Forms of Protest

There are many ways to register your disapproval with something — from an annoyed frown to a thermonuclear device to all sorts of stuff that falls somewhere in between. Some are more effective than others, and some get a lot more attention. I'm going to rate some of the better known forms of protest below, but I want to let everyone know that I don't think you should necessarily undertake to protest by these methods, as some of them aren't particularly safe or wise.

Hunger Strikes: Quite possibly one of the most idiotic ways to complain about something. It's tantamount to an adult version of sulking in the corner: "I'm not going to eat anything until you give me what I want." If someone said that to me, my reaction would be "Okay, good for you. Excuse me while I order a pizza." There was an idiot camped out at the provincial legislature last summer for weeks on a hunger strike (only it doesn't really count when you drink those meal substitute shakes, which is only one of the reasons I call him an idiot), and if he does it again this year I am so going to have a barbecue where he can watch and smell it. I suspect his reaction to this could get Ugly.

Petitions: Now here's a form of protest that's safe for everyone. Little old ladies on rocking chairs can sign petitions all day and not feel like anarchists, but they can feel like they are making a difference. How much of a difference, well, that depends. It takes a lot of signatures to make a petition at all effective. Thirty seven signatures isn't all that impressive, especially when one of the names is Seymour Butts. That said, petitions can be a rather effective form of nonviolent protest. It's not easy to ignore thousands of signatures. So, while not terribly exciting, petitions are Good.

Strikes: The classic labour form of protest, a strike is an effective way of getting the message across to your employer. When no one but upper management comes in to work, not much work is going to get done. When this is in a business that deals with the public, there's a lot of pressure to resolve the situation quickly. Unfortunately is seems some labour unions like to abuse the power a strike can give them. It seems there's a either a postal strike or the threat of one every year. And sometimes people that make piles of money go on strike for no good reason. Airline pilots, for example, who make a lot more than anyone else who works in airlines, make themselves look Bad when they strike.

Taking Hostages: This one blurs the lines between protest, terrorism, and desperation. Taking hostages certainly gets all sorts of attention very, very quickly, but it's not exactly good attention. SWAT teams may provide attention, sure, but it generally comes in the form of projectiles delivered at high velocity. It's not exactly a smart way to garner sympathy for your cause, especially since most hostage takings end up turning Ugly.