Iran

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Finch

Does the US have large-scale peaceful protests anymore?

---

If you look at US history the real question is ...

Did the US ever have large-scale peaceful protests?

Couple years ago, yes?

Hell, "tea party".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Finch

I'm not trying to ridicule anything you say. I like reading your posts because you seem to have a much better idea of historical context than i do! I was just giving you credit for going in that direction when no one else remembered.
What i meant was that the peaceful protests aren't always so peaceful as the word "peaceful" would imply, and that had the US people actually cared enough where hundreds of thousands of people were marching through the streets, we would've had a similar reaction. Does the US have large-scale peaceful protests anymore?

---

Sorry I misunderstood. I'm still acclimating to the repartee here.

You have a couple of good questions, express and implied. First, when a "crowd" gathers, is it spontaneous or choreographed ; then is it to protest or in support? In any case, there is a size tipping point when the pick-pockets and hookers come out to ply their trades.

I suppose there is also a size tipping point for disruptive or distructive elements to join in a crowd. So the issue becomes one of trying to sort out the intent of the bulk of the crowd from the fringe elements. The police are supposed to be trained to do that so they can isolate and remove the distructive elements. The Denver Police have shown that in frustration over a lack of really disruptive elements, they adopt a sliding scale to show they know how to isolate and remove people - anybody just for practice. The false arrest suits cost the city millions.

I opine that the scale of the size of the crowd has to be adjusted for the total geographical area supposedly represented and the total population of that area. I think the implications of that are clear. The U.S. could never gather a crowd of more than a small fraction of the entire population in one place. But smaller crowds in many places at the same time can show a significant point. With the cellphone and the "show-up" technique, they could even be largely spontaneous.

The effect of a crowd in the capital city is why the authors of the Constitution were so concerned to insure that the population of the capital city were to kept under close political control. They had just watched the population of Paris tilt that revolution one way and another.

Of course, we are drifting OT.

Rule 10: No thread stays on topic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Advocate

If you look at US history the real question is ...

Did the US ever have large-scale peaceful protests?

---

See below. It was a while back, but I don't remember things getting out of hand.

Edit: In case anyone forgot...it's the Million Man March.

http://la.indymedia.org/uploads/2006...-man-march.jpg