We all remember how the anonymous protester was declared the person of the year. Today, however, we can see that the wave of protests that was witnessed by a variety of Western societies recently fizzled out without achieving anything of value.
The Spanish Indignados brought the Conservative Partido Popular to power and will now see their country subjected to a massive dose of PP’s austerity measures.
The Russian protest didn’t do any damage to Putin’s regime and has now turned to clownish support of the useless Pussy Riot.
The #Occupy protests in the US haven’t managed to become any sort of a force to be counted with in the current US elections. Just as many people support the party of the 1% as would have done had these protests never happened. If you don;t believe me, look at the stats for the 2008 elections and compare them to the 2012 presidential race.
So what can we conclude from all this?
First of all, that protests whose only platform is “let everything be good and nothing be bad” will never achieve any lasting change.
Second, street protests are useless. As I’ve been saying this entire time, if you want change these days, don’t go into the streets. Go to the Internet. Social networks and blogs have managed to do a lot more in the past year than all these street hullabaloos combined and multiplied by eleven. And you know why that happened? Simply because when you gather for a street protest, you don’t face the need to articulate any actual message. All you have to do is come up with a short meaningless slogan like “Greed = bad, compassion = good.” Online, however, you are forced to verbalize your grievances and list your demands. The streets are a great place to chant and to moo, but try doing that on a blog, a website, or even on your Facebook page. You will lose all readership within days. Hell, even Twitter requires a greater capacity to articulate your thoughts than any street protest.
In the end, street protests nowadays are counter-productive because they allow people to let off steam, feel better about things, and return home prepared to accept much worse things than the ones they originally gathered to protest. It is not surprising that the protests in both Russia and Spain culminated in producing much more oppressive regimes than the ones the street protesters denounced. I only hope that we don’t end up in the same situation here in the US.
Clarissa's Blog 
Within my lifetime, street protests have led to the end, more or less, of Jim Crow laws and the U. S. war in Vietnam. They are the only way for a movement to get news coverage and become visible to anyone who is not already a true believer. Street protests led to the independence of India from Britain, as I understand it, although it was before my time, a little. There is no way to really tell how large a protest group is on the internet.
LikeLike
Yes. Although it is possible to say, I supposed that what they did was “bring in Reagan.” (Which I would say were a poor analysis if anyone said it.)
Also, more limited than Viet Nam but still: some good environmental laws, some better conditions for farmworkers. It is also really startling how much Stonewall and then the gay pride marches got done, and #yosoy132 and the anti-EPN movements in Mex. are important.
I could go on and on about the importance of these things in Latin America, actually. The famous and hackneyed example is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo but the indigenous movements in the Andes have gotten important things done in terms of environment and civil rights.
LikeLike
“I could go on and on about the importance of these things in Latin America, actually. The famous and hackneyed example is the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo but the indigenous movements in the Andes have gotten important things done in terms of environment and civil rights.”
– The Madres did the impossible and that’s fantastic. But that was in the 1980s. The indigenous movements are also very important but it’s precisely because they are acting in areas that have not been westernized.
LikeLike
Yes, but that was in the past. I’m saying that today the world is very different.
LikeLike
Those protesters are now on Facebook, promoting their passivism. They demand that people start to realize there is no point in voting for the “lesser of two evils”, because that is still evil. You have to join a medieval monastery and pray. Don’t be contaminated by the dirt of politics. It will only end in tears.
LikeLike
You must frequent a different part of Facebook from me. I am constantly admonished on Facebook to vote and to donate money to candidates. Personally, I think donating money makes more difference than voting, but both are important.
LikeLike
Yes, I get this and other useful things. I don’t agree that Occupy was-is useless; from what I am able to observe it has helped opened up possibilities in public discourse.
LikeLike
The most recent issue of The Nation is dedicated to #Occupy. Even in that magazine, the journalists seem to agree that the movement has been a spectacular failure. It’s been a year since the movement started, yet these possibilities remain just that, possibilities.
LikeLike
In several of those nations the people in power will shut down most internet communication or at least make it extremly difficult. Unfortunately for most substantial change to happen in certain parts of the world it will probably happen only with violence(as in civil war). Until a nation is fully on the same page, peaceful demonstration rarely makes a difference. Afterall, its not that long ago that North and South were killing each other in the good old USA.
LikeLike
There was the civil rights movement which did, precisely, help *get* the country together, and Bellamy points out India’s independence movement.
LikeLike
“and Bellamy points out India’s independence movement”
– I specified that I was talking about today and about Western societies.
LikeLike
@ Z
Most of the country was on the same page by then. Lincoln and the North started the process 100yrs earlier. There is no doubt that it was carried forward by some extremly brave individuals but without the support of the masses it would have failed.
@Clarissa
Dont kid yourself. The Us and Russia are playing on the internet all the time. I dont think you would want to know exactly what they are and are not capable of. 😦
LikeLike
“Dont kid yourself. The Us and Russia are playing on the internet all the time. I dont think you would want to know exactly what they are and are not capable of. ”
– Still, the fact remains that Putin didn’t do absolutely anything to people who called for an armed uprising and for a hit on him personally under their own names online. And, for now, the only possible candidate to challenge Putin legitimately in the next elections is a blogger who has been working to denounce the corruption and abuses of Putin’s regime. The street protests have not produced any viable candidate.
