The thing about protests and protesters
With proliferation of protests of all kinds I think it is time to have some basic rules about them that everyone can agree on.
The first is that if you are holding up a sign, you are required to be able to explain what the sign says. If it says "Climate Justice", in 3 minutes or less explain what that means. And the same for "#notmyPresident" or "Love Trumps Hate".
The second would be that you absolutely cannot protest something where you had the opportunity to change something and you ignored it and now you don't like the result. Such as "#notmyPresident" protests where each protester should be required to say that they voted, and voted for Clinton. Some will lie but just being made answer the question will discourage many from showing up at all.
Third, your protest has to be in "designated protest area" in the great tradition of ancient Greek public squares or the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park.
You absolutely cannot ride skateboards on an Interstate or block downtown traffic at rush hour because your cause is so "worthy" that you have to cause maximum disruption. It is you cause and its arguments that should speak, not your disruption that speaks.
Oh, and you absolutely cannot break the law in insane ways such as damaging emergency equipment on a pipeline because "we have a climate emergency". That is simply idiotic and can kill you and others who may try to save you.
I was thinking of adding a rule that you can't protest if you are on government aid or if you have never had a job and such but decided against it. Probably a little too mean and unnecessary. It sure would thin out the protest crowds.
The first is that if you are holding up a sign, you are required to be able to explain what the sign says. If it says "Climate Justice", in 3 minutes or less explain what that means. And the same for "#notmyPresident" or "Love Trumps Hate".
The second would be that you absolutely cannot protest something where you had the opportunity to change something and you ignored it and now you don't like the result. Such as "#notmyPresident" protests where each protester should be required to say that they voted, and voted for Clinton. Some will lie but just being made answer the question will discourage many from showing up at all.
Third, your protest has to be in "designated protest area" in the great tradition of ancient Greek public squares or the Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park.
You absolutely cannot ride skateboards on an Interstate or block downtown traffic at rush hour because your cause is so "worthy" that you have to cause maximum disruption. It is you cause and its arguments that should speak, not your disruption that speaks.
Oh, and you absolutely cannot break the law in insane ways such as damaging emergency equipment on a pipeline because "we have a climate emergency". That is simply idiotic and can kill you and others who may try to save you.
I was thinking of adding a rule that you can't protest if you are on government aid or if you have never had a job and such but decided against it. Probably a little too mean and unnecessary. It sure would thin out the protest crowds.
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