Setting specific political ideologies aside for a moment, I would like to focus on the benefits of public protesting. Not only is this an exercise of our rights, it is an exercise of our minds. This second reason is going to be the focus of this Viewpoint.

I remember when I was young (10, 12, 15 years old) watching the evening news with my parents while we prepared dinner. This limited, often biased exposure was my sole source of information on world events. I am sure many youth today find themselves in similar situations, be it with television or the Internet. Those youth are why I bother protesting.

Such limited exposure to demonstrations, as the media coverage provides, will not sway people one way or another on any particular issues. In this regard, those people who asked me why I bother are right. Why bother if no one’s mind is going to be changed? Yet, the purpose of protesting, in my mind, is not to sway people on issues, but instead simply to get people thinking. The purpose of public protesting is to make people aware of issues, to express new ideas and to open people up to new possibilities. I believe it is important for those young people witnessing these demonstrations, even in short news clips, to realize the incredible spectrum of opinions and ideas that are being expressed in our country, in any country and on all sides of an issue. It is important because, if nothing else, this knowledge will get people thinking. That is the central importance of protesting: to get people thinking.

The importance of protesting today will be seen 10 years from now when today’s youth are college-age. It will be seen in the issues they with which they will concern themselves and in the way they will choose to express themselves. The importance of protesting today will be seen when today’s issues are no longer immediately relevant, but when people who are in their 20s now will be in the positions capable of making real change. We must make people think today, so the decisions that are made in the future will reflect a greater understanding and appreciation of our world and its inherent fragility. That is why, right now, I am tired and wet and shivering. That is why I bother protesting.

Reinbold is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.