Episode 83
Breaking the Peace: Why Peaceful Protests Aren't Enough for Real Change
Summary:
Dr. Jim looks into the contrasting nature of protests and police responses, highlighting discrepancies seen between the April 5 protests and past demonstrations like BLM. He critiques the lack of disruption caused by the April 5 event, likening it to a "walkathon," and calls for a more impactful approach. Drawing inspiration from European farmers, Dr. Jim suggests that future protests should provoke meaningful change by inconveniencing the powerful. He emphasizes the importance of intentional, purposeful protest with serious commitment and the goal of achieving substantive change.
Chapters:
0:00
Introduction to the April 5 Protests
0:36
Observations on Police Response and BLM Comparison
1:46
Role of Police in Protests
2:12
Need for Meaningful Protests
2:43
Example from European Farmers' Protests
3:17
Importance of Inconveniencing for Change
3:53
Shifting Mindset for Effective Protests
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Music Credit: Good_B_Music
Mentioned in this episode:
Left in Exile Intro
Left in Exile Intro
Transcript
One of the more troubling aspects of that protest was the emphasis on how peaceful it is. And on the surface, that doesn't seem like a terrible critique, but what does that tell you? You heard tons of reports about how protestors, during the various protests all across the country, were having conversations with police officers, and those police officers mentioned that there were very, there was very little police presence.
? Think about how the police [:Because no one was inconvenienced by that protest happening, and that's reflected by the police presence. The police presence is where it is because they did not view that protest as a threat to anything that they were concerned about.
And keep in mind, the function of the police is not to maintain law and order.
there to protect and serve. [:So what does that mean when it comes to the next one on the docket if we want these protests to be meaningful? If we want them to be meaningful, it's gonna require the majority population who is going to be engaging in these protests to do something different and what they can consider is taking a page out of the book of the.
European farmers when they felt that they were being abused by the various governments and trade and agricultural policy.
a strong signal that we are [:Our demands recognized and we want a change. Of course, there's gotta be a commitment from the majority population to inconvenience and put pressure on the people in power in real and meaningful ways.
Having another walk-a-thon is not gonna accomplish much. Now that doesn't mean that this needs to be turned into a violent free for all or anything like that. What it means is that the conversation needs to shift away from refreshment centers and bounce houses for kids and turned into an actual march and protest against injustice. This needs to be treated as a serious activity.
ke sure you have your people [:
