With the exception of a march to the Medford office of U.S. Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA) yesterday morning, the protests and events marking Tufts Walkout on War were largely removed from any significant audience.
It is disappointing to see so much energy wasted on lectures and teach-ins-of which many were unaware -on a topic of which so many are already convinced.
The fact that numerous students and teachers were unaware of the plans for yesterday's walkout, as reported in the Daily today and yesterday, speaks to the level of disorganization of the event.
Civil disobedience is most effective when it is large, loud and unavoidable, but a handful of students and professors skipping class does not make for an effective statement.
One burden of being in a liberal environment is that liberal activists must avoid preaching to the choir; the walkout as it was enacted failed to evade this pitfall. The few who chose to walk out and attend the teach-ins are already clearly in support of withdrawal from Iraq.
Protesting is only worthwhile insofar as it educates and raises awareness that will hopefully lead to a change in policy; yesterday's actions unfortunately did little to accomplish those goals.
While the efforts of those who participated should not be minimized, they would have been better spent off campus, whether just in nearby Boston or, ideally, in Washington, D.C. - a trip that many students have taken of their own accord when protesting a variety of causes-to ensure that their efforts are as productive as possible.
