What is the Difference Between Protest and Political Indoctrination?

Here is some food for thought, I saw this a couple of days ago and it has been rattling around my brain as I considered it.  What is the difference between a protest demonstration and state sponsored political indoctrination?

In the 1960s African-Americans and others came together to gain for themselves the individual rights assured all Americans under the Constitution.  In the 1960s and 70s, Americans rose up to protest the US involvement in the war in Vietnam.  In the 1980’s we saw the development of public protest by both the feminists and those who oppose abortion.  The late 1980s saw the rise of protests in China as they sought more individual freedom. Those of us who were adult at the time will remember the lone protestor standing against the might of the Chinese regime as a line of tanks moved forward.

Image from NY Times - Lens

 The 1990s and this century have seen an increasing number of protests, regarding a variety of social ills.  The Right to Life protests continue, as well as protests for equality and the value of various lives/rights. But it seems increasingly many of these protests are taking on the feel not of demonstrations for increased freedom, but rather for increased control of the individual by the state.

Let’s take the latest movement to make the front pages.  The national walkout for gun control (#standforsafety) to commemorate the victims of the Parkland High School massacre.  Students nationwide were organized to walk away from their classes and assemble in protest of the problem of gun violence in schools, but who organized the movement, was it the students, or were they just the visual aids for the real leadership? 

I watched as our local School Superintendent praised the students for their humanity and then organized the county school system to support the movement.  Complete with parental permission slips for the children.  

This opened up the question for me, if the government organizes the demonstration and there is absolutely no individual risk in their protest or perhaps the risk is in not participating, then is it really a protest or is it just another field trip in their political indoctrination program?  In this movement we see its leaders arguing we must take away the rights of the individual to satisfy the desires of the few. 

That we should consider that loss of individual right is a reasonable question to address as we seek to reduce risk.  The way we should go about it is really the question. 

I am not sure I see a big difference between this current protest and the May Day celebrations of the Communist states where people are brought together annually to display the power of the state with big parades.  Speaking of parades…. Wait that’s another subject and I’ve already written about it.