Will Marching Do Any Good?

[mishalak]

Protesting has worked for oppressed nations and ethnic groups. It has worked when violence bubbled just below the surface and people were united due to the injustice. But protesting did not end the Vietnam War. In fact I can make a case that it probably lenthened the war.

Protests work to get basic rights. To get the rest there needs to be long slow work in courts and tactical voting. That's why I won't take part in the planned protests against Prop. 8. I think the plan is bad. The way to get Prop 8 overturned would be to get another 10% of people from age 18-29 who say they support gay marriage in polls to actually turn up at the damn voting booths.

Comments

[bovil.livejournal.com]

I think in this case the protests are a prelude to building a new organization.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

It does not look like that. It just looks like a small group of people in large cities who think marching around carrying signs changes anyone's mind.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

I suspect within 10 years it'll be overturned as the people who voted for it grow older (and some of them die) and people who want to vote against it but are too young now join the voters.

(In a particularly embarassing bit of morning confusion, I originally wrote that it was the older folks who had voted against it. :)

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I think it could be overturned sooner in California with a well organized campaign of getting gay couples to meet their neighbors and voter registration for people under 29 from now until 2010. But that would require, you know, actual work as opposed to making a symbolic gesture.

[meowvatar.livejournal.com]

Hey, Matthew -- it's Amy from DASFA. Friend me? Thanks!

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Done, but I post mostly trivial things here. I post about life and what I'm doing on http://mishalak.blogspot.com/

[meowvatar.livejournal.com]

I'll check that out and add that to my feed list. Thanks!

[ajournalguy.livejournal.com]

I tend to agree with you. But I think a lot of people are just going to vent their frustrations. It’s always nice to do that in a group of people who feel the same way. I will probably be going to support my friends.