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Time Magazine Person of the Year: The Protester — What This Means to Our Kids
Time's Person of the Year
Time magazine made a very interesting choice in their selection of “Person of the Year.” It wasn’t Barack Obama, Steve Jobs or even Lady Gaga … they picked “the protester.”
The protestor had a surprisingly huge impact on the world this past year. There was the the Arab Spring, the protests in Tunisia, the protests in Russia, and our own very strong Occupy movement. Fighting against the powers that be has had a resurgence, a new era of civil unrest met with the might of civilians coming together — united — to attempt to make change. But the interesting thing? These protests seem to be working and having a real impact, not just on us now, our politics, our world but no doubt on our kids …
When I was growing up, protesting seemed like a thing of the past, something I learned from history books like the civil rights movement and the anti-war protests of the ’60s. It wasn’t happening while I was alive. But our kids? They are seeing — sometimes first-hand — the power of the protest. They will have this in their mind as an option to create change. It’s something that is real, viable, and not just something that happened long ago. It’s happening now.
In the cover story Kurt Andersen wrote, “This year, do-it-yourself democratic politics became globalized, and real live protest went massively viral. But as they’ve rejuvenated and enlarged the idea of democracy, the protesters, and the rest of us, are discovering that democracy is difficult and sometimes a little scary.”
He added, “In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.” And in these changes comes the change in perspective from our generation, our kids’ generation, and even for generations to come.
Will this new “power to the people” attitude last or is this just another rash of protests that will fizzle out again? Will you teach your kids about the power of protest?
Image: Via MSNBC
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15 Comments
Brandt Hardin commented on Dec 14 11 at 4:08 pmTIME is providing some much needed acknowledgement to the importance of protest. The Occupy and Arab Spring Movements are NECESSARY for our citizens to expose the corruption which Big Business has infected our Government with. Every single person occupying the streets and protesting Corporations is a hero and a patriot. I was compelled to lend a hand and create some new posters for the movement which you can download for free on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/11/propaganda-for-occupy-movement.html
Michelle Santagate commented on Dec 14 11 at 4:49 pmDear Babble Editors,
I sure will! And thank God that protesting is back. Too long the American people sat back getting fat and lazy forgetting that some of the most powerful battles in this country have been won in picket lines not battle fields. We don’t have to be soldiers to fight for our country. All of us should take a stand when we believe change must come. Time magazine was brilliant for selecting the protestor as “person” of the year. It’s a mentality our citizens have lacked and I think our country was worse off for it. Protest doesn’t have to be violent or an indication of a lack a gratitude. It means you are a people filled with passion AND CONVICTION and that you are not afraid to stand where you speak. THAT’s the mentality that made this country great and when our people demonstrate it great things happen.
ChiLaura commented on Dec 14 11 at 11:53 pmSoooo… The Tea Party movement — arguably a protest against profligate spending by both Democrats and Republicans — doesn’t count, eh? Even though they were protesting, and affected change at the ballot box, way back before November 2010? Oh, that’s right, silly me, I forgot that it’s only Protest Worthy of Mention when it’s “Big Business” protestors, or brave maybe-their-crazy-Islamists-maybe-they’re-not Arabs in the streets (defecating in the streets, in the case of OWS)! My bad!
Bunnytwenty commented on Dec 15 11 at 9:34 amChilaura: if you could be bothered to read the article, you’ll note that despite the fact that the Tea Party is an astroturf movement created by lobbyists, it is mentioned in the article. So you’ve nothing to complain about, although I know right-wingers love to whine.
Sunny commented on Dec 15 11 at 9:58 amChilaura- guess you Tea Party types don’t read eh?
Becca commented on Dec 15 11 at 10:04 amThe protests in the Middle East have brought about wonderful, positive change in countries where there was no other method.
Let’s wait and see if Occupy actually achieve anything other than disruption before we start celebrating them, shall we? At the moment, it’s not even clear what they actually want. Their manifesto sounds a bit like that of a Miss World contestant.
DadWithSwag commented on Dec 15 11 at 10:12 amI have and will continue to teach my child about her voice in the Democratic process and those whose voices who aren’t as fortunate to have Democracy. Time got it right and thanks to Social Media coordinating these events has shown the power of the people and technology. Protesting is democracy in action and I look forward to the teachable moments.
