Are protests performative, or productive?
Protests can be helpful, but they often serve just to appease the base
Over a month ago, I wrote in the Portland Press Herald about the anti-Trump protests held in downtown Portland. In short, they were a lot of sound and fury, accomplishing nothing. They were speaking to a largely sympathetic audience in a city that Democrats always, consistently, carry in every election in Maine. Sure, they might have gotten their message on to the evening news or in the papers, but it’s unlikely they swayed many minds. Instead, people who supported Donald Trump probably dismissed them entirely, while those who opposed him were heartened by them. That’s great, but it doesn’t actually accomplish anything.
A big part of the reason for that was their muddled message: They were just generally protesting the idea of Donald Trump. Some people there were carrying on with their demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, for instance - something that had already been accomplished at the time of the protest, thanks in no small part to Donald Trump’s efforts before even being sworn in. So, that was one big mistake of the protestors back in January: They didn’t have specific, achievable demands.
Regardless of how many people protest in Portland over his policies, even weekly, at the end of the day Donald Trump is going to be president for the next four years and try to carry through on his policies. Whether you agree with him or not, that’s how democracy works: Somebody gets elected and they get to carry through with their agenda. So, simply protesting the existence of an elected official - or even their entire agenda - doesn’t make much sense.
Instead, if you’re going to protest, protest a specific policy or set of policies, like the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 pictured above, the campus protests over the war in Gaza, or the conservatives protesting Maine’s policy on transgender athletes in Augusta recently. All of those protesters had specific, achievable demands. Now, that doesn’t mean that the authorities will immediately listen to you and do as you wish, but at least they understand what you want to have done. If you’re smart about it, you might be able to get them to accept some of your demands, or you might motivate people disinterested in politics to get involved. All of that’s worthwhile and productive.
Another factor to consider is how often one engages in protests. Even if the goal is achievable and specific, protesting too often dilutes the message. An annual rally in favor of a certain position - like the anti-abortion March for Life in Washington - is much more powerful than, say, a weekly one. If you’re out there all the time, people will just ignore you, rather than take you seriously or be motivated by you. It’s also much more difficult to sustain continuously; gradually the energy and attention seeps away and you fade into the background.
While we’re at it, members of Congress protesting a President’s address to that body is not a particularly useful or powerful form of protest. That’s why Democratic leadership discouraged such action during Donald Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress - a request that many members completely ignored. Most notably, Representative Al Green of Texas shouted at the President, refused to stop, and was eventually escorted from the chamber and censured by his colleagues. Other Democrats held small signs attempting to both fact-check and protest Trump, or walked out of the chamber.
All of that is fairly pointless; all it accomplishes is pleasing your base and getting media attention. I equally condemn all disruptions to presidential addresses by members of Congress, regardless of party. Marjorie Taylor Green and Joe Wilson’s outbursts during congressional addresses were also appalling and pointless. At the time of Joe Wilson’s outburst, way back in 2009, the New York Times correctly noted that such breaches of decorum were rare; now, they’re almost expected at every presidential address. That’s a sad commentary on the state of our national politics.
So, if you want to go out to weekly protests of pretty much everything Donald Trump does, feel free, but it’s not really worthwhile. Really, all you’re doing is getting the chance to hang out with like-minded ideologues and get your message out on the news to other like-minded ideologues. It’s up to you if you want to spend your time on that, but don’t expect to accomplish much beyond making yourself feel better.
It’s even debatable whether specific, focused protests accomplish much when it’s all one party’s base protesting a politician of another party, but at least those protests have achievable goals. Even if the politician in office ignores them, it might inspire people to run for office, get organized, and effect long-term change. That’s a potential positive outcome that comes from specific, organized protests - and even that is extraordinarily difficult to achieve.
Jim is also a weekly columnist for the Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest daily newspaper. Follow him on X or on Facebook.