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Are political protests effective?
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Political protests are effective because they ignite discourse and action

Political protests inspire people, especially those from marginalized groups, to create dialogue about specific policies and concerns.
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The Argument

When a political protest gains traction, thousands--if not millions--of people become inspired to voice their opinions. With recent advances in technology and social media usage, countless people now have access to information about protests, thereby allowing them to support protests (both online and in-person), educate themselves about marginalized groups, and engage in meaningful dialogue. A study by Susanne Lohmann from Stanford University claims that one way to determine a protest’s effectiveness is by observing whether the protest created awareness. [1] As more people learn about a particular issue, there is a higher likelihood that public opinion will change, thereby altering the discussions and opinions surrounding the issue. The recent George Floyd protests, for example, helped persuade more U.S. Americans to support the Black Lives Matter movement-- in a span of two weeks, BLM support has "increased by nearly as much as it had over the previous two years."[2]

Counter arguments

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2939043?seq=1
  2. https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-nyt-public-opinion-black-lives-matter-20200610-rkjpn4cg4ncfxivzz7ye3odwku-story.html
This page was last edited on Thursday, 24 Sep 2020 at 10:17 UTC

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