What do the protestors think they're achieving?

[Intotheniiight]

This isn't a goady post or expressing my opinion on the actual situation but I'm watching the news and seeing all these protestors doing sit ins etc at US universities and now here and I genuinely don't understand what they think that achieves in any genuinely productive helpful way to the cause?

How does someone willingly starving themselves on the steps of columbia university help?

Actually no it's not disingenuous. I've not been dismissive at all and you've projected your own 'if they really cared they'd...' because that's not what I said at all. Somebody asked me what the alternative to protesting was.... I answered with what I said were my alternatives and what I would do if I believed that strongly in something.

If someone posts a thread to try and educate themselves or see if they are missing something by not understanding and want to, that should be encouraged.

I also never said fly to gaza. I said go wherever the issue is and also suggested charities, which could be right here wherever you are which no one acknowledged.

Autistic people ask why... To understand. We ask questions... To understand. I'm asking everything I'm asking to understand, and 99% of posters have replied explaining their view points back and forth perfectly politely even if we don't necessarily agree and I've said thank you to people a few times to express my gratitude of them taking the time to try and help my understanding. I don't imply, I say exactly what I mean.

There's no excuse for being openly insulting to strangers on the Internet full stop, no need.

With tasers?!

but not always the best way, especially if they dont know the issues in full detail before protesting ect

Absofuckinglutely

they will never stop the arms deals as there will be other countries that will sell them or they could be sold via a third party etc ?

The bus driver should have driven at them slowly and they either move or get run over. Their choice. All these ridiculous protests thousands of miles away make not a jot of difference. They are just sheep following each other trying to posture.

So do you understand now that these protestors are conveying their message to their own government?

Protests can move change forward so do you think it's legitimate that they are trying to convince their own government to stop supporting Israel? And that this can be as effective or more effective than working with charities which some of them may already be doing?

I don't wholeheartedly support all the protests going on, but I think it's quite easy to understand why they're taking place and I'll always support people's right to protest as a crucial plank of democracy.

I can see why some people think that's what they are doing by them from people's responses, yes

I read things like this and I almost can't believe I share a country with some of you. I feel I'm going slightly mad.

They are protesting because it raises awareness of just one of the genocides that is taking place, which the US is supporting and which we in the UK are also supporting, just less vocally. The arms trade is the number 3 (?) top industry in Britain, no way are we going to be saying too much (as you can probably glean from the media) and people are angry at that. It really isn't hard to grasp.

For people saying protests make no difference - it suits those in power and quite possibly yourselves to say that, but it doesn't make it true.

Protests and boycotts do work. We have seen this over and over in quite recent history. This is one reason why boycotting Israeli goods/institutions is being made illegal to some degree and why protesting has been reined in in recent years. Nobody would bother for a second if they didn't work.

I'd you're genuinely trying to educate, coming from a tone of superiority 'it's not hard to grasp' etc just makes you look bad, not people who are genuinely interested in learning more.

We currently have a government who are trying to erode the right of people to peacefully protest, and it's for a reason - protectors can cause change and they can draw attention to uncomfortable truths that the government would rather stay under the radar. I am interested that you have repeated throughout the thread that these protests are pointless because they're taking place thousands of miles away from the Middle East but seem so very reluctant to accept that these are protests directed at the governments of the countries in which they take place. It feels like you're very convinced that the protests are pointless rather than actively seeking to understand the purpose of them.

I actually think this is a very disingenuous point of view. It is really very easy to imagine that people who are protesting want to raise awareness of an issue, or raise awareness that there are people who find an issue insupportable. That is what protest means.

Can I remind you that the title of your thread is 'What do the protesters think they're achieving?' - your own tone is rather dubious there.

I suspect you know all this and just came on here to cause a little ripple of trouble. Well done!

Once again, you're putting words in my mouth. I've not said they are pointless.... I've said I didn't understand the point. That's 2 different things. Just because I didn't understand the point doesn't make them pointless, that's why I asked in the first place and helpful posters have explained in various forms

I also never said I don't accept that these protests are aimed at their own countries government, so you're putting words in my mouth again there. I said I didn't understand why and that if I believed in something strongly, id do the things I already mentioned. Other helpful posters have explained about the financial ties and after reading that, I googled Sheffield university and that seems to have financial links to Israel too so that at least makes a bit more sense too

A friends daughter got caught up on the edges of a protest. A year later when she applied to the civil service she was turned down because of it. She did appeal, but it is really scary to see how much the right to protest has been eroded.

The reason for protest? it is a helpful visual symbol of peoples feelings.

The reason for covering your face? Shit like I mentioned above.

Nice ableist post there. Polish your comprehension skills perhaps. If that's how you talk to people trying to learn, your 'message' will never get through

Google autism and theory of mind... 'it's not hard to grasp'....

What happened with the civil service, did it come up in a security check?

That didn't even occur to me

You have said:

'What good does it do?'
'How is it genuinely productive or helpful?'
'It's not worked'
'It's not happening in the right place to make a change'
'It changes nothing'
'They're sitting/standing for hours to no genuinely productive end'

I don't see the distinction between those phrases and the word 'pointless'. They all sound like they mean you think the protests are pointless.

They’re bringing attention to a cause they feel strongly about.

I would if I thought for one single second that you started this post for genuine reasons. As another poster has already pointed out, your phrasing suggests you know very well what you're doing with this thread.

You've snipped a few of those but never mind . But if you take it like that, that's fine, you're wrong but that's fine too 😁

I do genuinely appreciate all the posters who have replied with helpful posts and teaching me some things I didn't know before

This is my last reply to you but if someone says they are autistic and struggle with theory of mind aka struggling to put yourself in other people's shoes, in laymens terms and are trying to educate themselves and that's the response you give, that says everything about you

People said the same about the Suffragettes, the March on Washington, Vietnam War protests, Poll Tax riots.

They want to change government direction. Public protest can be an effective way to do that and at least they know they tried.