The Constitution of the United States gives the citizens of this country certain powers when they are unhappy with the government. The first amendment has many parts to it, but here are those parts that protect protesters:
Freedom of speech.
Freedom to assemble peacefully.
Freedom to protest peacefully.
The ninth amendment grants other rights that aren't explicitly given to the people. So before telling people to stop protesting and stop standing up for what they believe in, realize you’re attempting to take away their rights as Americans.
And before you call their protests whining, take a good look at history. How was anything accomplished, socially or politically? Through rallies. Through protests. Through marches. Through walk-outs, and sit-ins and petitioning the government. Was the Seneca Falls Convention just a bunch of moms complaining? Were Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt just being annoying when they picketed the White House? Was the Civil Rights Movement just a lot of incessant whining?
Chances are, you wouldn’t dare call any of that whining. So what, pray tell, is the difference between any of those historical movements and what is happening across the nation today?
Do you think we’ve progressed enough that it’s time to stop? Or are you simply stuck so far in your party lines that you feel an obligation to object any and everything a liberal does or says?
Let me clarify exactly what the difference between whining and the protests is: if those that are unhappy with the results of the election (which was more than are happy with the election) simply went to social media and talked and did nothing but hate on the president- elect, THAT would be whining. But people are taking to the streets. People are speaking out and taking action. People are getting the people in power to notice just how unhappy they are. And it’s working; already president-elect Trump has gone back on his word about the wall, about repealing the Affordable Care Act, among other things he said to get himself elected.
The point is, take a hard look at yourself before telling others to stop "whining." All you’re doing is projecting the stereotype of entitled millennials onto millions and millions of Americans.
Take a hard look at yourself before you tell people to "get over it," too. The amount of fear that Trump instilled in people is unparalleled. The soon-to-be leader of the free world once suggested that Muslims wear identification cards. Does the Holocaust mean nothing? Of course, people are afraid. I could go on about the horrible and discriminatory things he has said but what I’m saying is that you need to take into account the very real fear that people are feeling about the rights they have to their lives, their bodies, etc. And they aren't being silent about it. Just because you're not affected by the things people are protesting doesn't mean you should write it off as whining.
It’s not whining. It’s using our obligation as citizens to be civilly disobedient in the face of a government we think no longer has our best interests.
