Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier news editor

James Fox, Campus Carrier staff writer

In recent years, it has become rare to find a period of time where there is a lack of national or international conflict. New laws, wars and attacks become polarizing topics of conversation, especially when the United States becomes involved or begins funding a specific side.

While many individuals take to social media or have conversations amongst themselves to discuss polarizing global issues, social conflict or controversial American involvement in global events, others take to the streets to raise change. Protesting has been prevalent all through history, usually in response to wars, social injustice or lack of civil rights, but in recent years it has become more organized and more popular with the use of social media organization.

“Using social media could make protests more effective because it’s easier to protest and organize,” Associate Professor of Political Science Eric Sands said.  “Getting a group of people together to go down to the courthouse to protest a new ruling is easy now. Before, you’d have to go door to door or call a bunch of people on the telephone. Now all you have to do is get on [X (formerly known as Twitter)] or social media.” 

According to Sands, there is a downside to the use of social media in protests, as it may promote more apathetic and passive forms of protest. While social media can be a positive form of advocacy and raising awareness, it tends to be a replacement for taking
concrete action. 

“The flipside to social media though is participating in social media protest could also replace actual protest, physical protest,” Sands said. “For a lot of people, writing an angry tweet is a protest for something, and then when people ask them to take action they say that they’ve already done something by posting online. They may think that their online post can be a replacement for taking physical action.”

There are many ways that students can be involved in social justice and engage in advocacy. One method is by attending rallies or protests. Many organizations will organize rallies via social media by posting details of locations and times to their followers, who will then organize and attend the rally with signs, posters or microphones. Recently, there have been many rallies in Atlanta organized by groups such as the Atlanta Liberation Center and the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. 

“I think these kinds of protests are effective, especially in larger groups when you get that herd mentality and are all working toward the same goal,” senior philosophy and psychology major Cade Whitesell said. “When previously established organizations create events and protests, those tend to be much more effective and have higher participation rates.”

While cities cannot prevent a group from protesting, officials can limit when and where protests take place. Some cities require permits for different areas or have rules set up for what people can or cannot have at a protest time restrictions for what time of day a protest can occur. According to Sands, what is important is cooperating with each of the set rules so your protest will be credible. 

“Follow the guidelines that the city will give you,” Sands said. “Also importantly where it can’t or can take place. Remain [peaceful], not throwing things. All of these things would factor in terms of not getting arrested. It all kind of depends on what you’re protesting. Trying to be in a cooperative relationship with the city is the best way of keeping things civil.”

Another method of activism or protest commonly used by students are walkouts. While controversial, walkouts tend to garner a lot of media attention and because of this, they are very effective at drawing attention to the cause being protested or advocated for. The main reason for the controversy is the disruptiveness in either a workplace or school. 

“From a philosophical morality standpoint, I don’t think walkouts are morally wrong, I think that they’re complicated,” Whitesell said. “I think that walkouts are definitely effective in school settings when students are in bigger groups showing that they are organized and firm in what they’re standing for.”

It can be difficult for students to get involved in public advocacy, especially in suburban or rural areas where protests may be harder to generate or find. This is why protestors or advocates in larger cities want more coverage on the news or on social media, as footage may be watched in areas where protests are not occuring. 

“I’ve never been in a protest before, but I have read and watched so many people protesting about issues relating to politics, abuse, the justice system, shootings and abortion,” Junior Jhari Thomas said. “I think watching these protests is beneficial because you have people that want to say something in regards for how they feel about their experience. It’s important to listen to what others are saying because what people say can change the whole globe itself.”

While these are more orthodox examples of protests, there have been extreme forms mentioned in the news over the last few months. Last Sunday, US Air Force airman Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. He was protesting the US involvement with the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the deaths of people in Gaza. In a livestream that was shown on Twitch, he gave a statement before self-immolating.

“My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” Bushnell said in the video. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

After his speech, he walked for almost a minute before placing his phone on a tripod, stepping into the frame and pulling his hat out of his Air Force uniform. He then doused himself in a flammable substance before setting himself alight. As the fire caught and began to burn, he yelled “Free Palestine.” Secret service at the embassy responded and pointed guns at him while trying to get him on the ground. One called for a fire extinguisher. He later died from his injuries. Another instance of self-immolation occurred in Atlanta in December, when a woman wrapped herself in a Palestinian flag and set herself on fire in front of the Israeli consulate.

While self-immolation is an extreme form of protest that is very uncommon, other methods of activism are very accessible for students. Global Day of Action is Saturday, which is a day for people to choose something to speak out for and be an activist for.