The protesters like to think it does, but probably doesn't. The war in Vietnam would probably have ended about when it did anyway. Most of the work on civil rights was done by Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson - well before the major marching for civil rights took place.
Secondly, its all about getting on the news. And you can't all be on the news, so it ends up being somebody's turn. In the past few years there was tea party protests, protests against Wall Street, black lives matter, protests against immigration policy, "Me too" protests... I'm sure I'm leaving some out. Where did black lives matter go to? Did that issue get solved? No. But society somehow decided it was time to move on to a new one. At any one point in time, it seems like there is one main protest movement going on, to the exclusion of all the others.
Also, I don't like the whole idea. "We're not getting what we want, so we're going to make you uncomfortable. Maybe really uncomfortable. We're going to block streets, get in your face, etc." Its all meant to be at least a little intimidating. Just tell me what you think the injustice is. Use logic. Most of the protests I pretty much agree with the issue anyway. Just convince me. Don't try to intimidate me.
People think this is good and what our country was based on. I wasn't around then, but I don't care for the colonial protests either. The Boston Massacre was really a bunch of drunk colonists throwing snowballs at British troops. They got fired on and the PR guys spun it as the British killing innocent civilians. The Boston Tea Party. Really? Let's cowardly disguise ourselves as Indians and commit vandalism in the middle of the night.
Most protests are usually self serving anyway. What were the colonists upset about. A tax on tea. Having to by stamps. Why don't you just cut your powdered wig budget and you could afford to pay the taxes. The we don't have to go to war. Then we could all still be speaking English and having tea in the afternoon. Plus, we could now go with Queen Elizabeth as our leader. She's adorable.
The latest is student protests against school shootings. Aside from a handful of lunatics, you're preaching to the choir. Is there a large group of pro-school shooting people out there? I find it a bit self-serving. Students statistically are in way more danger of death by texting and driving than by school shootings. Protest that. A driver almost hit me a couple of days ago. He was pulling up to a stop sign while looking down at his lap the whole time. And while I'm ranting, what's with walking out of class to protest? I'll take your commitment a lot more seriously if you decide to give up your Saturday afternoon to protest rather than skipping a biology test.
The only protesters I really admire are people that protest on behalf of someone else - Like the white freedom riders in the fifties and sixties risking their lives for civil rights for blacks. There are other examples, but not a lot.
OK. End of rant.
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