Protesting unjust events in society is beyond the aspect of an obligation. For college students, it is a civic duty.
If we aren’t using the knowledge we received from sitting through hours of Political Science lectures, then there isn’t a point in attending a university. Standing up for a cause through peaceful demonstration and having a well developed understanding of the current worldly issues is the best way to represent the merit of a scholar.
The keywords are peaceful and understanding. But the protests we are seeing today have not addressed a grievance. Protests such as the one at University of California, Berkeley are turning into attacks and riots which solving nothing and only strengthening the opposition.
Radicals, in any group, undermine the values of what the group stands for. Protests should be well thought out, not destructive which is what the extremists in any group stands for.
Writing to politicians, performing sit-ins, lobbying and actively engaging in the system is meant to represent their cause. Demonstrations are getting out of hand. Instead of setting things on fire, focus on current legislation. By doing so, things might actually change.
Meanwhile, the social aspect of attending protests becoming a fashion trend. There are people attending the Women’s March who are unaware of the real issue. Instead, they just want to be part of a trendy crowd.
Understanding a cause only takes about an hour of reading and can help people understand where to give their support. We all know there are people who dislike President Donald Trump for what they have seen on social media, but knowing what he stands for and the people he associates with builds a stronger argument than saying he is a racist.
Protests aren’t hip or trendy, and they aren’t meant to be. Students should be flexing their vocal chords and putting on demonstrations, but anything outside the realm of peaceful protests isn’t going to help. The only thing it does is limit a student’s chance to graduate and discredit the entire movement.
