[hugh3]

The thing about political protest is that you actually have to show up to show that you care. If your protest march has blocked the street you might be inconveniencing others, but at least you're inconveniencing yourself more. You think it's legit to have a form of protest which inconveniences others without inconveniencing yourself? If this was legal, then wouldn't it be done by everyone, all the time against everyone by whom they felt aggreived?

Remember, the world is full of folks who hate other folks. Sometimes for legit reasons, sometimes for stupid reasons.

[jrspruitt]

I agree with there being a huge problem of it becoming vastly too easy to do. And there does seem to be a huge discrepancy on the internet, between what people feel is important enough to cause such a ruckus and what's not worthy. Ranging from real human rights issues to he said she said pointless crap. Perhaps it would mean more if you had to sit there hitting the refresh button in unison with a group, instead of just running a script to do it for you. You no longer need to be a charismatic leader to rally the troops, just infect computers with a botnet. Such singular power executed through such forceful means does seem more like tyranny than justice. I wonder what a better equivalent to such traditional means of the public showing disapproval would be online?

[hugh3]

I wonder what a better equivalent to such traditional means of the public showing disapproval would be online?

Easy. Write something. Put forward a rational, logical and coherent argument about why you disapprove of X, and publish it somewhere. Instead of just inconveniencing others with your temper tantrum, you might convince them to come around to your point of view.

One person with a sensible argument is far more powerful than a hundred thousand people with a poorly thought out chant.

[jrspruitt]

I've tried this many times in my life, and all I have found, is that there are people out there, who absolutely refuse to do anything about the problem. No matter how well the argument is laid out, how evil they have been acting, the only thing they will respond to, is force, because at that point, it is not up to them to change.