silenced by their abusers. They not only broke free from being a victim, but they found a safe place where other women were willing to show support. I believe our future protests should learn from Purple Spring because it did more than speak to the oppressors, it helped the victims by giving them the strength to speak up and fight back.
Sierra Leone Women Protest
The Sierra Leone women protested using their bodies by stripping naked and singing sorrowful songs. They felt the urgency to protest because their government was against a safe abortion bill. By stripping naked they showed that no one will control their bodies. Their protest showed the urgency of the situation and called for everyone’s attention. These courageous women were to continue to protest at the state house if their president did not sign to allow safe abortion. This protest should gain more recognition because these are issues that are still being discussed globally. These women took it into their own hands to demand their rights to their bodies. We need to learn from these women and give our protests the same essence of urgency. Our rights are not something we ask for, we must demand it.
What Have I Learned?
I started this quarter feeling devastated. I was hopeless, alone, scared, and ultimately defeated. Seeing that the country I live in elected somebody who represents everything I hate such as greed, spitefulness, immaturity, misogyny, racism, cruelty, and so many other horrible features as the president. Throughout this quarter I turned my sadness into anger and then that anger turned into motivation to seek change. Learning about each of these women and how they change their communities I am ultimately inspired. I have a fire in me that wont burn out due to fear. I want to stand with my fellow sisters and fight to keep the America that I believed in. An America full of equality and respect for all living things. These women don’t ignore the issues in their community. They use their voices and their bodies to stand up and demand a better way of life. I am no longer going to sit on my couch and silently protest. I am going to find ways of strengthening the solidarity of sisterhood. We all need hope not fear.
