Political protester

Seeks to expose an inadequacy of the political system with the hope that public awareness of the issue will exert sufficient pressure on the political system that a more appropriate course might be developed. The political protester can engage in a wide variety of activities designed to capture the attention of the public. Often dramatic activities (like marches, draft card burnings, etc.) are designed to attract the attention and coverage of the public media in order to reach the widest audience possible. Sometimes the political protester will publically break a law in order to dramatize its injustice and call attention to a need for change. Political protesters are most often found in "open" or democratic societies where such activities are not suppressed. They may also operate in situations where they are exposed to great personal risk if the situation calls for it and they can gain international exposure for their protest. The political protesters remind us of our individual responsibility for the results of our political system. They point to the obligation people have to speak out against injustice. Extreme actions that put the protester himself in jeopardy dramatize the importance of working for a political system that is authentically responsive to the needs of the society. They remind people of the need to guard political systems against oppression.