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I'm an idiot, I just realized what the point of protests is (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 month ago by CommunistCuddlefish@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Protests aren't about sending a message to the government. The government doesn't give a shit and will not listen. Protests are about sending a message to the people, about signaling what should be accepted and what should not. Protests are about spreading an idea, about leading by example, about signalling to others "hey, you're not alone in your discontent!"

I think the very word "protest" is wrong. They aren't protests. They're demonstrations.

The anti-ICE demonstrations will not convince an evil government to stop abducting people. But they do send the message to everyone else that we don't have to and in fact should not let ICE abduct our neighbors. The anti-genocide demonstrations were never going to stop genocidal western governments from helping Israel slaughter civilians, but they did help spread a message around the world that people need to do something to try to stop it.

I feel like I should have known this already.

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[-] VaqueroRed@lemmygrad.ml 49 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The point of the ICE demonstrations are two fold.

In LA, many of the organizations organizing these demonstrations also do ICE patrols in their communities, and these patrols have been effective at actually preventing deportations.

The other benefit is like what you said, it’s to show people that they’re not alone in this struggle, to build community. Community is necessary in order to win a prolonged struggle.

These demonstrations both fulfill a need (not getting deported) and it also raises morale. Without fulfilling some sort of need, demonstrations can very quickly be viewed as “useless” which will lead to the very people we’re trying to save to lose faith and be politically deactivated.

We need these people to stay politically activated and in the struggle because their active material interest (not being deported) grants them the potential to be active and high quality organizers… a vanguard in formation.