DadWithSwag.com
ChiLaura commented on Dec 15 11 at 11:11 amuh, Bunny, did you mean this (pg 2): “…then its shocking success and the Wall Street bailout produced an angry and shockingly successful populist protest movement in the Tea Party, which has far outlasted its expected shelf life.”
And this (pg 8)?: “After all, the Tea Party protests subsided only after Tea Partyers achieved real power in 2010 by becoming the tail wagging the Republican Party dog.”
Because, YES, those are insightful, probing analyses of the Tea Party movement, right? Which again, has had some measurable success at the ballot box, instead of the questionable “success” of pissing off commuters and alienating potential supporters (I count myself one), as is the case with OWS.
bob commented on Dec 15 11 at 11:44 amThe protests are not ‘enlarging the idea of democracy’. They are trying to protect the last strands of meaning that are still attached to the word.
Bunnytwenty commented on Dec 15 11 at 12:15 pmChilaura: your objection makes no sense, considering that the article clearly counts the Tea Party as part of the same phenomenon as Occupy, giving it far more credit than it actually deserves. Really, I can’t figure out what the hell your objection is – I mean, the Tea Party has gotten plenty of magazine covers and far more coverage over the years than Occupy has on any level, especially considering that the Tea Party was and is far less popular.
ChiLaura commented on Dec 15 11 at 1:43 pmBunny, if we’re talking about the same two quotes (the only two in the article) that I pasted above, then my objection is that they are dismissive and condescending. And that that’s it in an entire 8-page (online count) article that talks at length about real people involved in the other, more leftist protests. And seriously, if we’re using the ballot box as a measure, then the Tea Party does actually deserve credit for affecting change. How has OWS changed anything? Granted, there hasn’t been an election yet, but OWS has no clear demands or really any idea what it’s about, as far as at least a few of us can tell. As far as its popularity: Really? The only people I know who *like* OWS are whiny kids who don’t want to pay their student loans, and people who are to the left of Obama politically. And numerically, that’s a pretty small population, despite what you want to believe.
Bunnytwenty commented on Dec 15 11 at 1:49 pmChilaura: if you can be bothered to look up polls, you’ll discover that Occupy’s popularity is roughly twice that of the tea party. Furthermore, the hundreds of thousands of people nationwide who have marched in favor of Occupy vastly dwarf the number of people nationwide who have ever marched for the Tea Party. Hell, I went to the rally where Sarah Palin spoke in my city, which was the closest that Boston has ever had to a Tea Party action so I know of what I speak – Occupy actions in this city are routinely that large and larger, and they’re composed of supporters, while the Palin rally was about half gawkers and counterprotesters.
And if you don’t think Occupy has clear demands or ideas, it’s because you have your hands clamped over your eyes and ears screaming “IT HAS NO DEMANDS OR IDEAS AND DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME IT DOES!!!!!!”
And finally: Time Magazine, and every other rag, has covered the Tea Party ad infinitum for the last two years. So I still don’t get your objection – if you’re saying it deserves equal time, it’s certainly gotten it, and then some. So your objection still doesn’t make any sense.
ChiLaura commented on Dec 15 11 at 1:53 pmBunny, where are OWS’s demands, exactly? My dear blogger friend, who’s camped in Seattle right now, recently wrote an ode to OWS, praising it specifically b/c it *has* no demands, it’s just a nice huggy-lovey circle of vagueness, and “give me what I want.” Seriously. Everything I’ve read about OWS, including from OWS supporters themselves, has the same sort of vagueness.
bettywu commented on Dec 15 11 at 2:47 pmForeclosure reforms including principal reduction and accountability for bank fraud.
Democratic reform in particular corporate and union money out of politics.
Tax reform, specifically ending corporate tax loopholes, raising corporate tax rates and individual tax rates on the wealthy
An narrowing of the obscene income inequality in this country
A real strategy on ending our destructive environmental policy and, in general
Raising the level of power of *people* in our democracy and economy over corporations.Those aren’t hard to find. You’re not looking or not paying attention or are scared of the truth.
Bunnytwenty commented on Dec 15 11 at 5:05 pmBetty: I bet you $10 that her next response is either going to be “those aren’t demands” or “those are too vague” or “but they should have a single demand” or “they don’t have any leaders” or “they don’t have jobs and they poop in the street and they’re lazy and want everything handed to them.” Ready? Ten bucks.
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