Image by Alfred Derks from Pixabay
An excellent letter in The Guardian from Dr Laura Thomas-Walters makes a very good point about the protest strategies that may be most impactful. Responding to the Extinction rebellion decision to stop deploying protests which disrupt the general public, she highlights that public opinion is only one small part of how decision are made and policies determined and implemented in the so-called parliamentary democracies.
Disrupting the public may be necessary at the start of a campaign to get people’s attention as the media will give it coverage (ironically given that the vast majority of media are right-leaning and disagree with the demands being made yet they give it the PR it needs) but the public will quickly become annoyed and may turn against the campaign in question if it pushes too hard.
Much better to stop hitting ordinary people once the initial attention is garnered and then direct the action to where it matter most – the corridors of power.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.