Why is there a lack of activism/protests in today’s society?

Question

I’ve noticed more and more people opposed to the war daily.*

I’ve noticed more and more people who think abortion should not be legal.*

I’ve noticed more people fighting against illegal immigration then ever before.*

I’m not “A+” in politics. I know what’s going on--but to a certain degree. There seem to be a lot more people on Y!A and just general encounters who know more then me--which is great.

Passion is great--but why do people complain but not change? Why do people who have ideas not present them? What was it about Vietnam that finally pushed people over the edge? What is it about the movements going on in the 60s that people don’t feel today? I don’t think it’s a lack of passion but I can’t quite pin-point it. What do you think?

*or vise versa--they are just examples

I'm not questioning passion at all. I feel a lot of people do have passion. I'm happy for that. I understand how people are doing things their own ways and how Vietnam was far different.

What I mean is people make such a big deal out of the war--comparing it to Vietnam (which I in no way meant to do) or saying how crazy it is. I fully understand the differences between Iraq and Vietnam but for people who love to compare--it just makes me wonder if it’s so similar, why are they not doing anything.

Maybe it's just that I don't see the protests but I just don't understand why such passionate people are not protesting in a more public manner if they want people to follow. I participate/volunteer for things I feel passionately about and I suppose I don’t understand why someone who is passionate in politics would not do the same.

WOW! I looked over all the answers again to find a "best answer." There are so many great answers it's hard just to pick one. The only reason I do not want to put this question up to a vote is I don't want a one-liner to get "best answer." So thank you to all the people who had excellent answers: Robby B, Music=Peace, Mogul, Erik B, Answerman, PasteyPete, This Is Not Honor, sleepercylon12, and Jackie.

Answer 1

First, protests aren't what they used to be. It isn't effective anymore to sit outside and smoke pot next to your favorite tree that you don't want to be cut down. Much more effective is the use of economics or where you spend your money. If you don't like the way a company operates (for example, that a certain store has banned the word Christmas), then spend your money elsewhere. Even better, give them a call or tell the manager that you won't be doing business with them for that reason - I guarantee this is very valuable information to them.

Second, there is a breakpoint for everything. Take your example of Vietnam - there is currently at least one representative in Congress that wishes to reinstate the draft, and if that ever happens it will be received with such brute protest that it will almost immediately be shut down. Why? Because Iraq is a problem, but most of the time we are distanced from that problem. With a draft, that problem becomes much more "our" problem.

It's the same with anything. We are at a point where most stuff just kind of works in the background, and until something gets *really* messed up, there's not going to be enough support to rally up the troops again like in the 60's. Most people find it's just not worth the time, effort, and especially the current potential for liabilities and lawsuits that seem to be worse than mosquitos around here. After all, someone might get emotionally scarred if you support something, and all of a sudden you owe them millions.

When the problems become big enough is when we will see action.

Answer 2

I'm not an activist myself. Even before I began working and got married and had two kids I was never an activist.

Nevertheless, your question assumes that there is not as much activism out there as there was in the 1960s. I disagree to a point. I think there is plenty of activism out there, it's just that you don't see it on the college campuses like you did in the 1960s. Maybe it's because college students today are a different breed. Maybe it's because college students today aren't facing the draft, the very real possibility that they might end up fighting and dying in a foreign country fighting a war they do not support.

Remember that Vietnam was a lot different than the Iraq war. First, at the height of the war, there were 500,000 US soldiers stationed in Vietnam. That is a far cry from the number in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Moreover, over 50,000 soldiers died in Vietnam. The latest figures from Iraq are about 2800. Yet, the population of our country is twice what it was in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And far fewer people went to college then, so the chances of a friend being drafted and sent to Vietnam was far greater. And if you left or flunked out of college, you could be drafted. So kids in college had a personal stake in the war that they probably don't have now.

Moreover, I think there were other changes that were happening in society that don't reflect what is happening now. Women were being liberated. Minorities were fighting for civil rights. The governmental machine was being questioned for the first time in a way it had never been questioned before. And there was a sense that people, ordinary people, could make a difference. I don't know if people feel that way now the way they did then.

But I also note a lot of people protesting the war in Iraq. And there were 60s style protests during various economic summits in the last few years. Remember the Black Block from Seattle.

And look what took place last week. The Dems just took back Capitol Hill.

There are major movements afoot today, but like there were in the 60s. Perhaps even more powerful ones. But they manifest themselves in different ways than in the 60s. Media is different. People are different. But don't confuse a change in the way people protest with a lack of passion, lack of organization, or a lack of ability to change.

Answer 3

Because they feel like there is nothing they can do. They don't know where to direct their passion for a political revolution, or atleast some sort of change.

There has been a lot of political activism around the world, just not much in America. Why? Because Americans are taught to wait for someone to change things for them. But obviously, the government is not set on changing things for the interests of the American people and the rest of the world. That is exactly why we need to be doing a lot more than what we are.

And there HAS been movements across the country, like the National Day of Mass Resistance (on October 5th)...which didn't have AS many people as I would have liked participating...but the few thousand who did (there were a lot more than a thousand across the country...I'm referring to the few thousand who were at the protest I was at) really cared...and they're bound to get people they know involved.

So...it's not enough as a whole. But there are the few who work really hard to try and change the way things are going.

So, maybe ask yourself, what are you doing to help? If you don't feel like you're doing enough, then start. You'll be able to back up your argument about people not doing enough. You'll be helping in making a change and you'll inspire others to do the same.

