# You going to join in on protesting outside? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442 "2025-06-11T01:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/21 "2025-06-11T12:38:10Z")
I would like to go to a protest. I don’t how it will actually be of any use, but I want to see and be with some good people, because sometimes I feel like the whole world’s gone crazy. However (and it may not be woke to say this), my husband would never let me. He doesn’t think it’s safe, and furthermore a waste of time. At best, he might agree to come along as a reluctant bodyguard, which would be no fun for anyone. I encouraged my daughter to go, and she told me she would be “staying her minority ass at home”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/22 "2025-06-11T12:42:45Z")
This is where white privilege can be used in a constructive way. The people who are less likely to get hauled away can go and protest in public. Sadly, i made other plans. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/23 "2025-06-11T12:48:20Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > As the others said, I won’t be protesting. I don’t see how the current method of protesting makes the slightest effective difference. It’s not exerting any leverage against Trump/MAGA. I agree. I wont be joining the local No Kings thing on the overpass because I don’t see anything useful or positive coming from it. The current administration _wants_ the spectacle - it focuses attention away from the failing trade war, failing to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, rising inflation, the Musk break-up and the Epstein files, and whatever other hidden shit they’re doing with Project 2025. A protesting spectacle keeps the cameras pointing elsewhere. The protests will be highly gratifying for the MAGAs as well, and I don’t want to give that to them. But, I agree while it will not accomplish much in the way of change, if it makes people feel better blowing off some steam then that is a positive. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/24 "2025-06-11T12:51:21Z")
> [@TGC](#): > > No fn way. I live in LA where we now have the National Guard and Marines deployed, neither of whom have the deescalating training/skills that PDs have (and despite their training, they often go off the rails). Not worth the chance of getting shot. 19 year old military soldiers have far more discipline and accountability than 35 year old police officers. Police officers have very little accountability or discipline, while soldiers are held to a much higher standard. The US could pass a national law enforcing the same level of discipline and accountability in police that we have for soldiers, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The US isn’t a nation like Syria, where the military are an unaccountable tool used to terrorize the public. Yes the military are not a crowd control force, but the military are held to a very high standard of accountability, far higher than law enforcement. I tend to think this would make the military more restrained. However if Trump starts pardoning every soldier who abuses the public domestically, who knows what that will lead to regarding military discipline. there’s a lot of terrible people in the military, just like there are a lot of terrible people in law enforcement. The main difference is the military people face accountability for their actions while the police generally do not. If Trump takes away that accountability, who knows what’ll happen. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/25 "2025-06-11T13:07:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > This is where white privilege can be used in a constructive way. Well, my daughter’s minority ass is white, but gay. I still think she should go. I don’t think anyone’s getting hauled away in Gainesville, Florida. 🤞 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/26 "2025-06-11T13:16:48Z")
I nearly said, white cis het. 😉 I have mixed feelings about protests. A lot of them feel pointless to me. But my more politically sophisticated friends think these ones are valuable. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/27 "2025-06-11T13:20:48Z")
A single protest may not mean much, but protest after protest after protest can influence people and motivate change. Perhaps most importantly today, they can help fight despair and hopelessness, which really can be (political) killers. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/28 "2025-06-11T13:25:44Z")
The Vice President of the United States is posting on public media that duly elected democratic governors should be arrested. I think I’ll keep my face off of camera and stay below the radar. [**How to Survive a Fascist Regime**](https://library.framingham.edu/c.php?g=1450407&p=10780524) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/29 "2025-06-11T13:27:27Z")
And it depends on the protest. I had friends who were involved in protesting the Gaza war. And while i was sympathetic to their desire to “do something”, i don’t think Americans and American protests have much influence over any of the decision makers in that war. Whereas US legislators and judges and governors and mayors all have significant influence over the direction of the US. And a lot of those people care about the mood of the populace. What my friends said was that protests will help give emotional support to make hard decisions for those who are already sympathetic, as well as help those on the crowd feel a sense of mutual support. Obviously, it’s important to keep the protests peaceful. Violence plays to the right. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/30 "2025-06-11T13:29:43Z")
IMHO, a worthwhile (and quick) read: > **[The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world)** > > Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/31 "2025-06-11T13:37:18Z")
