There are always different ways to go about getting your point across. There have been many different examples given in history. Some follow the more passive approach, and some follow a more radical approach. I was actually just watching Forrest Gump today and there was the scene that had to do with the Vietnam War protests. That is an example of a protest that followed the Malcom X way of thinking and went to “any means necessary” to get the movements point across. I mean anyone who sees the words “make love not war” can relate it back to that movement. I think that the protests were definitely radical in getting the point across. I do not know a lot of details about that movement, nor if there were more offensive tactics used by the group. However, if there were offensive images used at any time then I disagree with those entirely.
The pro-life movement is not a concept I necessarily agree or disagree with. However, the way that this particular movement attempts to get people to open their eyes are sometimes very offensive to me personally. Walking around on campus my freshman year of college I remember being shocked by the signs that were being put up about abortion. Images of babies in a pool of blood, or aborted babies arms holding money is not the only way to get the point across. I think the equivalent would be if the pro-choice movement made signs with a murdered baby and a thumbs up sign. It just would not be the most appropriate way to go about it. In that particular case I do not agree with the radical approach at all. When is crosses the line and becomes offensive is when it goes too far.
Another example is when there are people shouting on the sidewalk against the gay rights movement. I saw a woman once wearing a shirt stating “all homos go to hell”. You have a right to believe in whatever you want to believe in, but you should not try to offend people in the process. Good does not always come out of it. In this particular moment the lady was yelling Bible verses in front of the MU wearing that shirt. The only thing that happened was that two men went up and started kissing right in front of her. So when you approach something radically, all you are going to get back is the exact same reaction from the opposite viewpoint. It does not always solve the topic at hand.
In terms of the Clothesline project, I think that the project had the right idea. However, I do believe with the people who were saying that you cannot always prove that the act of rape took place. So I think that wearing the names of people who had allegedly raped them would get people to pay attention, but it could also bring a lot of negative light to the project as well. Especially, if someone’s name showed up and that person had actually never raped anyone. So I think that the radical approach can sometimes be viewed at as the most efficient way to go about getting your point across, but I do not think it is necessarily the best and most appropriate way.