Answer 4

Many people are just so weary trying to keep from being financially insolvent (do you know how many people are living off their credit cards and carrying a balance?). People are working longer hours to make up for the people who were layed off, commuting hours to get to work. When you get up for work around 5AM, and don't return until about 7:30, then have to do the dinner, housekeeping, pay bills, you are tired, and pretty much out of time. And this is only the single people basic schedule. Add in a partner (who may do some of the chores, but may add some as well, or even need some of whatever time is left of the day for attention), and children (with their own schedules and unexpected events). This is a recipe for exhaustion!

Adding to this is that we really don't see the good guys win any more. People walk away from companies they mismanaged with multimillion dollar "golden parachutes", while small investors lose their retirement savings. The rich get community service while the poor or unsophisticated get jail. Down south, Americans have been layed off from jobs at turkey/chicken processing plants and been replaced by cheaper illegal workers. We can't get our own people (Americans) back on their feet after Katrina. But we can waste enough money to rebuild the levees to Dutch precision standards in Iraq. In 2000, we had a budget surplus. Now we have one of the highest national debts, ever. However, if you are a stockholder of Halliburton (VP Dick Cheney's buddies and his former employer), you've seen your stock go up by 400%. And then there's the matter of Americans dying in a phony chase for weapons of mass destruction, election fraud, etc. Protests have been held, but dissent has been outspent. The fix is in. Since 2000 especially, money talks, not ideals, not fairness.

You've got maybe 2 exhausted hours (not necessarily all at once), near the end of the day to call your own. If you are going to devote those two hours for months and years, you want to know that you will prevail. Not get a troublemaker reputation which may cost you income.

Who knows? With the past election results, there has been a total shift in Congress. Maybe the need for change won't be as thwarted as it has been.

Answer 5

Vietnam and the 60's are a very tricky time to pin-point. One thing one must consider is the probability that the anti-war movement of the late sixties may be slightly over-romanticized. This was an extremely important time for freedom of expression, media, and civil rights. We as a society still face extremely important issues daily; however, when juxtaposing then with now, the only major difference is the amount of media attention each major event had. The other side of the coin is as follows: We, and I say we because I assume you and I are around the same age, are from a different generation. The generational gap acts a lot like the game of telephone. Important parts are left out of history, and our perceptions become skewed. This could truly turn into a philosophical debate about one's perception being one's reality; nonetheless, we need to consider that major issues of the sixties were a lot like those today. When we see things over and over again, in mass media settings we become desensitized and distance ourselves from current events. Often, when things are told to us by previous generations we get the individual telling the story's point of view, and sad, tragic, and stupid stories don't entertain audiences nearly as much as happy ones. Therein we tend to only hear about how good it was instead of how terribly similar times were then to now. A good example of where history has masked the truth: Helen Keller was a huge supporter of the Socialist movement of the early 20th century... Not only was her stance not popular with the worldview of our society of that time, she probably would have been chastized far more if she had not been disabled. We don't always hear the bad. Just a point of view.

Cheers.

Answer 6

Well, with the economy humming and unemployment low, maybe there's less for most people to complain about. There will always be disaffected people on both sides (anarchists on the left say, and right to life or anti-gay hate mongers on the far far right, sa) but the middle only comes out to play when it feels its livelihood is truly threatened.

As far as people not changing, I think people are changing all the time. Our society and culture are constantly growing and expanding as we adapt to new challenges. Your premise seems to imply that maybe people should be reacting to the "war on terror" the way they reacted to Vietnam (if I'm wrong on this, then I just misunderstood your meaning) but I think that premise misses the point that despite some superficial similarities the geopolitical challenges we face today--after the end of the Cold War and in a multi-polar rather than bi-polar world--are different. Thus it is not that there is less activism or interest than in the 60s, but that the current state of affairs is different and so is generating a different response from society.

Answer 7

The people of the Vietnam war have grown up. They know the only thing we really have is the vote. Write your congressmen and let them know how you feel. Support the troops, but fight to bring them home. Finally realize you can't believe in election ads. They lie and slander the opponent. The Republicans who sold themselves as the moral party, ran the the most immoral elections. Study the issues and don't remain loyal to any party. Vote the issues. Demand an end to corrupt government, lobbying donations, ear marks. Save America before it's too late. People first, corporations last. If they can't hire Americans in America boycott what they sell. Vote out the politicans who don't work for legal middle class Americans. Rangel was right, bring back the draft and you'll see the protests and an end to the war.

Answer 8

I think conscription was the biggest issue, Back in about 1970 I was at a anti-war parade in Milwaukee and it struck me as odd that there were maybe 100 people involved but the media in Milwaukee said 1000, they were call hippies and kooks back then. Beyond Cindy Sheehan there is very little coverage of war protest even though they are going on around the country. The music back then was anti-war further riling up the younger people, college age people no longer fear the draft so there is no reason to get involved no matter how ill conceived the war is. Activism is usually implemented when it directly affects somebody, such as Sheehan's lose of her son.

Answer 9

Ignorance. Too many people lack the knowledge of whats going on to know better. More wide spread use of government approved news. Military Commission Act (subsection 27). How many people realize that government may now come after you for using the internet to spread ideas that promote idealogy that they deem "radical that promote 'terrorism'." Basically a Salem witch hunt because of what yo say and believe.

Protest works best when there are large numbers in large number of groups, not small numbers in large number of groups.

Answer 10

Best ? I've seen yet. My guess, there is no military draft all volunteer now. So folks who are afraid of dying have little impetus to protest. Also the country was not directly attacked at all vs. the total shock of 9/11. The one interesting constant is the gov't continues to mislead, exaggerate, confuse, screw-up, lie, and lastly and most importantly it continues to cover-up.