by Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
Protesting has long been the people’s way of showing how they stand on certain issues. From the Women’s March to the March of Life, people have used every opportunity this year to speak their mind. While protesting is generally considered a good thing in theory, maybe we have lost the spirit of what protesting really is.
While most protests begin in a non-violent way, slow rising tensions between the peace keepers and protesters begins to build until it eventually reaches its ceiling. Tensions cause people to get angry and make mistakes. It only takes one. One punch thrown by a single protester can set off a mob of thousands. It’s a simple action that ultimately has a hell of a recoil. With everyone riled up, we reach a point where the peaceful protest has now reached full blown riot. With the mob mentality taking over, normal people that would never commit such actions themselves are now in the streets burning flags and cars. The whole point of the protest is to prove a point, a point that is all but mute.
The best example of this is the Black Lives Matter protest that happened after the many deaths of young African American males by police officers. The overall point of the protest was to show that the African American population in United States would not stand for the injustice that the police officers brought upon their communities. The improper handling of the situation by law enforcement and the anger of the community protesting was not a good mix. Again the tensions rose to a breaking point, causing the people to panic and riot. The rioting lasted for days only getting worse as the Maryland National Guard was called in. A war zone was the only way to describe it. A war could have been avoided. It seems that the only thing we ever hear from a protest is how the riot began. We are a country divided, now more than ever. Nothing anyone can do will change the other’s mind.
Some people say that protesting our government is border line treason. I am not one of those. I believe that protesting is inherently good for our democratic process. However, it is also my firm belief that in today’s world of dramatic violence, protesting does no good. If 300,000 people are protesting, there is a great chance that at least one will be trying to cause a riot. Like I have stated before, it only takes one.
Technology and social media has given everyone a platform to protest peacefully. Instead of joining in on a riot of 3,000 people, why don’t you join the millions tweeting about the cause? Your voice matters just as much on Twitter as it does marching through the city streets, and the best part being online is that it’s pretty hard to start a riot. You know how I said it only takes one, well the same applies to making a change. It only takes one person to start a movement online for the people to follow. The internet is our fastest way to communicate with the world. So when talking about which one you will be, will you be the one who starts a riot or the one who starts a movement that changes an entire generation.
