# Protest organizer says it's their duty to disrupt the inaugural event. Do you agree? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618 "2017-01-20T12:14:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/1 "2017-01-20T12:14:46Z")
[Video here.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-military-equipment-inauguration_us_58811f4ae4b096b4a23091f7) It’s important to note the video has nothing to do with the article linked. The article itself is not what I intended to talk about in this thread. Anyway, I have zero love for the Great Orange One. And I firmly believe people absolutely should protest. But for an organizer to actively encourage people to blockade entrances and disrupt the event is taking things a bit too far. And it only exacerbates the problems Dems are currently having. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/2 "2017-01-20T13:36:49Z")
Literally preventing people from going about their business is neither politically advantageous, nor their duty. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/3 "2017-01-20T14:29:12Z")
“Duty?” no way. all that kind of statement shows is the speaker’s enormous sense of Unwarranted Self Importance. Hell, it’s not even their _right._ the First Amendment does protect the right of the people to protest _peaceably._ Being disruptive and interfering with legal proceedings is hardly “peaceable.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/4 "2017-01-20T14:42:06Z")
If they attempt that kind of disruption, they’ll get arrested… which is probably what they want. Anything for publicity. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/5 "2017-01-20T14:44:24Z")
Another “no”. Protest peacefully, but don’t disrupt anything. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/6 "2017-01-20T15:01:36Z")
Another no. Speak out, protest, but let the event run its course. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/7 "2017-01-20T15:50:24Z")
Sometimes it is THE SAME POLITICAL PARTY which stages these disruptions! That is done to make the opposition look bad. This all falls into the area of propaganda or psychological warfare. Nasty stuff! So important to find out who is behind this stuff and expose them! (If a foreign power or the same political party.) ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/8 "2017-01-20T16:00:47Z")
Or it could be the opposition party pretending to be the government party pretending to be the opposition party pretending to be the government party pretending to be the opposition party. Anyway, when in doubt: blame the Russkies. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/9 "2017-01-20T16:08:22Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Or it could be the opposition party pretending to be the government party pretending to be the opposition party pretending to be the government party pretending to be the opposition party. > Anyway, when in doubt: blame the Russkies. Or James O’Keefe. [Who was actually caught trying to bribe protesters to riot at the inauguration](http://boingboing.net/2017/01/13/james-okeefe-caught-trying-t.html). But hey, both sides do it. Probably. Maybe. Well, we can pretend. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/10 "2017-01-20T16:08:36Z")
Will these protesters even be allowed to get close enough to the goings-on to DO any “damage”? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/11 "2017-01-20T16:42:07Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > Will these protesters even be allowed to get close enough to the goings-on to DO any “damage”? Probably not, unless there are enough of them to first break through the crowds (even if there are way fewer people at Trump’s inauguration than for most inaugurations, ‘way fewer’ will still be hundreds of thousands of people), and then overwhelm the abundant police and DC National Guard troops on site. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/12 "2017-01-20T16:53:37Z")
They arn’t being herded to “Free Speech Zones”? ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/13 "2017-01-20T17:25:26Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Or James O’Keefe. [Who was actually caught trying to bribe protesters to riot at the inauguration](http://boingboing.net/2017/01/13/james-okeefe-caught-trying-t.html). > > But hey, both sides do it. Probably. Maybe. Well, we can pretend. James O’Keefe has always been an odious little cunt. I doubt if he has the imprimatur of the RNC to disrupt their president. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/14 "2017-01-20T17:30:25Z")
Yes, I remember when the Republicans dismissed O’Keefe’s blatant hack job of ACORN, oh wait, no they didn’t. But they definitely repudiated him after his lies about Planned Parenthood, no, wait, they ate that up too. The Republicans aren’t specifically directing O’Keefe to be an odious little cunt but they’ve shown on multiple occasions that they are perfectly happy for him to be so, and for them to benefit from it. Had O’Keefe been successful here you can bet the RNC and its pet media would have broadcast the bejeezus out of the manufactured riots. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/15 "2017-01-20T17:34:21Z")
I agree, disrupting isn’t effective or otherwise a good idea. Hypothetically, however, I wonder if my opinion would change if I thought it would do any good. Since I think such behavior is counter-productive, it’s easy to say “don’t do it.” If it accomplished something to weaken Trump or frustrate any of his initiatives, I might have a different view. “By any means necessary,” and all that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protest-organizer-says-its-their-duty-to-disrupt-the-inaugural-event-do-you-agree/777618/16 "2017-01-21T04:46:20Z")
I hate how thoroughly the total neutering of protests has gone mainstream. Yes, of course the point of protesting something is to try and interrupt it. It’s not as if you’re trying to convince people with your great arguments. You wouldn’t need to protest, then. Just make the argument, and get a bunch of signatures. All protests are about trying to interrupt the normal lives of the people involved. Otherwise they do absolutely nothing. They’re just a way to make people think they can do something but not actually accomplish anything. And, no, the Civil Rights Movement was not accomplished by well-behaved protesters. That’s a rewrite of history.