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Gaza war protesters shut down Golden Gate Bridge, block traffic in other cities (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 133 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (51 children)

I have a real problem with this, and I've been on both sides of it. It really doesn't do anything to help your cause by having people stuck in traffic. There are many reasons that someone could be in their car at that moment, not just commuting to or from a job. They could be on their way to a court appointment, they could have dinner in the car, they could be going to pick their child up from school, they could be on their way to a doctor's appointment, or any of a million other reasons that make this not just an inconvenience, but a complete shithead thing for someone to put someone else through. Protestors aren't making their case against the war by pissing off every person stuck in traffic, they are just being dickheads. If you want to protest a war, go hang out outside of a government building, or in front of an elected official's house. Make them feel uncomfortable, not some poor schmuck who has somewhere else to be at the moment.

Edit: Ok, I guess I need to give a peaceful example. You want to block traffic? Block the exits to the parking garage where the elected officials park downtown. Do that for a week and see how much of an impact you make. Blocking commuters is a waste of energy.

[–] [email protected] 85 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I don't think the goal is to convince the people stuck in the artificially created traffic about Gaza. I think it's to get news coverage from sites like nbcnews.com so as to raise the profile of the Gaza war so that politicians must address it. You are welcome to argue whether that's an effective strategy, but I think that's the intent.

Also, side note.. Social progress rarely comes from rule following.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Is the profile not high enough? I'm pretty sure everyone knows about it who needs to know about it. Blocking traffic isn't going to make a ceasefire happen across the world. Annoying your fellow citizens and ruining their day isn't getting any politicians to act. It's pointless. Actions must be taken against those in charge if we want to see any forward progress. Blocking traffic to protest a war is like yelling at a frycook because you want the McRib back. The actions are being aimed at the wrong people.

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 7 months ago (2 children)

[–] [email protected] 68 points 7 months ago (9 children)

They're not in front of the White House, they're not even in front of city hall, they're hurting their own.

The King loves it when the peasants fight amongst themselves.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 7 months ago

Not sure if you are agreeing with me or not, but that is exactly what I'm saying. Right now, blocking traffic is about as easy for the "king" to ignore as anything else.

[–] nulluser 29 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (10 children)

Yeah. I saw some of the posts across Lemmy trying to organize this.

There it was presented as blocking shipping ports. I thought that was odd. Wasn't sure how that was going to affect Israel, but whatever.

Then the day comes and they're doing this low effort reposting-of-a-meme-everyone-has-seen-already version of protest and I just rolled my eyes.

"Innocent people are being murdered in Palestine, so I'm going to go prevent someone that also hates what is happening from visiting their dying grandmother! That'll show 'em!"

🙄

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 7 months ago

Completely agree. Blocking the average Joe driving home will get attention, but potentially for the wrong reason. I think your edit is perfect. Inconvenience those in power that can do something about it now, not someone who can really only do something when voting.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (4 children)

I feel bad for the people in traffic but the protestors only get to this state because of repeatedly being ignored by the government. If normal protests aren’t cutting it anymore and you don’t want to be violent then what options do you really have? They (gov) just don’t listen.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (15 children)

Protest where it is effective, not where it gets you the most social media clout. Blocking traffic is the protesting equivalent of a selfie. Make some noise near an elected official, and often. See how quickly they change their attitude when they are the ones being fucked with.

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[–] [email protected] 119 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (80 children)

ITT- You're allowed your first amendment right to protest war crimes, just not where I can see or be inconvenienced. Because all of the civil rights and anti war protests in the past 70 years that were truly successful were very polite and inconvenienced no one.

[–] [email protected] 129 points 7 months ago (11 children)

MLK Jr. literally wrote about this exact same thing in his Letter from Birmingham jail.

that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor 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 cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ ”

[–] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yeah I remember reading that in college. He wasn't the bland platitudes guy high schools teach.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 7 months ago (1 children)

He was also assassinated right after he started pivoting from civil rights to economic inequality (starting the Poor People's Campaign). Funny coincidence, that.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 7 months ago (32 children)

Nice.

If Americans want the protests to stop, they should stop supporting genocide.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 7 months ago (32 children)

Mm and how has the average San Franciscan contributed to a war on the other side of the planet?

[–] [email protected] 41 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The same way the average American contributed to black oppression. By being silent observers to your government's actions.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 7 months ago (6 children)

In the same way we all do. Those weapons can't be built without a reliable economy. Interruptions in labor produce ripple effects which disrupt the atrocities of the capitalist class.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Unfortunately any protest in the US is at best constrained to stopping future weapons shipments to Israel. But as Netanyahu has already shown he doesn’t care what Biden has to say, the US is unlikely to be able to stop them from continuing to use the weapons they already have.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Can't wait to watch all the redditors who mostly don't commute or don't drive have a collective aneurysm over this.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Honestly, Bay Area commuters who use that bridge regularly probably couldn't tell the difference

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (7 children)

Is this comments section: "fuck shit up, society isn't working," vs "follow the rules when you protest, that's how you make change happen."

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