There’s been an interesting back-and-forth discussion about the political efficacy of protests involving Matt Yglesias and others. The focus has been on what might be called liberal protests (those orgaznied by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, for example) that had important purposes, but nevertheless, it got me to wondering: do protests with no serious purpose (like the tea-baggers) still serve some psychological purpose in terms of connecting the protest-goers to a larger community and alleviating their feelings of isolation?
I’m beginning to think that maybe, in light of what happened in Pittsburgh, the Tea Parties might be a way for disgruntled Glenn Beck watchers to blow off steam without hurting anyone. Maybe I’m wrong, and this probably argues against it.