Protests that incorporate violence, even as a minor component, help facilitate fascist takeovers, as happened in Germany in the 1930s. Scenes from L.A. have given right-wingers plenty of social media fuel for a long time to come. Those who participate in such protests need to bring plenty of American flags and display them prominently. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/32 "2025-06-11T13:59:08Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > In the current situation, I don’t see any chance that any of the relevant elected or appointed officials can be convinced in that way. They may, however, be convinced that there’s too much opposition for them to institute full force dictatorship, and that they need to slow down. Which might give us a chance at an actual election in 2026. Which might give us a chance at an actual election in 2028. – if I can get packed up from market fast enough, I can make it to part of a No Kings protest on Saturday. And I expect I can get packed up fast enough. > [@Kimstu](#): > > Protests strengthen the social bonds between the people who are out in the streets running a (hopefully very small, but) non-zero risk that some really bad retaliation might come their way for exercising their right to peaceful demonstration. And the more people who are out protesting, the less likely it is that such retaliation will occur. The right to peacefully assemble and protest what one’s government is doing is in the Constitution. But the Constitution isn’t worth a wet noodle if people won’t stand up for it. This is very much a case, right now, of “use it or lose it.” Not every individual can show up every time, of course. And some people can’t show up at all, for any of various reasons. But those of us who can, ought to do so. > [@Jasmine](#): > > The Vice President of the United States is posting on public media that duly elected democratic governors should be arrested. I think I’ll keep my face off of camera and stay below the radar. There is no safety to be found that way. If these people are allowed to do as they please, absolutely no one will be safe (including the ones who now think they’re in power.) > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Those who participate in such protests need to bring plenty of American flags and display them prominently. Oh yeah, I agree with that one. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/33 "2025-06-11T14:15:59Z")
No I won’t. I’ve been saying that America is heading for this moment for a long time and I’ve been protesting since the W. Bush administration. I was told I was being hysterical. Now that the moment is here, I feel like it’s too late and America just needs to collapse (hopefully without blowing up the world). I think the time to stop this was more than a decade ago. I’m focusing my energy on trying to emigrate. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/34 "2025-06-11T14:36:41Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’m focusing my energy on trying to emigrate. If you live in a progressive area of the country, work on seceding from the US. There are active groups in California and New England. [https://www.newenglandindependence.org/](https://www.newenglandindependence.org/) , [https://votecnp.org/](https://votecnp.org/) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/35 "2025-06-11T14:43:41Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > If you live in a progressive area of the country, work on seceding from the US. There are active groups in California and New England. [https://www.newenglandindependence.org/](https://www.newenglandindependence.org/) , [https://votecnp.org/](https://votecnp.org/) I think that the best thing for humanity is the utter collapse of America. All I want is to get as far away from it and Americans and try to live out the rest of my life happily. I just don’t care about it enough anymore to participate in it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/36 "2025-06-11T14:52:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Those who participate in such protests need to bring plenty of American flags and display them prominently. On it! I think the “No Kings” anti-Trump protest movement has already been pretty astute in its emphasis on, literally, flag-waving and other traditional symbols of American democracy. And for a protest on Flag Day itself, of course, it’s a no-brainer. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/37 "2025-06-11T15:33:24Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > We don’t (or don’t yet) have a leader that has the charisma and reach that captures the popular imagination, and far too many people will go along to get along. I think you have hit upon it. At this point there isn’t a polarizing voice. I’m sure there are folks trying, I read the news but I haven’t heard from them. Where’s our Che? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/38 "2025-06-11T15:33:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > A single protest may not mean much, but protest after protest after protest can influence people and motivate change. Perhaps most importantly today, they can help fight despair and hopelessness, which really can be (political) killers. Maybe, but it would have to be of a far greater intensity and duration than anything we’ve seen. All the protests in Trump’s 1st term achieved nothing, and the protests in his 2nd term don’t seem to surpass those of the first term. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/39 "2025-06-11T16:10:06Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Maybe, but it would have to be of a far greater intensity and duration than anything we’ve seen. All the protests in Trump’s 1st term achieved nothing, and the protests in his 2nd term don’t seem to surpass those of the first term. Something as complicated as an election result obviously can’t be pinned down to any one thing, but I do agree. IMHO, if anything, Biden’s margin of victory was probably smaller due to the Trump 45 protests. I just can’t picture a voter who went to their polling place thinking “those protests convinced me to vote for Biden, and without them I would have just stayed home” or even less likely “I was going to vote for Trump, but becasue of the protests my eyes are now open and I’m going to vote for Biden instead”. On the other hand, I can picture something like this “I don’t normally even bother voting, but look at all these (commies / liberals / socialists / hippies / whatever) trying to burn this country down, maybe I should make the effort this year and vote for Trump”. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442/40 "2025-06-11T16:12:22Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’ve been protesting since the W. Bush administration. I was told I was being hysterical. Same here. > [@madmonk28](#): > > I feel like it’s too late […] I think the time to stop this was more than a decade ago. > > I’m focusing my energy on trying to emigrate. Well, thanks for your previous allyship, and good luck with your relocation plans. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-going-to-join-in-on-protesting-outside/1019442.md?page=3)