Do protests work?

Many people think that protests do not achieve anything.

One can draw up a long list of protests that either fizzled out before they brought about any change to laws or how society functions.

Still, protests do work—though not always in the way they intend.

The experience often changes those who participate in protests.

Many become life-long activists. Even those who don’t become activists understand their beliefs better.

The cause or idea of a protest enters public thought and affects those who are not protesters.

That often leads to conversations and begins a process of change.

To create radical political and social change is a lengthy affair. Still, you can only do it by changing ordinary people and making them feel for the cause.

While some protests can create radical change, others change the hearts and minds of ordinary people.

We may or may not agree with them, but listening to, understanding and feeling for them makes us better people. That is what protests achieve.