Better ways to make change than protests

In one of my favorite episodes of Family Guy, a group of protesters is picketing before some apparent government building, holding signs reading "Free Tibet." Almost instinctively, Peter Griffin runs over to a phone booth, dials a number and says, "Hello, China? I have something you may want ... but it's gonna cost you." He squints his eyes and says shiftily, "That's right, ALL the tea."

Now, of course this Family Guy scene is a gross oversimplification of what real protests usually look like. Many get dirty and violent, and clearly someone can't really call up a country to offer a compromise. But it did make me take a step back and realize virtually the only part that I liked about protests: watching them on television.

You might think that as a political junkie and, admittedly, an instigator at times, I'd be licking my chops for an opportunity to ruffle some feathers. What can I say -- I'm a bad activist. I care about my cause, but picketing, chanting and screaming at my opponents just make me uncomfortable. Sorry to disappoint. I like to antagonize, -- don't get me wrong -- but on a smaller scale.

I've had some scarring encounters to bring me to this conclusion. For one of my summer internships, I worked in a building connected to Madison Square Garden, so when a dozen AIDS protesters walked right up to the corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue and dropped trou, I had a full frontal view of what protesting can turn into. Also, lest we forget, riots covered the entire city even a week prior to the convention's start, which resulted in nearly 2,000 arrests when it was all over.

Granted, I knew that I'd never involve myself in a protest where a dramatic strip was the chief instrument. But in light of my experiences at work, and at the convention, I don't want any part of it, regardless.

I can certainly understand why people do it. Protesting is one of the most expressive ways to communicate an opinion or an objection. And it's easy, cheap and legal. More than anything, people do it for attention. In many cases, they do it where they know cameras, journalists and large crowds convene. Not all of them demand media attention, though there is seldom a protest held that is not in a calculated location. To me, it's all more masquerade than real iconoclasm.

In my first taste of campaigning as a freshman, I put solid time into Sam Katz's unsuccessful run for Philadelphia mayor. In one particular event, a group of us held up posters and clashed with supporters of incumbent John Street, who were substantially physically larger than us and shouted through megaphones, to make matters worse. Needless to say, we felt a bit overshadowed. A friend must have seen my discomfort. He leaned over and said, "Don't worry, Republicans don't make good activists. We like to sit home, drink brandy and watch everyone else make a fuss on TV." Of course, that isn't true for everyone on the Right, but at least I wasn't the only one with this sentiment.

Moreover, protesting is more symbolic than strategic. It's not necessarily the most effective way to achieve something, so much as the loudest way to ask for it. There are better methods to bring attention to one's cause: contribute to a newspaper. Buy advertising space or produce a television commercial. Write a letter to a congressman. Picketing and getting in people's faces don't offer much of a solution, which should be the point of voicing opposition.

But of course, I was thrust only days ago into the exact situation I described. When presidential hopeful John Kerry visited Penn last week, I had little choice but to stand outside Hill Field clutching my "Waffles are for breakfast, not for President" poster and chanting, "Four more years," "Flip-flop," "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it," etc. It was about the last thing I wanted to do on a Friday, and I felt like an idiot for the first hour. Some friends kept encouraging me to start arguing with one of the many Kerry supporters who heckled us; I wanted to keep as low a profile as possible, and a potential picture or quote in The Daily Pennsylvanian didn't provide any thrill.

Eventually, I got into it and didn't mind staying out there too much. Our chief objective was more to show support for the president and less to jeer John Kerry. But I never really felt comfortable, and it never actually felt like the right thing to do. And that holds true for any rally or protest I've participated in since coming to college. I don't even like raising my voice on Locust Walk to support a club.

It still seems antithetical to me that I don't like protesting, considering that politics in one way or another typifies my life at Penn. I have no problems when I find myself in the public eye. I'd just rather be recognized for the actions I take rather than the volume of my voice.

Michelle Dubert is a College sophomore from Closter, N.J. Department of Strategery appears on Thursdays.

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