Lately, our Tesla dealership, and, oddly, our Apple store host weekly protest groups, clearly unhappy with Trump and Musk, but not clear on their demands. Like many protests, large groups show up with professional signage that seems to come from the same source—paid protestors? The rest clearly are upset with something, but that “something” isn’t all that clear. The variety of signs doesn’t help; it was clearer what was wanted during my days at UC Berkeley during the Viet Nam war.
What Is the Point?
As noted, anti-war protestors were clear—get out of Viet Nam. However, I doubt that Berkeley protestors had any influence on the course of the war. In fact, when President Nixon got us out of there, he didn’t immediately become popular with the anti-war types. What did they really want to happen? Now, Viet Nam is run as a communist country, headed by the Viet Cong (North Vietnamese) we were fighting against. Was that a win in the minds of the protestors? I was middle of the road myself; get out if we aren’t there to win, or blow-up large parts of the North to ensure we won. We had military superiority; why play by their rules?
I always felt sort of sad seeing people protesting because it seemed to me that it resulted in absolutely nothing, except when they used protests to block traffic or keep people from doing things they wanted/needed to do. And then, the result was outrage; how dare you block the roads, the entrance to Planned Parenthood, etc.? The message was lost.
People feel so strongly that action matters, but does it? Can anyone point to a US protest that actually changed the course of history? I don’t think so. And with so many more of the protestors being paid professionals, often from out of state, does anyone actually feel that these protests are real?
Does It Matter What Type of Protest?
Peaceful protests don’t garner much attention, as long as they don’t block traffic. But what about the violent ones, such as BLM and Antifa? Do they make a difference?
My belief is that in most cases, it has absolutely no effect. People either have a strong opinion on one side or the other, or they simply don’t care. In either case, no minds are changed. It’s simply a waste of time. But when they get violent, there is an impact and generally, exactly the opposite of the protestors’ goals. If you are afraid to walk the streets, see store fronts closed after being looted, read about people being injured or killed, most of us respond to the protestors with anger. We are more likely to immediately oppose whatever the protestors want. So that doesn’t work.
The Tesla protests are something to behold. People have already purchased their cars and paid the company. Yet, they are dumping their own or burning other people’s cars. A few years back, Elon Musk was a hero to the Left, providing carbon-neutral vehicles. Now, he’s garbage to them, even as his cars are still furthering the Left’s aims. Many of the Tesla owners are Democrats. It’s also interesting to note that a burning Tesla will pollute the atmosphere for many hours. Violent protests are showing a continuing, complete lack of control from participants, where instead of having conversations, they pull down statues, burn cars, hurt and kill people. That’s from Marx’ and Alinsky’s playbook, but it doesn’t make it a good idea.
I remember wondering if there was something I would be willing to protest. While I did carry signs at one point for the Tea Party, it was at a freeway overpass, or during a July 4th parade, and the idea was only to say, yes, your neighbors have this opinion. If you agree, you aren’t alone. In California, it can be useful to let people who aren’t on the Left meet people who share their views. We are otherwise pilloried for not toeing the party line. But going to a mass protest? No thanks.
Protest Isn’t the Way Forward
You either fail to convince anyone, confuse them (the latest protests) or you anger them. But what does work? Understand who you need to convince first. Attacking those people is ineffective; it gets them pissed off at you. Instead, figure out what you really care about—what you feel is going wrong—then state your case and lodge logical arguments against the current order. Write to your Congressmen and Senators. Write letters in the paper. Share your concerns with family and your wider network. Stay logical, focused and rational. One by one, you can convince people. I know. I do this.
Don’t anger them, attack them, criticize them or ignore them. Simply share. Imagine if everyone you know who agrees with you did this. We each talk to 10 people, then ask them to continue the process. In time, you achieve critical mass. All without carrying a sign and wasting an afternoon. Simple? But most good solutions are.
