There are three forms of protest. Some are meant to evangelize. Some are meant to enact direct consequences. And some are meant to demonstrate the commitment of supporters.
The history books love to spotlight evangelism, but an effective protest movement needs all three. One is the carrot (MLK), one is the stick (Malcolm X), and one is an ultimatum – an implicit show of force displaying how many people will wield that stick if the audience doesn’t pay attention to the carrot (March on Washington).
While I question the effectiveness of making a traffic jam for people heading to Burning Man, the next time you see a climate protest, I want to encourage you to ask yourself what kind of protest it is, and who is its intended audience.