Stop it. Get some help.

My first thought was “I bet Action Retro will be happy to hear this”

People whenever something like this (particularly protests that aren’t violent uprisings) happens: “It’s not a sole and immediate solution, so it’s pointless. Also I’m not going to provide a realistic sole and immediate solution that I’m personally willing to act on or lead. Might as well shut up and go quietly.”

I get that it’s frustrating, but stop trying to slam the door on people trying to build up an environment of resistance, solidarity, and hope. If you can encourage that energy into a more effective direction, then by all means: lead the way. Trying to appear like some savvy intellectual superior and just telling people they’re wasting their time isn’t the way to do that.

I’m at the point where every time someone yells at me for protesting and tells me how useless it is, I chalk that up as a little sign of success, however small. If this guy is taking time out of his day to rant at me at length about what I’m doing, that means others are likely taking notice too.

Do I think protesting is going to magically solve the issue? Of course not. But it’s something I can do to bring attention to the issue, spread awareness, and encourage others who feel the same way but might feel alone or unsupported about it. I’m always happy to hear about what else I can do to better effect, but somehow that never seems to be something the naysayers are willing to provide. It’s always just tearing down, no advice or building up.