Around the world, many are protesting for certain policies to end, laws to be made or overturned and rights to be restored. Recently, traditional forms of protest have lost impact and many have turned to a new drastic and dangerous option: self-harm. This can vary from hunger strikes to losing appendages and self-immolation, the act of setting oneself on fire. While protesting for what you believe is an undeniable right, these extremes should never have to be considered and as a society, we are moving backwards.
In the most recent news, 25-year-old Air Force service member, Aaron Bushnell, protested outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington. Bushnell proceeded to livestream lighting himself on fire while shouting “Free Palestine” to protest the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Bushnell sadly succumbed to his burns and his video was shared across the world, showing his desperation in ending the fighting in Gaza. Additionally, the group “Last Generation” in Hamburg, Germany used a mixture of epoxy resin and concrete to cement their hands along airport runways to protest climate change. This mixture, usually used for construction purposes, can cause appendages to be permanently stuck unless amputation is pursued. While I admire their passion and perseverance towards these causes, there is always a better and more effective solution rather than resorting to self-harm.
A large factor that I believe encourages this new extreme is how desensitized our society is to violence. In the news and media, violence is shown everywhere. Children play video games containing war and guns, families watch action-packed movies including death and social media platforms and the news give information about crime and murders. All of this plays a role in our perception and evaluation of violence. Because of the way our society is structured, protests are dismissed and pushed aside, and the only way to stand out is pursuing drastic measures. In all honesty, the lengths that people feel they need to follow in order to draw attention is disturbing. Society has created an environment of competition in which individuals feel the need to one-up each other and because of this, protesters have been fighting for the spotlight.
Additionally, extreme positions often cause extreme actions. For issues like the Israeli-Hamas conflict and climate change, it is understandable to go to great lengths to get a point across. But instead, it seems that these people are acting out for shock value to lure people to their cause instead of swaying opinion. Many of these problems are so massive that self harm, as shocking and drastic as it is, won’t spark change in the countries participating in these wars or the companies creating the carbon emissions. At the end of the day, human life is worth more,and instead of trying to jump start the process, it takes time and persuasion for these problems to be resolved.
Although, I still have a deep appreciation for people who will protest against ideas they believe are unjust. Those who stand up and fight for what they believe is right are people who I genuinely respect. However, I don’t believe that self harm or suicide is the answer. We, as a society, have to look for less violent means instead of harming ourselves and maybe even others.
Though traditional forms of protests have lost impact, if we remove the substantial effect self-harm has in the media, large protests can go back to having the spotlight. This could include using the influence of social media and creating a large platform to spread awareness. Also, assembling peaceful protests and gathering at large assemblies, like colleges or sporting events, to spread your message. Additionally, using your vote to elect officials who would create change and partnering with lawmakers to find solutions by implementing changes to certain laws.
