Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of and spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, has shared his opinion on the differences between protests and activism, citing the recent Women's March as an example of a failed protest without tangible goals.
"I am happy going on the record in saying that the Women's March was futile, poorly thought, really didn't achieve anything, and squandered a lot of energy," Greaves told the Daily Beast.
"They did that because they made no specific demands. They weren't promoting legislation, they didn't get people marching to sign any petitions, and when you have someone as ignorant and arrogant as Trump in office, he didn't even feel the need to comment on it, and in a day they're gone, and he goes about business the same way as before. You need to have a real targeted plan for real tangible change."
The Satanic Temple is a religious group whose members oppose the influence of the religious right in US politics, including by means of political activism. The Women's March, which first took place the day after Donald Trump was sworn into office, is no stranger to political controversy.
The campaign seeks to fight all forms of oppression, including homophobia, racism, and so on; this year, march-goers came out against federal and state laws curbing the boycott of Israel over the alleged mistreatment of Palestinians. This move prompted allegations of anti-Semitism, fracturing the movement.
And Lucien Greaves agrees that this issue is remotely related with what the Women's March initially stood for. "I think that's really a symptom of not understanding why your protest isn't leading to tangible change. They don't understand that their protest does not equal activism, so at a point they're realized that all their efforts are futile, so they begin casting a broader net."
