Protesters that 'Stand Around With Signs' What do They Want Anyway?

"What do they want any way?"  "What does standing around holding a sign do?"  The Occupy Wallstreet Movement that inspired multiple Occupy Movements to spread across the world has brought up not only critiques about OWS itself but critiques about protesting in-general.  People critique its effectiveness and claim that it's just an excuse for lazy people to be victims.  As someone who has protested for several causes, twice for Adoptee Rights, as well as engages in other advocacy outlets on a broader, social level for adoption-related issues, I think this is a topic I need to address on my blog.

Signs are so Vague.  No one Knows What you Want!
It's true, no one includes their graduate thesis in fine print, engaged in deep intellectual, peer-reviewed, thought on a sign that's only a few feet wide and a few feet tall.  Signs are made to voice simple concepts, to get your attention, and make you ask what the protest is about.  Protesting is an awareness campaign that often intertwines with other areas of information and advocacy.  The protester caught your attention with the sign but also made the information available in multiple occasions online (or elsewhere) for you to go home and look up and become more informed.  I bet if you kindly approach one of the protesters at any given peaceful demonstration and ask for information, they'll have one sheet of clear, concise information, stating their cause for you with instructions on how to find out more.  The Adoptee Rights Coalition does a fantastic job with this at our demonstrations.

Can't you 'Whine' About Something More Important?
Adoptee Rights is important.  The lack of honesty in adoption has a global impact on families and children.  Not knowing who you are and where you come from is a big deal.  Having no way of asking for family medical history is a big deal.  Having no way of connecting to your roots and for some adoptees, being disenfranchised by racial bias against your group of origin is a big deal.  Corruption, greed, lies, racism, sexism, misogyny, adultism (so on) are big.freaking.deals.  No one should have to defend why they are passionate about fixing something that discriminates against them.  No one.

You're Using Protesting as an Excuse to Play the Victim.
Au Contraire!  As some of you may know, I am a Social Work major and as "helping professionals" will tell you, we are trained to help people on three levels: individual, group, and on a broader, societal level.  This means helping with individual needs, helping someone find a support group, and either helping someone get involved in advocacy for their issue or working ourselves to advocate for an issue if, for instance, a bad policy is negatively impacting the person whom we are helping.  Engaging in advocacy about an issue is not about being a victim; I will not relegate myself to vitcimhood.  Finding your voice, acknowledging that you have one, and raising it together with other people to be heard and making the world a better place is about empowerment and healing, not victimhood.

Who can we say is acting the role of a victim?  Someone who acknowledges that they have a voice and works to be heard?  Or someone who tells advocates for a cause that change can't be made and thus will never themselves pick up a sign and stand in the heat/cold/rain to be heard, will never dial the number of a legislator, or never put a piece of educational information out there to be read, in the name of change?  Who, then, has really been relegated to "victimhood?"  Like being paid and being treated like a human being instead of expendable equipment at work?  Like voting?  Like the leaps and bounds various groups have made on the quest to equality? (need I go on?)  Thank a protester!

Find your voice.  Come hold a sign and 'stand around' with us in Chicago, 2012.