Stop talking about “protests”

Iam tired of hearing about “protests” and “protesters.” Those terms sound whiney and powerless to me.

“Protest” means to object, which is, of course, what we are doing when we hit the streets, but we’re doing something equally — or I would say more — important. We are demonstrating. What are we demonstrating? We are demonstrating support for our issue and point of view. We are saying “here is a crowd of people who agree that (insert the issue).” We want those who hold the power in our society to change something. That’s more than just objecting to the status quo — more than just “protesting.” It is articulating a vision of something more satisfactory.

Why is this important? The key dynamic is the perception of who holds the ultimate power. Is it those “in power” or is it the people? It i