Stop protesting, nobody cares

I'm a somewhat politically aware person. Moreso than the average person, but I'm not the type who will recoil in horror when I find out someone voted differently than I did. That's not my game, and anyone who considers political affiliation an important part of deciding who to be friends with is taking it way too seriously. Firstly, the majority of political parties are pretty close to eachother on 90% of the issues, especially in Canada. Universal Healthcare is, well, universal. Balanced budgets are always promised (and sometimes delivered), and the question is never "should we" but "how do we" when it comes to social programs.

Fine by me. It's not perfect, but it gives ample wiggle room, and making a difference without the government's assistance is both practical and feesable.

However, that doesn't stop the occasional dissenters, and it certainly doesn't keep them quiet. Frankly, it just bores me. Watching the news and seeing protests over this issue and that is just getting boring, and only fuels my growing apathy.

Let's get the main issue out of the way. Protests over the Iraq War. I'm with those protesting in terms of disagreeing with the invasion and occupation, but guys, we need to talk.

Firstly, tone it down a notch. Effigy burning looks pretty cool, but it's a far cry from civil debate, which I don't think the Iraq war (as handled by Bush and his team) stands up to anyways. Effigy burning, posters of Bush with a hitler-stache, and flag burning are visually arresting to be sure, but they don't sway opinions. If anything, they distract and make it easy to brush people off as just radicals, even if the cause is supported by the majority.

Second, take a look at the impact of protests and demonstrations. The Iraq war was protested by literally millions before it even happened. But it still happened. Protests continue. It's still happening. Do the math. Protesting doesn't work because people who make the decisions don't feel compelled to listen to protesters. There's exceptions to this, but nothing at the G8 conference changes because of the anarchists outside.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying protesting shouldn't be allowed. It absolutely should be allowed. It just needs to be seen for what it is: sound and fury signifying nothing. I'm also all for political dissent. It's absolutely essential in a democracy, but there's a better way to dissent than to rally in the streets. If your ideas don't stand up to civil debate, they must be discarded. This goes for those who think the Dixie Chicks are unpatriotic as well as those who think they're martyrs.