Do We Protest Too Much?

[Catnip1024]

Philippines. I went there as a kid to visit my uncle who did stuff during the People Power Revolution. Made a whole lot of enemies. It's gotten progressively safer ... up until Duterte, now ... I feel as if you're an enforcer for one crime boss and you have a choice between leaving any witness alive and possibly getting caught, tortured and executed regardless of your crimes, or just committing multiple accounts of murder and reduce the chance of identification, but with a far heftier list of offences, you're now going to go with the latter.

Anyways ... nobody has been safe from running their mouth. Ever. US, 1919, you could be imprisoned for spreading 'communist propaganda' ... so much so, a senator was sent to prison simply for espousing his own political views on the merit of accepting the Soviet Union as a sovereign state, and not advancing hostilities against it. You know, real censorship...

Bad press has never been something you could simply escape. And hell, with the advent of the internet it's actually easier to network. Germaine Greer ... says the most virulently transphobic garbage you'll ever hear. And it hasn't stopped her making money in Australia. Though the ethical nature of much of that money has yet to be properly examined. Including using the student fees of Melbourne University students (and government monies) to purchase her memoirs and papers, and correspondence, for over a million dollars to be preserved as if she is worthy of such an honour.

In terms of such expensive preservation of original documents in such a setting, it is usually reserved for Australian academic legends ... scientists, doctors, philosophers, etc ... people who actually contribute to knowledge and progression of cultural and scientific things of value. The only reason why such money was awarded was because of her BFF, Sheila Jeffreys, who is also one person who you'll hear some of the most virulently transphobic garbage to be uttered. The point is, both of them are financially sound regardless of what they say.

Despite nobody sane really wanting their opinion on anything.

The internet is replete with examples of people gaining unmerited credit for anything. Milo is a twice failed university student who has commited near felonious acts of mistreatment of his employees and tax evasion, and wrongful use of IP. Because he's carved out a niche he's the editor of a right wing newspaper people pretend should be valued for anything more than electronic toilet paper.

Miranda Devine....

Barry Humphries....

Any Republican politician (facetious, yes I know. But looking at their platform over the last year, just how facetious might be the question to ask) ....

Internet has proven time and again, anywhere in the West, that it's less what you say and who you market yourself towards. Which suggests to me that if criticism is some surefire way to get rid of someone who is obviously a horrible person, there isn't enough of it.

Thing is, I've never been in a job that has defended me from what I've said to co-workers or clientele. Because believe it or not, insulting people and making a bad reputation of yourself sticks. Your general ability to avoid said bad reputation is not the public's fault for calling you out on your bullshit. Hell, I almost like people I intensely disagree with who rise above it and carve themselves free from it ... but I don't have to pretend it's my criticism of their wrongdoings is somehow misplaced. Particularly when they double down.

Yeah, there have been some shocking stories coming out of the Philipines lately. Duterte does appear to be a complete psychopath.

Criticism has no effect on the actual bigots and horrible people, that's the thing. The only people who really get hurt by it are those who genuinely did not mean to cause offence, and are getting stamped on for a misplaced word.

As for the past thing, it's a matter of exposure these days. Back to the "offensive" T-shirts - I would estimate (for arguments sake) that 99% of people either don't mind, don't care or actually appreciate the T-shirts. Back in the old days, as you went about town, there would be one, maybe two unhappy people because of it. These days, someone can go and post it on the internet, and instantly you have thousands of unhappy people. They are still the minority. They are still the same proportion of people. But they are suddenly much louder.

Don't get me wrong, the internet is a useful thing for addressing genuine issues with society, hence why despots tend to shut it down every so often. But it also allows people to demand the removal of a T-shirt whose only crime is against the art of punnery, loud enough that companies take notice.

It allows words to speak louder than actions. Back to the Saatchi x2 guy, he made a comment that many considered a little sexist. However, if you look at the company structure, about half the workforce is female, and a higher than average number of senior members are female. But no, he's obviously a sexist pig who doesn't want women in the workplace, and therefore was let go. And no, I can't blame the company, it was the right choice for them. I can blame the people demanding blood over words. Sticks and stones, people, sticks and stones...

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

We doth project too much. Protest?...No.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I want to thank everyone who have posted so far. Let me start with admitting that I forgot about that Kent State shirt. I don't know how that design got past everyone at the company without someone noticing that it seems to reference the Kent State massacre in the early 70's.

The people doth protest too much, methinks.

But actually, as has been pointed out, people just complain about unimportant shit most of the time. Meanwhile they ignore the shit that actually matters. But hey, I'm complaining about people complaining too much, so what the fuck do I know.

I was trying to get that Shakespeare reference in the headline. I couldn't phrase in a way that it didn't sound clunky.

Protest isn't the right word for the topic. Complain might be better, and the answer is yes.

Complaining to me would be pointing to a shirt and telling the person next to you, "That sucks." Protesting would be contacting the company claiming that the shirt is sexist, racist, causes hurt feelings, etc. Demanding that the company should stop selling the shirt. Which would be demanding something should be censored, because you don't like it.

Less protest too much, and more we protest far more often than should be needed because nobody really protests in the correct way. Or at least a way that makes people care even less than they did before if they did at all.

Thank you. I think at the end of the day. I don't mind people protesting. What they protest about needs to be something important enough to deserve the disruption that protests causes. Most of the time, people protest about trivial matters. Worse yet, they make serious accusations that turns out to be completely false.

 

[Ryotknife]

I feel like the INTERNET protests too much. It is like that one comic of critical miss where erin joins a mob of angry people, asks one guy what they are angry about and he says with a stern look "i have no idea" and goes on mobbing. The protest about the GAP ad is 100% bullshit through and through.

For all of the great things the internet has done, mankind may very well be better off if it was never invented. And yes, I see the irony of saying that on an online forum.

 

[Vanilla ISIS]

A lot of people tent to complain a lot about insignificant issues (i.e. Ghostbusters remake) and not enough about the important ones (i.e. Hillary committing crimes and not facing any punishment).

 

[Erttheking]

I find it rather ironic that the people who said people protest too much are the same people who tend to overreact every single time there's one less square centimeter of tit in a video game and claim "censorship." If there's too much drama around gaming, it's not a one sided affair.