Anatomy of a protestor

www.americanthinker.com

Once again, protests fill the headlines all over the country. People sometimes claim that protestors are people without jobs, without values, and without direction. But protesting is much more complex than just those factors. And much more difficult to suppress than some people might think.

Protestors Identify with the Victims

The protestors believe they are speaking on behalf of the underserved, or the victims of the system, who have no one to advocate for them. So, the protestors see themselves as the saviors of these helpless people, and their Marxist education from their college professors encourages them to take action. Others feel they are themselves part of a marginalized community and are motivated to join the cause:

People are more likely to protest when they feel they’re missing out compared to others or their own expectations.

For example, if a group feels they’re facing economic injustice or being denied basic rights, that frustration can lead to collective action.

Protests become a way to demand change and address these feelings of unfairness.

Protestors See Themselves as Outcasts

These are people who may be part of minority communities, such as gay, transgender, lesbian; they may also be unemployed and fear they won’t find work. They may be struggling financially with the recovering economy. And they may also be loners who are having difficulty connecting to the larger society; they may also believe that society is responsible for their feelings of isolation.

Protestors Try to Take Back Their Power Through Anger

Rather than feel helpless, they can feel powerful through expressing their anger:

Protests aren’t just about ideas -- they’re deeply emotional experiences. Several powerful feelings drive people to take action. Anger is a strong motivator. When people feel their rights or values are under threat, they’re more likely to speak up.

Research published in Psychological Science shows that anger about unfairness significantly increases the likelihood of joining a protest.

It’s this sense of ‘enough is enough’ that often sparks action.

It appears that the outrage that protestors experience about their own lives becomes conflated with the cause they are fighting for, which can intensify their response to conditions on the ground and increase their aggression.

Protestors Hunger for Community

Protestors are also comforted by joining a community, especially if it has strong leadership. This community provides, in the view of the protestors, solidarity, protection, shared values and validation. Their sense of isolation is often overcome by becoming part of something, from their perspective, that is greater than themselves.

Protestors Have Disdain for the Law

Protestors don’t seem to care that ICE is simply doing its job, or that the protestors are supporting the freedom of murderers, rapists, and other criminals. They also abandon any rational understanding of the men and women of ICE who put their lives on the line to arrest the violators.

So, we are watching unhappy, disturbed, irrational and marginalized people protesting in the streets, who are willing to defy, even attack, law enforcement and break the law.

Image: Ted Eytan