Peaceful Resistance And Civil Rights

During November of last year, thousands of people in many cities across the US protested the election of Donald Trump. In many cities they stopped traffic on busy roads, and in set of fireworks. No-one was hurt and no significant property damage occurred. They have not changed anything. They have, however, affected society in ways that never occurred to them. To resist a law, passed legitimately through the political system which you claim citizenship of, is not something to be taken lightly. Too often people choose extreme actions to express their displeasure with a recent political action, without realizing the extent of what they have chosen to do. Though peaceful resistance is a necessary and beneficial part of society, it is easily misused …show more content…
By resisting a law you elevate yourself above the person or organization who made it, effectively saying, “You are wrong, and I am right, and I will not obey you.” It is a clear and powerful message. Its purpose is not to tear down the system, but to deny the judgment of the organization or person who made it. In the case of Rosa Parks, who chose to resist the unfair prejudices against African Americans of that time, She was protesting the authority of society as a whole to determine what she could do. This is an excellent example of effective peaceful resistance. The message of the anti-Trump protests was not a protest against Trump becoming president, but instead the system of democracy that elected him. Like it or not, Trump was elected, and by choosing to protest against him, you are denying the validity of the elective process and democracy. Most of the protesters did not intend to send this message, but send it they …show more content…
However, it is easy to abuse or misuse, often to the detriment of the society. Leaders you don’t like will be elected, laws you don’t support will be passed, and the potholes will still be there a decade later. This is a fact of life. It cannot be avoided. Before you choose to do something about it, remember where the responsibility lies, remember to keep your response reasonable, and above all, remember to hold to your moral law, especially if it sometimes tells you to respect the law of the land, and let the issue go. This preserves the abilities and strength of our government, while saving the drastic actions for when they are most needed. Peaceful resistance is an important tool in the toolbox of freedom, but it is not the first one and certainly not the only