What is a protest?

After studying various protests over the course of a semester I have found that most of my initial beliefs about protests have been supported. I said in my first post that protests could be made in many different ways with different groups of people, intentions, and techniques. If anything I have found protests to be more varied than I at first realized. As a class we have examined protests in the forms of speeches, marches, sit-ins, documentaries, art, fashion, music, and countless other forms. In all of these forms, what remains significant is the protesters decision to make a statement against something that they disagree with or wish to change.
One thing that I have learned about protests is that that is rarely all they are. Although some groups like Peta may make protests for a singular goal, many do not. Critical Mass is a protest for some but for others it is a way to have fun and be part of a community. Others see it as a safe way to exercise, while others embrace all of these as reasons to participate. A song may be a protest, but it also could be just a good song, and a piece of fashion or art may be intended to demonstrate ones individuality and look cool. Protests are deeply intertwined throughout all forms of human interaction- what is significant is the intentions and beliefs of the person making the protest and the audiences receiving it. And most surprisingly, the success of a protest is not necessarily only dependent on the number of people who participate or how televised the protest is. Sometimes all a successful protest needs is originality and a lot of peanuts.

Killin in the Name

Killing in the Name is a protest song by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine. The band is notorious for their politically motivated songs and their history of activism. They have been especially critical of US foreign and domestic policy and have been outspoken on issues over human rights.

The song Killing in the Name is off the band’s self titled album and is probably the band’s most popular song. It has received widespread acclaim as well as criticism for its lyrics. The song is primarily a protest against white supremacists and police brutality. The line “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses” references the Klu Klux Klan and associates them with police forces. The song is a reaction to the LA Rodney King riots. It adresses racism within police forces and white supremacist groups in America and urges revolting against a system that places racist persons in positions of power.

Concerning the power of music as protest, singer Zach de la Rocha has said “I'm interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue."

http://www.ratm.net/lyrics/kil.html

Coulter and Moore as Protesters

Ann Coulter and Michael Moore often appear to be as similar as they are oppossites. While Coulter is an extreme conservative with a history of using fallacious arguments to decry her opponents, Moore is an extreme liberal who repeatedly uses similarly problematic arguments to create what many have considered to be ridiculous conspiracy theories. They have both been extremely vocal in the last decade, having contributed immensly to political discussions and the opinions of voters. But are they protesters?

My final decision is that while Michael Moore is a protester, Coulter is not. The difference is not in their message or in their tactics. The difference is their relationship to the the party in power, or in the status quo. While Michael Moore villanizes and accuses current powerful corporations, institutions, and the Bush administration, Coulter defends capitalism and conservatism while they are both in positions of power. Coulter does, however, enter into the realm of protest in her discusions of abortion. Since abortions are legal under the current administration, she argues in this case against the powers that be. This allows her, for once, to take on the role of a protester.

Ann Coulter

Despite many American's attempts to decry Ann Coulter, she remains a significant writer with amazing influence on voters' opinions. Many of her ideas are actually very popular, as are her books. While many may argue that her ability to persuade readers is small, although her book sales appear to suggest otherwise. The main problem with writers such as Ann Coulter is that they encourage readers to assume that complex issues have black and white answers. Her arguements that liberals are either completely ignorant, foolish, unamerican or not Christian assume that her point of view is absolutely right, and that there are not chances for other interpretations. When readers accept this assumption the opportunity for serious discussion on important issues decreases. This degrades the potential for important conversation between citizens and politicians. These assumptions are also polarizing, and create hostility between conservatives and liberals. They also encourage americans to classify themselves as one of these strict labels, which discourages the opportunity to change opinions and develop better ideas.