Demonstrations

[Espresso]

To stop flaming before it even starts, please do not write about specific demonstrations, like "there was a demonstration in may 1888 at San Francisco to support gay marriages, i took part in there and travelled like 1000 miles and the law passed, fabulous!", just in case if there are a lot of people who hate gays (I just made it up, i don't know have there been that kind of demonstration). Tell for example the distance you travelled there, was it about local, country, state or global issue, how many took part of it, was it peaceful etc.

I have never been in demonstration. There is a law in our country which unfortunately passed couple months ago (it has nothing to do with example). It caused small demonstrations before passing. I would have liked to take part at least one of those, but i did not have time. Besides, they were too far away.

Also, there was this certain global issue couple years ago.. It caused many demonstrations, and i was very close joining one of them.

 

[McPa]

Nah, I prefer to use my brain to demonstrate what I think, like writing, talking, debating.

The only demonstration I would care to join would be something major like an impeachment or an anti-demonstration, for example, let's say there is a gay demonstration somewhere, I would like to join the anti-gay-demonstration and when they meet participate in the bloody brawl, or join the anti-anti-gay-demonstration, depending on who has the best position in the field. Heck, I might even join the gay-anti-anti-anti-gay demonstration if they got the most molotovs.

 

[sheek]

Nah, I prefer to use my brain to demonstrate what I think, like writing, talking, debating.

The only demonstration I would care to join would be something major like an impeachment or an anti-demonstration, for example, let's say there is a gay demonstration somewhere, I would like to join the anti-gay-demonstration and when they meet participate in the bloody brawl, or join the anti-anti-gay-demonstration, depending on who has the best position in the field. Heck, I might even join the gay-anti-anti-anti-gay demonstration if they got the most molotovs.

I've never been on a demonstration. I have occasionally come across some demonstration and hung around a bit but never shouted slogans and waved placards. I just think it's a waste of time for most issues.

On the war in Iraq for example there were thousands of demonstrations all over the world with millions of people marching - the biggest demonstration about an issue in world history. What difference did it make?

I believe that if all those people in the 'war coalition' had instead launched a strike, or blocked the roads, or refused to pay taxes that year the world would be a completely different place today.

The fact that this did not happen suggests to me that many of the protesters simply weren't very committed to their cause. Protesting costs nothing compared to risking a criminal sentence or losing your job.

 

[Ilex]

I don't go out much (and neither do I give a ****).

 

[thesneakster]

No, but i would like to, if the cause is worth it!
When I find a good enough cause.......

 

[Pavlov]

If there was a serious possiblity of violence, then yes, I would attend. Sadly most demonstrations are limitited to angry women holding paper nailed to sticks. Which would seem like it should lead to something, but it dosen't, it's just angry women holding paper nailed to sticks.

 

[Sir Prince]

Yeah, but it didn't work so well. Hence the *insert name of big natural disaster or volcano or something* a year ago.

 

[Espresso]

Nah, I prefer to use my brain to demonstrate what I think, like writing, talking, debating.

Pen is mightier than a sword, but picture tells more than a thousand words. Which is more powerful? Reading an article about some issue or see lot of people gathered complaining about same issue?

I believe that if all those people in the 'war coalition' had instead launched a strike, or blocked the roads, or refused to pay taxes that year the world would be a completely different place today.

The fact that this did not happen suggests to me that many of the protesters simply weren't very committed to their cause. Protesting costs nothing compared to risking a criminal sentence or losing your job.

I remember reading that some women refused to make love to their husbands, if war starts.. Apparently, it did not work either. Or that still continues, and still has no effect.

I don't go out much (and neither do I give a ****).

No, but i would like to, if the cause is worth it!
When I find a good enough cause.......

If you do not make decisions, others make them for you and result could be unpleasant.

If there was a serious possiblity of violence, then yes, I would attend.

Of course, there are some people who go to car races, not because of competition, but because of accidents.

 

[Espresso]

Yeah, but it didn't work so well. Hence the *insert name of big natural disaster or volcano or something* a year ago.

Were there not enought people? How many participated?

 

[Yair Hunter]

not yet, but the situation here really really calls for it so i might soon.

 

[Archonsod]

We kind of had a demonstration.

It was a couple of years back now. The BNP intended to march through our city, so there were a few protests here and there. Anyway, I know a few militant Sharps and they had it on good authority than the BNP were intending to cause trouble when the march went into an area which had a lot of asylum seekers. So we gathered together in the city centre about 2 hours before the march, along with quite a few people who for one reason or another decided that racist twats weren't going to cause trouble in our town.
It was quite amusing really. We all got together in the middle of the city centre, near all the pubs. There was only about thirty of us, but a match had just finished and it was Saturday, so the city centre was busy and quite a few people were hanging around to see what would happen. The police drove past a couple of times, and there were a few vans waiting but they didn't actually come over and say anything. We waited there for about four hours or so but the BNP didn't turn up.
People started to drift away (I didn't, benefits of scheduling a protest outside your regular drinking den...) since we decided it was going to be a no show. Turns out the police had stopped the BNP busses (two of them) outside of town and told them they'd stopped the march going ahead "for their own good".

 

[Sir Prince]

Yeah, but it didn't work so well. Hence the *insert name of big natural disaster or volcano or something* a year ago.

Were there not enought people? How many participated?

A lot of people participated, just whoever decided to use inside fireworks inside of a *insert name of appropraite vehicle* is, was, a moron.

 

[Ilex]

If you do not make decisions, others make them for you and result could be unpleasant.

Unfortunately demostrations aren't about deciding things they are about showing one's opiniong about something.

 

[Espresso]

True, but if nobody does nothing, cause of trouble might think that all is ok, and things keep going like it intended.

Oh, and Archonsod, it is the thought that counts

Edit: missing word

 

[<deniz>]

True, but if nobody does nothing, cause of trouble might think that all is ok, and things keep going like it intended.

Agree. Just before USA invaded Iraq, Turkish parliament was to vote a military note (whether to support USA) and before the voting begyn there was a big demonstration taking place just one or two kilometers away from the parliament house with the participation of more than 100.000 people (that's what the press reports say) walking for peace. In spite of the general expectation that the note was probably going to be approved, it was not. Of course no one can claim that the demonstration did it, but IMHO at least some of the government party members might have changed their decisions after seeing that some 10% of the participants were their own supporters.

 

[NikkTheTrick]

Demonstration:
An event where masses of people, majority of which had no clear idea about what they are demonstrating about, gets sent to a street / square / park / whatever to yell what they are being told to yell and to protect interests of one corrupt politician against another. Good example - the Orange Revolution.