Peaceful protest has been an essential part of American freedoms since the founding of this nation. However, I believe that people have recently taken this act of freedom too far.
Obviously, when talking about peaceful protest, it is impossible to avoid talking about the movements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Ghandi. These movements, the Civil Rights Movement specifically, have accomplished so much, not because they were disobeying the law particularly, but because it allowed the American people to see what happened to them when they did: how they were beaten and sprayed with hoses simply by defying these unjust, racist laws. Another good example is that of Jesus. Jesus did not fight against what was happening to him during …show more content…
I believe this is because in those movements, they had a cause. There is a difference between a protest and a riot, even aside from the difference of peace. Rioting is a form of protesting, but it is protesting something because one wishes the outcome of it was different. This has frequently been demonstrated in the last couple months with President Trump's election and inauguration. Because people do not like the outcome of this election, they decide to protest it (whether peaceful or not), disrupting communities and disrespecting the president. I am not even a Trump supporter. I am just someone who believes that if one decides to protest something, they should not be protesting out of spite or anger, but rather because they have a goal that they wish to accomplish. During the Women's March, thousands of women marched to show their disapproval of Donald Trump. After Donald Trump was elected president many people protested, shouting, "Not my President!" But what did either of those things really accomplish? What did they even intend to accomplish? Protesting something just because you disagree with it is the same thing as yelling at someone because they have a different favorite color than you: it is an inefficient waste of time and disrespectful to the other person.
All that said, I strongly believe in peaceful protest. Protesting unjust laws or corrupt
Obviously, when talking about peaceful protest, it is impossible to avoid talking about the movements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Ghandi. These movements, the Civil Rights Movement specifically, have accomplished so much, not because they were disobeying the law particularly, but because it allowed the American people to see what happened to them when they did: how they were beaten and sprayed with hoses simply by defying these unjust, racist laws. Another good example is that of Jesus. Jesus did not fight against what was happening to him during …show more content…
I believe this is because in those movements, they had a cause. There is a difference between a protest and a riot, even aside from the difference of peace. Rioting is a form of protesting, but it is protesting something because one wishes the outcome of it was different. This has frequently been demonstrated in the last couple months with President Trump's election and inauguration. Because people do not like the outcome of this election, they decide to protest it (whether peaceful or not), disrupting communities and disrespecting the president. I am not even a Trump supporter. I am just someone who believes that if one decides to protest something, they should not be protesting out of spite or anger, but rather because they have a goal that they wish to accomplish. During the Women's March, thousands of women marched to show their disapproval of Donald Trump. After Donald Trump was elected president many people protested, shouting, "Not my President!" But what did either of those things really accomplish? What did they even intend to accomplish? Protesting something just because you disagree with it is the same thing as yelling at someone because they have a different favorite color than you: it is an inefficient waste of time and disrespectful to the other person.
All that said, I strongly believe in peaceful protest. Protesting unjust laws or corrupt