Recently I was involved in a protest. I, along with fellow students and faculty, were protesting against Donald Trump and his hateful words. It was a very peaceful protest, but, even then, people were concerned with why I was protesting. There is this weird line to walk of wanting to protest something, but also not wanting to make the problem worse. Here, I will look at some of the benefits that protesting can bring, and maybe some of the problems that come along with this form of expression.
Like I previously said, I was involved in a peaceful protest against the hateful speech that Mr. Trump has been spewing throughout his campaign for the 2016 republican nomination. I protested because I did not believe that anyone who can say such hateful and hurtful words should be allowed to even run for a position of power. I protested because there is no excuse for a person to say something that can totally tear down a person and still be able to be considered for the position of the President. But, I guess that is America, right? Trump can say hurtful things and I can protest those phrases of idiocy.
Some people might say that protesting is only giving him more power. Granted, this is a very valid point and it should be addressed that the media has been giving Mr. Trump a huge boost by spreading his hateful rhetoric. This could also be said about any candidate or any person presented in the media in this age of social media.
However, to the people who say that I should just ignore the opportunity that I have to show how I feel about a situation, whether it be Trump or police brutality or whatever else that I might feel strongly about, I respond with this question: why wouldn't you want to physically show that there are masses of people who feel the same way? When I was at this peaceful protest, I was surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of individuals who felt the same about Trump. We all come from different backgrounds and probably have different political views and religious beliefs, but we all believed that we cannot just stand by and ignore the problem of Trump.
I cannot stand by and let hateful speech just happen if I have the opportunity to stand up for something I believe in. We also can't fight hate speech with more hate speech. I am in no way saying that it is easy to bite your tongue when someone insults you or jeers at you for your beliefs, but as the old saying goes, you can't fight fire with fire. It just doesn't work, people!
To the people who are protesting anything with violence, I urge you to look back at past leaders who were against something (Martin Luther King, Jr. or Mahatma Gandhi, for example). These men led protests that were peaceful, and yes it sometimes took a while for change to happen, but their presence of peace was so strong that it shocked nations. They got the outcome that they wanted and needed.
Whether or not you decide to protest something you believe in, please get informed on whatever side you take. Do some research! It makes it easier to be a better citizen if you are better informed on whatever issue it is that you are defending. Know that people are going to be against you and it is not always going to be easy.
In the long run, just remember that we are all people.
Let us love one another.
