From Deseret News archives:
Misguided protests
A protest is not about the protesters, it is about the position.
A protest is about numbers, not noise.
A protest is not about might, but right.
Some have criticized the restrictions put on protesters at Brigham Young University in the preparations for Vice President Dick Cheney's visit. But the most powerful protests are often understated.
Images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quietly leading his followers on marches come to mind. So does Mahatma Gandhi, quietly standing in the sea making salt to protest the industrial limitations put on India by British colonialists.
Just as reasoned, earnest letters to this paper tend to have more power and sway with public opinion than the bombastic outbursts of the outraged, so, too, a protest carried out with dignity and respect holds a high-minded tone that points to a noble ideal. Passionate sputtering often simply locks the opposition into a defensive position and limits dialogue. Reason quickly gives way to ranting. The fierceness of the infighting undermines any hope of compromise or even understanding.
America is an optimistic nation a nation that believes right will win out. Information, not invective, should be the watchword. If a position staked out by protesters has merit, others will embrace it. If it doesn't, all the chanting and charade in the world can never create a groundswell of grass-roots support.
It's not about the protesters, it's about points of view. And the best way to get that point out to the world is to behave in a manner that lets opinions take the spotlight, not the people espousing them.
Comments
- 2nd team all-state soccer 10:23 p.m.
- Salvadoran town buries dead 10:17 p.m.
- Strings attached to schools money 10:17 p.m.
- World datelines 10:16 p.m.
- 2A soccer all-state first team 10:11 p.m.
- Droid is cool computer in a phone 10:09 p.m.
- Jobless help extended 14 more weeks 10:08 p.m.
- Hotel rates may drop by 8.8% 10:08 p.m.
- Kraft's Cadbury bid starts tussle 10:07 p.m.
- Conference set for directors, officers 10:02 p.m.
- TCU showdown has big implications
- Seniors helped BYU regroup
- Lambert surprisingly tops news
- Hope for single moms
- Bystanders framed for child porn
- Korver and Miles to be evaluated
- Prep girls soccer MVPs named
- Utah Jazz Extra: Whose hot/not
- GOP blasts Matheson after vote
- Newhouse Hotel, an explosive end
- House passes health care bill
227 - TCU showdown has big implications
182 - Lobo suspended
182 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
154 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
115 - Thousands protest health bill
112 - RSL rallies to advance
103 - No 'backlash' for pioneers, gays analogy
96 - Utes pound winless Lobos
89
im pretty sick everyone complaining.. yea they're struggling. yea theyre...
It sounds like you were one of the many who were crying after another...
"I'm Just a Girl but... | 5:32 p.m. Nov. 9, 2009" I checked the TV...
You guys that are against this and comparing us to other states are...
Lee is brilliant. I certainly hope "he's in". This guy is EXACTLY what we...
it doesn't say how late, it could have been 9:00
If Larry would have forked out this much money when we still had John and...
mrs parker is my hero(: DYNASTY
Strike one up for the good guys? I think not.
So why lie about the number of tea partiers? Why does Beck just play fast...


You can be the first to comment on this story.