the library
I went to the Main Oakland Library for the first time yesterday. On my way, I saw a group of people picketing with signs that said, “Honk for Peace” and “Honk for Bush’s Impeachment”. Naturally, I honked and the group gave me a peace sign and a thumbs up. I believe this is the first opportunity I’ve had to honk for something other than anger at reckless driving since I’ve had my license. 😀
The library itself was quite a bit smaller than it appeared on the outside. The last time I used to frequent public libraries was when I was in high school in Philadelphia. They were sprawling, multi-floor libraries. The one I went to was not tiny, but not huge either. It was a little disappointing, but I think I will be going back often for some light reading.
We are so close to the end of our project at work that I can taste it. Seppo and I are thinking of taking a mini-vacation at some point. I wonder where we’ll go.
😀 You are right, of course. There are a lot of liberals here. /understatement of the year
My best guess as to what picketing does is if that it causes enough of a ruckus (but still stay peaceful) by virtue of noise or a large enough group in a prominent place, they hope to get media coverage. Media coverage is key to getting more people interested.
In areas that are not like the Bay Area (or for a cause that is less regionally popular), I think picketing lets people know there are people who think that way, that if the passerby is for this cause, they need not fear they are alone in sentiment, and possibly assist them in being braver/more vocal about their feelings on an issue.
Other than those things, I am not sure what the point is.
I would presume that at least part of the point is to get people to think about what they want. I mean, I think that if I were to honestly assess my feelings on the issue, I’d honk, and I’d feel good about the fact that I agree with these people, and that there are other people out there who believe in some of the same things I do.
So, I get a little “glad” feeling that lasts for a little while. They probably get a similar feeling. For a couple minutes, I’ve thought about the situation, and realize there are people out there who I agree with.
The part that’s strange is that I suspect that that’s at least part of the objective of both sides of the spectrum, by and large, when “protest” in very friendly locations.
Then, you’ve got Fred Phelps & the Westboro Baptist Church, who go to extremely hostile places to espouse their inane bigotry. I expect that what they want, and what they’re hoping for, is to be run over by a steamroller. At least, that’s what I’ll tell the judge. 🙂
If you promise to run them over with a steamroller, I promise to be there cheering you on. And when the police ask what happened, I promise to say that I never saw you driving that particular steamroller.
To basically echo previous comments, it’s all about raising awareness. Because, believe it or not, most people don’t give a shit about anything outside of their (miserable) lives. Really! Hard to believe, I know. 😉
Even if you’re an avowed conservative/liberal you don’t always know what’s happening. These protests, even amongst sympathetic parties, raises issues that people may not have heard about or perhaps didn’t appreciate how many people felt the same way (I know this is similar to what Seppo wrote).
In the case of impeachment, whenever you’re on the “other side” of the President (or any elected official), you think about impeachment as a possibility, but probably a nutty idea. But if more and more people start discussing, the idea comes out of the closet. It may be still nutty, but it enters the discourse.
For a lot of protesters, that’s the whole point.
Of course, a lot of protesters are just nuts.
As for the library, I never go in there on my own. But my wife has made it a habit over the past year. She’s become a book reader despite all the magazines I bury us in. Instead of buying the books she reads, she hits the libarary.
When I was in school though, I lived in the library, but only to study. Rarely for the books, mainly for the peace and quite and absence of distractions.
I have always wondered about people out with their signs. What exactly are they trying to accomplish? Is honking somehow going to effect life? Also, isn’t picketing against President Bush in the Bay Area somewhat like looking for NRA members at an NRA convension?