As I turned into the parking lot of my favorite local Subway this afternoon, I noticed a lot of the parking spaces were filled. Curious, I got out of the car and saw the reason. You see, the Subway is located right near a Planned Parenthood location--and the spaces were filled by protesters.
Now, I'm all for assembly and free speech and the such, but have a little group of nine in front of the Planned Parenthood location will NOT SOLVE ANYTHING. All it will accomplish is irritating me when I have to park 10 more feet from Subway than I have to.
But in all seriousness, what are nine people holding signs going to do? Do these people never get hungry? I'm assuming they protest on their lunch breaks. What a waste! Why not go into the greatness that is Subway and contribute to the local economy by buying a Turkey Breast Sub with all the trappings? As I passed them, I heard them muttering, "Mary, Mother of God, hear our prayer...blah blah blah...battle this evil....blah...". Please. You think Mary and God are going to do anything? They let Roe v. Wade happen, so they obviously WON'T HELP YOU. So, you have the right idea. Use your civil liberties to combat it. But, do it more effectively. Holding signs in front of one Planned Parenthood location will not change anything. Instead, go into Subway with a newspaper, order a meal, and study political candidates. Find out what they stand for, then plan on voting for the person that agrees with you. That way, you contribute to the economy AND fulfill part of your civil duty.
But, please. Stop parking in my spot.
Too funny.. all u wanted to do is eatDOING THE DAMN THING!!
Huh. Sure. Like I do with some others, I'll pretend that you made some sense and not make fun of you.
Oh goodness, these are the times that I am happy I no longer work at Subway.
But to the point I was going to make, I think you're being to overcritical on the protesters; you are doing exactly what they want you to do. They protest, for such an idiotic stance as anti-abortion, to get your attention, and they get it. They get your attention so much to an irritation that makes you want to spread the news on places like here so the word gets out. That is what activism is all about, getting attention and getting noticed. And even if there were only 9 people there, they got your attention, so they achieved the goal to some extent.
Would your opinions be any different if this was any other protest outside another local food chain where you were in need to fix your hunger?
Hmm....if the protest was about the cost of food inside Burger King, yes, I would change my opinion.
was that a serious answer?
A serious answer delivered with humor.
But, really. I'm not as irritated as you might believe. I just thought it was a good topic to bring up. And I'm not terribly worried that my blog posting will cause huge media coverage of those nine, brave, hungry people.
oh okay. well, you know, it is hard to read the level of irritation in some of these posts.
but hey, I think the post started more of a response than you're thinking, I mean hey, I am going to go out and start an anti-abortion rally Saturday in front of Taco Bell... not.
Oh, it's just Taco Bell. I doubt anyone would care. Or see.
Taco Bell may be the worst food place ever. And, if my post will generate a huge response, start a huge Civil-Rights-Like-Event, and pass like the Civil Rights Act did, well...then I'll be famous. All because I wanted a topic to write about.
hahaa, I see a legacy in the making. All starting with a post related to Subway.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
While I love the humor it, I must say I feel the same irritation when I see protestors downtown protesting the war. "You guys are doing nothing but pissing me off!!" lol
But do you know how much fun it is to stand up publically for something you believe in? It's one of the beauties of this country.
Thats my two cents.
luv, Monica
Sure, it's fun. When you're not hungry, that is.
It'd be even more fun doing it during work hours and still getting paid for it.
The funny thing about this is I went to Subway too. But fortunately there weren't any protesters in my way! I do agree with you, however, that those protestors seemed to go about expressing their beliefs in the wrong way.
It's alright for them to protest. They can go to huge anti-abortion rallies and be more effective. As long as they stay away from my Subway.
protest against abortion is like trying to convert people. I support religion but i don't understand why the need to make everyone believe certain beliefs. why anyone really, believes that their opinion is so much better than an individuals. They don't like abortions then they don't have to have one.
Yes there is the belief that abortion is murder but I don't see these people standing infront of jails protesting the prisoners who murdered a person on the street. so why do it to planned parenthood..especially when planned parenthood does so much more than just abortion.
That's the odd thing. This place wasn't even an abortion clinic. The only thing it had to do with abortion was giving people locations and educational material. They actually warned against such a procedure as traumatic for the woman, but if people asked, they gave them information.
And, as you said, it was only one service among many.
That was fun to read...but any way, here's what I think about this.
I totally agree. I don't think 9 people protesting is going to cause much change. They might get noticed...but that's about the extent of that. They probably should have either planned better (had a much larger group), or do just what you suggested...
-Amanda-
Well, thank you. Hopefully this persuades people to organize better. Or just do something more effective.
Bit of a tangent, but does everyone go to the same Subway?
i don't belive in it, but i'd rather see children aborted than hurt a neglcted.