# Are You a Rock-Thrower or a Protester?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [April 29, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706 "2001-04-29T05:02:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zoony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e99b99/32.png) [@zoony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoony)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706/1 "2001-04-29T05:02:49Z")

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Apparently my conduct is unbecoming of the Pit, so I hope that those concerned will follow up here.

Summit of the Americas.

Yah, yah, I know it’s over, but there seem to be a number of people lurking about who are under the impression that lobbing rocks and trying to storm the legitimate (yes, it’s legitmate, no matter who you voted for) meetings of international trade delegates is somehow a valid form of portest.

So where are we? What constitutes legitimate protest? Does it involve rocks? Tear gas? Rubber bullets? What?  
z

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**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706/2 "2001-04-29T05:44:32Z")

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I’m neither. I’m the man. I hold down the rock-throwers and protesters.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706/3 "2001-04-29T06:25:28Z")

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My paranoid survivalist friend refers to his guns as “rock throwers” on the phone, to throw off any Federal Government software that might be set to detect words like “gun” or “ammo” and start recording him.

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-rock-thrower-or-a-protester/63706/4 "2001-05-01T04:34:04Z")

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I just like to complain for no good reason.