Do you not remember the protests for civil rights? The sit ins? The marches? The protests outside the white house?

Literally every part of what is protesting is based on disrupting everything for the average citizen so the govt is forced to make a change.

The point of protesting is to force action without violence. People blocking traffic or stopping people from entering certain businesses is exactly what protesting is.

Protesting isn't just rallies where people come together to talk about what they all agree on. It's actively forcing people to acknowledge the issue without resorting to violence.

Edit: I didn't see this was a UK post which is my bad but it's still relevant

Here's a quote from Martin Luther King that I think is very relevant:

First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."

Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

@Ilovethebomb @ThatWeirdGuy1001 Some protests are instead designed to raise the cost of an abusive behavior so the rich ruling class will buy less of it.

Don't waste time trying to speak truth to this kind of power, speak power to oppressors instead. Make sure they understand that we can match ANY level of escalation on their part.

This is how we killed Huntingdon "Life" Sciences: the public already opposed vivisection, but vivisection was on both sides of the ballot.

I'm amazed at how few people realise this. I don't agree with jailing this guy but people seem to think that as long as a protest gets noticed by people it MUST be effective.

Arguing with anger makes people who are already on your side agree with you, arguing with calm and logic might actually change a few minds though.

Just Stop Oil are the former and appears to me to be doing nothing to help the effort, do they think that people believe oil is good for the planet and that they're actually making others aware of the environmental impact? Nobody is learning anything but plenty of people are getting pissed off with the cause because it's unnecessarily disruptive and furthers nothing.

Edit: you guys proved the point phenomenally. There's the people already on their side agreeing, meanwhile at least 2 commenters who are anti oil are painted like we coat penguins in it for fun in our free time. Why do so many suggest it's either JSO or ineffective sanctioned protests? Could there not be something in between? What would be so wrong with protesting directly to MPs by the houses of Parliament? You could chain yourself to whatever if you need to make a strong point, throw oil/paint/whatever at 10 downing street, do something that the decision makers will actually notice and have people talking about you favourably. Most conversations about JSO are one side saying they're fucking morons, and the other side naively echoing this chamber like that has any chance at changing anyone's mind.

Ah well, lemmy seems even less flexible than reddit did with its views, so I shouldn't be surprised. There is no room for nuance here.

Lol and you all wonder why most surface life on the planet is going to die along with most humans