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The Right to Protest

Entry 2345, on 2024-05-30 at 15:03:43 (Rating 4, News)

I have nothing against people making their opinions known. I strongly support free speech, so of course I believe in that right. But, apparently contradicting this belief, I also like to rant at protestors, and point out how stupid they are, and how they should just go home. Surely I don't contradict myself here, especially given how highly I prize rationality. Do I?

It's not really contradictory, because I do think these two things are compatible. I can support the right for people to protest, and to make their opinions known, at the same times as I point out how stupid their opinions actually are, and condemn them for going beyond just protesting.

In fact, protesting is a very popular way for some people to spend their time. Some people seem to just love it, and there are several subjects which are particularly popular at the moment, all of which I think are bogus to varying degrees. Also, in many cases, the people protesting are from the most ignorant, naive, and ideological groups in society, making their efforts even more farcical.

So let's have a look at some of the subjects being protested and at the type of people involved...

Subject 1, climate change.

I've said this several times before, but I will repeat it here: I think climate change is real, and I think there is good reason to think that at least part of it is caused by burning fossil fuels, but I object to the climate change protestors on two counts: first, who the protests are aimed at; and second, how they protest.

Given that China, and increasingly India, are the two biggest sources of carbon emissions, why do so many protests concentrate on modern, Western countries which are already moving to more sustainable energy production? Greta Thunberg, for example, loves asking how dare modern European nations condemn her generation to some dystopian future while saying nothing about the two coal fired plants per week being built in China. What an idiot!

And why protest by making a general nuisance of yourself trying to destroy valuable art works, and making other people's lives difficult by blocking roads? Is the art a major source of warming? Are those people trying to do their jobs and being blocked on the streets thinking something like "Oh, I see their point now; I'm going to buy a Nissan Leaf"? That seems fairly unlikely. The protests are a purely narcissistic form of virtue signalling and public theatre. The protestors are clowns!

Subject 2, Palestine.

OK, I get it. War is not fun, and the pictures we see of the destruction and loss of life in Gaza are distressing. But that's war, and it's a war that was started by Hamas, and one Hamas refuses to end by admitting defeat. The proportion of civilian casualties, which are an unfortunate side effect of all wars, is similar to other conflicts. The total number of casualties is considerably less than other recent conflicts on the Middle East.

If the protestors really wanted peace in Gaza they would stop supporting a terrorist organisation and demand that Hamas moved out of the area and handed over control to a less militant authority, while releasing all of the hostages who are still alive. They are a bunch of brainwashed fanatics!

Subject 3, indigenous rights.

Here in New Zealand today protests have been organised across the country to protest against various policies introduced by the new government which some people see as "anti-Maori" (for those of you from elsewhere, Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand).

The problem is, the policies are not specifically against Maori, they are just not for Maori. In recent years, especially under the woke regime of Jacinda Ardern, Maori were given a lot of special rights which other New Zealanders didn't have. In other words, we had "reverse racism" which is really just the same as plain old vanilla racism.

For those of you who don't think Maori get special treatment, here is my standard list of their privileges: Maori focused schools, special Maori content in the education curriculum, Maori-only education scholarships, Maori-only housing projects, Maori-only health initiatives, Maori-only welfare initiatives, Maori-only prisoner programs, Maori-only positions on government agencies, Maori-only consultation rights under the RMA, Maori-only co-management of the natural landscape, Maori-only ownership rights to the foreshore and seabed, a special Maori Authority tax rate of 17.5 percent, a special Maori-only exemption to allow blood relatives to qualify for charitable status, Maori language funding, Maori radio and TV, Maori-only seats on local councils, Maori-only appointments onto local government committees, Maori-only local government statutory boards, Maori-only local government advisory committees, Maori seats in Parliament.

When you have so many privileges, any attempt to impose equality looks like an attack. What a bunch of entitled morons!

The protestors supporting all of the issues above (and others) I'm sure think they are completely in the right and that the end justifies the means, and that anyone against them is a racist or a MAGA or a redneck or (gasp) a conservative!

But anyone who is so confident they are right is almost always wrong. And that explains why so many protestors are young and naive, or belong to "echo chambers" where alternative views are not tolerated. I think that if they heard and seriously considered other opinions they wouldn't be quite so confident and the protests might stop.

There are a lot of stupid kids out there, and there are a lot of people deeply embedded in an ideology, and there are a lot of people who gain personally from these corrupt protests. Do they have the right to protest? Yes. Should they? Hell, no!

Comment 1 (7651) by Jim Cable on 2024-05-30 at 17:23:48:

Solid stuff, Owen - well reasoned, incontestable, rational thinking.

Comment 2 (7652) by OJB on 2024-05-30 at 20:52:18:

Thanks. I do try to base my comments on rationality... with a little bit of ranting thrown in! :)

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