The Tactics of Dissent: Understanding Different Types of Protest
protest
/ˈprəʊtɛst/
noun:
“A statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.”
The human condition demands that there will never be complete agreement by all people on any given matter at any given time. This is not necessarily a bad thing. While our natural tendency to disagree with each other has caused innumerable arguments, wars, and misunderstandings, the strategic demonstration of these divergent opinions can be a powerful tool for political and cultural change. From strikes to marches, sit-ins to boycotts, the power and impact of dissent through protest are critical aspects of American history.
Protest as Strategy: Not Just Symbolism
Every time you see a viral news story of public protest, be it a peaceful student march or paint splashed on a priceless piece of art in a museum, it’s easy to assume that it holds no purpose beyond spectacle. However, for every protest, the public attention generated is only half the equation. It is merely a means to an end. Protest allows you to spread a polarising message to an audience that cannot be moved by conventional methods.
Protests usually focus on the uncomfortable aspects of our society, the parts we prefer to look away from. The shock factor forces you to acknowledge and take a moment to mull over the concerns of the dissenters. It forces you to truly look, without averting your eyes.
No one form of protest is identical to the next.
Marches and Rallies
Public group protests are a powerful force for change. Marches, for instance, are demonstrations where groups walk along a set route through public spaces to draw attention to a cause, often by chanting and wielding signs. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom tackled racial discrimination in the labour market and went down as one of the most impactful marches in history.
Frequently, rallies and marches happen on the same occasion. A rally is a public gathering of people to discuss a matter of concern. These mass meetings are usually accompanied by speeches and chants known as rally cries. If you see a rally in progress, there’s a good chance that a march will follow.
Occupations and Blockades
In some situations, staying indoors yields more results than going into open public spaces. Occupations are a form of protest that involves a group refusing to leave a building’s premises. These were instrumental during the civil rights movement. An entire “sit-in” movement was born in North Carolina in 1960, during which students occupied segregated businesses, especially lunch counters, that only catered to White people. Although it faced strong opposition and was not immediately effective, it helped build the public attitude that turned the tide against segregation in America.
A similarly disruptive approach is the use of blockades, a form of protest that involves blocking access to a given place. A popular interpretation of this is forming “a human shield” when protestors physically band together to stop goods or people from entering a building. This disruption is typically used to force an opposing body to enter into negotiation or even cede to the demands of a protest group.
Strikes and Walkouts
The labour movement has perfected its own unique forms of protest. Most well-known of these are strikes, a protest in which workers halt productivity in order to demand a change in working conditions. One of the most impactful global examples of a strike was the Icelandic Women’s Strike in 1974. At a time when the gender pay gap was still glaring and incredibly prominent, 90% of Iceland’s women striked by not doing any work, including housework, for a full day. The economy ground to a halt, and new legislation addressing the gender pay gap was soon introduced.
Similar to strikes, walkouts occur when workers publicly stage leaving their workplaces before embarking on a strike.
Digital Protests and Hashtag Movements
Protest goes far beyond the physical spectrum. Increasingly, people use the internet as a platform to amplify protest movements. Digital activism is one of the easiest ways to carry out mobilisation for any cause. While some may consider online to be less impactful, it is undeniable that it has a great ability to reach as many people as possible. During turbulent political times, it is also used to spread a message while side-stepping the physical violence that usually arises from other types of protest.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement is proof that a hashtag can grow into an entire political ideology. The slogan is now instantly equated to the African American stance against police brutality in the 2010s and 2020s.
Symbolic Acts and Art as Protest
Not all protest methods are literal. For long-lasting impact, symbolic acts, including performances and artistic creations, may be used to communicate protest messages through metaphor. Whether beautiful or grotesque, art forces us to emotionally engage with the subject at hand. During the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, an image of police brutality victim Breonna Taylor was projected onto a Confederate monument. This symbolism of racism contrasts with the veneration of Breonna as a modern-day martyr. It is somewhat poetic that protest against destruction can be done through the creation of new media.
History Has Taught Us…
… that dissent is just as powerful as support. Real activism stems from the strength to publicly oppose the status quo. While it is impossible to exhaust the different types of dissent in this article, it is important to recognise the histories behind the vast tactics of dissent at our proposal. Ass technology advances and social norms shift, new forms of protest are bound to spring up. Despite this, it is critical to remember the protests of the past that got us to where we are today. After all, today’s political landscape merely reflects the failures and successes of generations of protests that came before us.
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