What would cause you to protest or riot for something?.First of all, I would never riot. Riot implies violence to me. I could never justify using violence to get my point across. I would protest if there was a cause I felt strongly about; but before I protested I would have tried other ways of working within the system: petitions, letters, trying to elect reps that would enact laws that I prefer. If the government tried to remove rights, I would protest that. If they tried to silence the voices of others, just because they disagree with them, I would protest that.
We are, and always should be, the government’s watchdog. In my mind it is not, for instance, ok to remove a group’s right to broadcast their opinion just because I disagree with that opinion. It is their right to say it and my right to ignore it. I remember the riots of the late 60s to early 70s and more recently the riots in Canada and London. I cannot understand the use of violence…no matter what the reason. It solves or resolves nothing. It reduces trust and damages the fabric of society. On the other hand, the quiet and calm protests that Ghandi and his followers practiced—they ultimately uplifted their society and were shining examples to the world.
Dr. Martin Luther King had it right—-violence solves nothing. He and his followers wisely did NOT return violence with violence. By using that strategy, the world could quickly see which side was in the right. Their non-violence spoke volumes, didn’t it?
Believe Anyway 