Prostesting Protests
Sinan Aladdin, guest commentary
Issue date: 4/10/06 Section: Opinion
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Alright boys and girls, let me teach you a little lesson. Protests don't get laws passed. Politicians, fundraisers, lobbyists and anyone who's anyone change what we can and can't. Protesters are hardly a thorn at the side of the politicians.
I once had the revolutionary spirit right up until the war on Iraq back in 2003. I organized and took part in more rallies and protests than I can remember.
So now I ask myself, what the hell did it achieve? Other than a hoarse voice and releasing some pent up anger and frustration - nothing. The wars still went on, and really nothing changed.
Keep in mind that I've been in some pretty big protests; some had up to 850,000 participants. I've been everywhere as well, New York, Washington D.C., even in here in lovely Newark.
Now, I know that people will probably bring Vietnam and how there were massive protests. The truth is, the media played a bigger role in stopping the war than the protests did. Once the brutal and gruesome footage of Americans and Vietnamese was released, that was enough to sway American votes.
Once politicians saw that their constituents were being swayed, they had to act to appeal to them again. Remember Nixon? His big platform, which he ran on, was on ending the war in Vietnam. He won because his constituents wanted an end to the war, and that's exactly what he offered them. LBJ had done too little too late.
Let me bring it to a local and more relevant level. I went to a demonstration back during my freshman year to oppose the tuition increase. We braved the cold and snow in New Brunswick, chanting against then Governor James McGreevy. It didn't even put a dent in the final outcome. Tuitions were raised anyway.
Protests are rarely the way to change policy. They are inefficient and generally ineffective. But they are good for voicing your opinions, or letting people know about the issues. But that's it. Otherwise, no matter how big the demonstration, citizens and politicians alike rarely take protesters seriously. I'll be the first to admit to giving in to some of the antics, which probably take away from the credibility of the rally altogether.
So now that I might have broken your revolutionary spirit, you're probably wondering what to do.
There are other ways to get politicians to listen. Start locally and concentrate on your politician. Make it known that you are their constituents, their voters, and they in return are your public servants.
Make connections, take active roles in politics, support your fellow politician by getting to know them personally. Work on their campaigns, go to their offices and help with their fundraisers.
Make yourself known. Politics and favors go hand in hand. In the "The Godfather: Part III," Al Pacino met with another godfather who said "finance is a gun, and politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."
The real job of the politician is to get votes, by any means necessary. If you show them that their votes are in danger, they will try to win you over.
Guest columnist Sinan Aladdin is an NCAS political science and history major.
I once had the revolutionary spirit right up until the war on Iraq back in 2003. I organized and took part in more rallies and protests than I can remember.
So now I ask myself, what the hell did it achieve? Other than a hoarse voice and releasing some pent up anger and frustration - nothing. The wars still went on, and really nothing changed.
Keep in mind that I've been in some pretty big protests; some had up to 850,000 participants. I've been everywhere as well, New York, Washington D.C., even in here in lovely Newark.
Now, I know that people will probably bring Vietnam and how there were massive protests. The truth is, the media played a bigger role in stopping the war than the protests did. Once the brutal and gruesome footage of Americans and Vietnamese was released, that was enough to sway American votes.
Once politicians saw that their constituents were being swayed, they had to act to appeal to them again. Remember Nixon? His big platform, which he ran on, was on ending the war in Vietnam. He won because his constituents wanted an end to the war, and that's exactly what he offered them. LBJ had done too little too late.
Let me bring it to a local and more relevant level. I went to a demonstration back during my freshman year to oppose the tuition increase. We braved the cold and snow in New Brunswick, chanting against then Governor James McGreevy. It didn't even put a dent in the final outcome. Tuitions were raised anyway.
Protests are rarely the way to change policy. They are inefficient and generally ineffective. But they are good for voicing your opinions, or letting people know about the issues. But that's it. Otherwise, no matter how big the demonstration, citizens and politicians alike rarely take protesters seriously. I'll be the first to admit to giving in to some of the antics, which probably take away from the credibility of the rally altogether.
So now that I might have broken your revolutionary spirit, you're probably wondering what to do.
There are other ways to get politicians to listen. Start locally and concentrate on your politician. Make it known that you are their constituents, their voters, and they in return are your public servants.
Make connections, take active roles in politics, support your fellow politician by getting to know them personally. Work on their campaigns, go to their offices and help with their fundraisers.
Make yourself known. Politics and favors go hand in hand. In the "The Godfather: Part III," Al Pacino met with another godfather who said "finance is a gun, and politics is knowing when to pull the trigger."
The real job of the politician is to get votes, by any means necessary. If you show them that their votes are in danger, they will try to win you over.
Guest columnist Sinan Aladdin is an NCAS political science and history major.