A Brief History
On January 13, 1998, Alfredo Ormando committed self-immolation in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City for the purpose of protesting homophobia. While many protestors have used setting themselves on fire to make a point, we contend that there are good as well as bad ways to protest.
Digging Deeper
While self-immolation grabs brief public attention, the reaction of the public is rarely sympathy with the cause, but more an impression that the protestor is mentally ill. Some good ways of protesting include:
Boycotts, which can bring pressure on business or government to change without violence, are a tactic successfully used in the Civil Rights Movement in the US;
Voter mobilization drives to force change through the ballot box;
and multi-media campaigns, including lectures and speeches, radio, TV, and internet ads and presentations, documentaries, and billboards.
What other non-violent ways can people protest?
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you believe violence or hurting yourself is a good way to protest? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Alfonso, Ceasar, et al, Editors. Suicide by Self-Immolation: Biopsychosocial and Transcultural Aspects. Springer, 2021.
Long, Michael, Editor. We the Resistance: Documenting a History of Nonviolent Protest in the United States . City Lights Publishers, 2019.
The featured image in this article, an illustration by Edurs34, is licensed under the Pixabay Content License.
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