Professors lead discussion on riots, rallies and protests
With the recent media hype about protests from Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Glenn Beck, Janus Club President Brent Lederle, a senior, decided to hold a lecture about riots, rallies and protests.
On Monday, Nov. 8, four University of Indianapolis professors formed a panel to discuss the topic.
The panel consisted of Associate Professor of History and Political Science Ted Frantz, Associate Professor of History and Political Science Carrie Cihasky, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Amy Allen-Sekhar and Assistant Professor of History and Political Science Chad Martin.
Janus Club is the history and political science department’s campus organization.
“The event began from working with Cihasky to broadcast and lead a discussion of ‘The Rally for Sanity’ in late October,” Lederle said. “We weren’t able to secure a room the day of, so we decided to create a discussion panel about the topic, including professors who had a variety of backgrounds and knowledge on the issues.”
To start the event, Martin described his first protest march at age 15, and explained that by protesting, voices are more effectively heard and the public understands the problem and can be swayed to your side.
He also lived in South Africa and described the differences that Nelson Mandela, South African president from 1994-1999, had made in trying to end violence. Allen-Sekhar spoke next about the French culture of protesting. She emphasized that it is a significant part of their culture and with the recent hype about the French president, Nikolaus Sarkozy, trying to raise the retirement age, protests have been continually in the media.
(Left to Right) Professors Carrie Cihasky, Ted Frantz, Amy Allen-Sekhar and Chad Martin sat on a panel to discuss their experience with riots, rallies and protests. Photo by Haley Vannarsdall.
Having visited France many times, Allen-Sekhar’s experiences were firsthand and detailed, such as when she first studied abroad in France. She said she had to sign a paper agreeing not to participate in a protest.
Another powerful example of France’s protest culture she described was in 1968, when students started protesting and asking for reforms and demanding change. Eleven million people participated, causing officials to shut down Paris for weeks.
Frantz addressed the differences between riots and protests versus rallies by saying that riots and protests usually hold negative connotations, while rallies are seen as positive things.
Lastly, Cihasky spoke about the media’s influences on riots, rallies and protests.
“Because news organizations love stories with conflict, they cover these events at higher frequencies than in previous years,” Cihasky said.
“I hope that students realize the struggles that many groups in society needed to go through to obtain the freedoms that they have today and many times take for granted,” Cihasky said. “Often, these struggles weren’t easy or pretty, and once students realize the sacrifices of others before them, they will be more grateful.”
She encouraged students to be educated about current issues.
“I hope students see that they can make a difference. Perhaps not always through rallies or protests, but through other options as well, such as writing to representatives, voting, volunteering, etc.,” Cihasky said. “Too often I see students think they cannot make a difference in the world, which is a completely wrong attitude to have.”
