Protest still best way to make change

Column by Richard Becker

Last Tuesday I shared my impression of the protests in Pittsburgh surrounding the summit of the Group of 20.

As I explained, the G20 is the group of world leaders that periodically meets in a member nation to establish the economic agenda for Earth’s nearly 6.8 billion people.

In response to this column, I received more feedback than I have ever before received to a column in the Kernel.  Much of it was positive, but the negative feedback centered on one theme, and it was a question: “Just what were you protesting, and why?”

My impression was those joining me in protest were demonstrating against the very notion of a G20.  It is a meeting which most of the Western world takes as granted without ever questioning its legitimacy.

The fact that the leaders of the world’s richest nations meet periodically to chart the economic destiny of the world’s people is, to me and to my compatriots in the streets of Pittsburgh, a profoundly disturbing notion.  But beyond that, the meeting of the G20 is an opportunity for those citizens whose most important grievances are international to voice their concerns to one of the few gatherings of the world’s leaders.

During the G20, on an otherwise lackluster afternoon downtown, my friends and I were greeted by a spontaneous cross-city march of over 100 Tibetans shouting pro-Tibet slogans at the top of their lungs, dragging a picture of Chinese President Hu Jintao on the ground behind them, galvanizing the attention of those around them.

Was this an explicitly G20-related protest?  No.  But was it an astute political use of the opportunity afforded by the G20 meeting to address the world?  Of course. Where else are exiled Tibetans going to have the opportunity to confront a Chinese leader in such close quarters?

Despite the fact that the authorities kept all demonstrations far out of ear-shot of the gathered leaders, this was still a proud and admirable demonstration against the unjust Chinese occupation of Tibet.

Yet the criticisms continue: “Why would you protest?  That does no good.  No one is going to listen to you.”

Aside from the fact that that is one of the most fundamental problems of our political system, that is a patently empty critique. The fact that those in power don’t wish to hear dissent is neither novel nor unexpected.

It is unfortunately a fact, but not one which should preclude citizens raising their voices in the streets.  We demonstrate in spite of our leaders’ indifference to our concerns. But there is more to it than that.  To be sure, there were those who were present to protest in favor of against their own narrow, sectarian interests.

There was one uniting theme to the complaints in Pittsburgh. Regardless of what specifically brought them there, I would argue that most of the demonstrators at the G20 held one belief in common: that global capitalism has failed the people of America, and failed the people of the world.

As historian and activist Howard Zinn writes, “[c]apitalism has always been a failure for the lower classes. It is now beginning to fail for the middle classes.”  And that is why we are living in such a critical moment in our nation’s politics.  The middle class is finally realizing what the lower classes have always known: that our economic system is specifically geared toward the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many.

I don’t mean to call for the abolition of capitalism. However, people the world over are sick and tired of being kicked around by a system that places profits over people.
In America, we are witnessing as our tax dollars go to bail out poorly-run banks and poorly-run corporations.  At the same time as these bailouts are being distributed, the unemployment rate in the U.S. is reaching its highest point in 26 years with millions of Americans worrying about supporting their families.

Furthermore, 47 million Americans live day-to-day without health insurance with few signs of hope on the horizon.  These are the products of our economic system, a system staunchly defended by the G20 leaders, including President Obama.

So, I ask the critics: why shouldn’t we raise our voices?

Richard Becker is a history senior. E-mail opinions@kykernel.com.

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