Young people in Developed World countries march on meeting places, clash violently with riot police and place themselves in immediate danger for the causes in which they believe. Why?
It's all well and good to criticize major multi-national corporations for their selfish greed, but really, is making a fool of oneself while the world is watching really going to win over a majority of Canadians? Will the average citizen, working his job in a factory somewhere, really be swayed by brash displays of ethical bravado? Will companies who exploit cheap labour suddenly find themselves on the brink of bankruptcy? I highly doubt it.
Speaking about cheap labour, what would be the result if those millions of jobs in the third world were terminated in a sudden corporate move to the morally sound? The millions of people making pennies a day would be making nothing, and the consumers buying their products would be stuck with massive price inflation and a rapid decrease in real buying power of just about every world currency. Is this what protesters march for? Do they put themselves at risk to try to defeat an 'evil' system that provides work, any work, to some of the world's poorest people? I congratulate these individuals for their courage and morality, but I have to question their beliefs. I consider myself to be liberal-mined enough to philosophically oppose the actions of the G8, but as an INFORMED liberal, I can't help but see the fundamental differences between the altruistic ideals of a world without globalization and the real world, and to understand that the dream world for which some march will never exist in all it's sugar-coated, candy-flavoured glory.
The world in which we live is not an easy place to have values, but for those who have the determination and the strength of character to not only have a strong moral fibre but to be proud of it, perhaps it is best to take a moment to consider the fundamental redundancies of modern protest, and to remember that the pen is mightier than the sword.
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Protesting has become a form of modern art in western society. Privileged young people seem to take it upon themselves to become martyrs for the developing world and the downtrodden everywhere. Though the intentions of said concerned citizens are most noble, I am forced to question the rationality of their modus operandi. Reasonably, how can putting oneself in the centre of a torrent of rubber ammunition and riot police have any real bearing on decisions made inside a hall two security perimeters and multiple brick walls away? I disagree with the increase in rashness with which police have approached "peaceful" protests, though when I see or read about protesters clashing with riot police, then complaining about their supposed 'mistreatment', it is not only a stunning display of hypocrisy, but , to put it flatly, is plain irritating. Assuming there is reason enough for protest, then is putting oneself in danger marching in a crowd really going to accomplish anything significant? One's political views are often best expressed in ways that cannot even possibly be perceived as confrontational. Think of how much more persuasive these concerned people would be if they flooded newspapers with letters to the editor and made concerted efforts to win the populace over with reason and rationality. I laud their commitment to their beliefs and the courage they display when you take a stand for what they believe to be just and right, but I have to question the feasibility of ever getting the majority of voters on the protesters' side, and even if they were to do so, what possibly could come from such a shift? Say every Canadian, that's 100%, thought exactly as these protesters did, and a government with those same beliefs came to power, winning all 301 seats in the house of commons (I refuse to call this party the NDP, as it is hardly a leap of reasoning that that confused entity will never form the Canadian government) . Logically, can we really think it possible that such a government would have the wherewithal to end corporate injustices in the developing world? What would we do? Banish Nike shoes from our midst? Eat only Canadian wheat? Buy only cars COMPLETELY assembled in Canada with completely Canadian parts? Such a situation would not only bankrupt the country, but would make some goods so hard to come by, that some Canadians would be left without the means to own a car, buy food, or wear shoes. Like it or not, we are all selfishly benefiting from globalization and the exploitation-cum-rape of the developing world.
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