LikeLike
The street protests have not produced any viable candidate.(Clarissa)
Its a process, the street protests are part of the unrest that you have been seeing for years. In the past you wouldnt even have been able to have them. One step at a time. But dont be fooled by what Putin hasnt done, when pressed enough, you can bet the house that an armed response is not that far away.
LikeLike
Armed response to what? He has an overwhelming support from his citizens. Any recent US president can only dream of the approval ratings Putin has.
These protests specifically claimed that they don’t have a leader and don’t want one. Now we are seeing why that is a losing strategy.
LikeLike
He has an overwhelming support from his citizens.(Clarissa)
Exactly, imagine if he didnt. Youre not telling me you actually think Russia is a bonafide Democracy comparable to where you presently live?
LikeLike
“Exactly, imagine if he didnt.”
– We can also imagine that Putin is a pink dragon with orange spots and blue horns, but what would be the purpose of such exercise? 🙂
“Youre not telling me you actually think Russia is a bonafide Democracy comparable to where you presently live?”
– No, of course not. Yet his support is very real. The people dig him, that’s just a reality.
LikeLike
but what would be the purpose of such exercise?(Clarissa)
Because Leopards dont change their spots. Once a KGB…………
LikeLike
“Because Leopards dont change their spots. Once a KGB…………”
– I’m the last person to disagree with this.
LikeLike
“In several of those nations the people in power will shut down most internet communication or at least make it extremly difficult. ”
– I mentioned 3 countries: the US, Spain and Russia. Nobody shut down the Internet or even tried to do so in any of them.
LikeLike
At least, protests in Québec engendered no bad results. (no really good results in fact except some social networking and some educational tools, though). And the liberal tuition hike will be cancelled by the PQ.
LikeLike
So there no “more oppressive regime” producing by protests in Québec.
LikeLike
there’s
LikeLike
“So there no “more oppressive regime” producing by protests in Québec.”
– The elections only happened 5 minutes ago. 🙂 I think we will have to wait and see.
LikeLike
I think that, to achieve the goal of “changing within political means”, protesting is still a good (not as good as before, though) tool. But on an Anarchist perspective, I think you’re right; protests are useless.
LikeLike
I doubt TIME was limiting itself to western societies.
LikeLike
If we are talking about very recent history, I don’t see any massive street protest anywhere that has achieved anything like a success. Egypt is moving towards a fanatical religious state. The guy who conducted virginity tests on women has been placed in the cabinet. This is not the kind of a “success” likely to impress me, as we can all understand.
Any other successful examples in case I’m missing something?
LikeLike
Tunisia is probably the most successful. Then again, I don’t define successful as “resulting in changes I like.” For this reason, I would consider the Egyptian revolution somewhat successful–for the first time in history, there is an elected president. Yes, nearly 80% of the country wanted someone else, but now there is that possibility. As for virginity tests, they certainly existed in Egypt before the revolution, so while it is true that the revolution didn’t stop them, it didn’t start them either. It did allow the perpetrators to be brought to trial (and they were acquitted, but the fact that this trial existed and generated attention is important, even if it is not as much progress as you want). Same goes for religious fanaticism–it is not a product of the revolution, it existed long before it. Also, “secular” in Egypt does not mean the same thing as it does in the US–I doubt you would have found many of the practices of the “secular” Mubarak dictatorship (like mandatory religious classes in public schools) secular. The true test will be if religious fanatics can actually govern in a fanatic manner, rather than just spew messages of being the oppressed opposition. This, we don’t know yet. Personally, I would consider the greatest success of the Egyptian revolution the interest in and ability to discuss politics it caused on the streets (and internet) of Egypt. Without this, you can’t have the internet discussions you are calling for. For that matter, the internet will probably never be shut off in Egypt again, and that is a result of the revolution, and important. Of course there are still close to 50% of Egyptians who don’t have internet, but that’s a different topic.
LikeLike
“Then again, I don’t define successful as “resulting in changes I like.””
– Do you define successful as resulting in changes you don’t like? 🙂 According to this logic, I should totally celebrate the Bush presidency. It brought a lot of changes, I hate all of them, so yippeee! 🙂
LikeLike
Then let’s go with “resulting ONLY in changes I like”. There’s plenty of changes I don’t like in Obama’s presidency, but I’ll still vote for him over Romney. Same for many protests. I’m sure if I looked hard enough I could find some sort of change I liked in Bush’s presidency. Life would be much easier if all politics, let alone protests, resulted only in changes I did or didn’t like, but I’ve yet to experience that ever. If you have, lucky you.
LikeLike
Chicago teachers’ strike? They are out in the street.
LikeLike
It is kind-boggling to me that teachers should have to strike for such a ridiculous reason. Standardized tests? Seriously? These teachers are trying to save school education from the onslaught of idiocy. They are heroes and I support them completely.
LikeLike