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Comparatively and Critical Thinking
According to Goodwin and jasper, humans have always complained about anything that did not appease them. As the two authors indicate, sometimes people not only dislike things but come together with other people to change those things that they do not like. In the modern societies, however, this is much more with individuals organizing themselves to pursue numerous, different goals. There are, for example, pickets, strikes, and rallies organized by the labor movements whose main purpose is to unionize and pursue and attain political goals. There have been numerous revolutions in different parts of the world from Russia to Britain to Cuba to China to Iran. Women revolutions have also not been left behind and so have animal activists (Goodwin and Jasper 3).
Mobilization is another significant example of a movement that is common. An example is the participation of students from Columbia University. The students were demanding that the institution divest itself of the stock in some companies trading in South Africa. In 1985, hundreds of students from the Columbia University sat in front of their classrooms whose doors had been chained and stated that they will remain there until the institution dissociated itself from stock in the companies doing business in South Africa. It was surprising that the students remained in the blockade for about three weeks. What was even more surprising was that most of these students had never been involved in any other school protests. Another thing that was surprising was the fact that more students showed up for the protest only after the meetings had been held and after the protesters decided to sit in front of the chained doors. It is not clear why so many students agreed to be part of the militant protest and not to be a part of the meetings and other vigils and rallies that were considered moderately safe, and instead choose to participate in acts of civil disobedience that were more riskier (Goodwin and Jasper 99- 103).
It is significant to note that the blockades were not just any people or any particular, isolated group with interests in divest or a set people who were insecure and confused; rather these were individuals who had been convinced by some entities that apartheid was wrong and that they needed to do something about it, and that was to convince the university to disinvest from companies trading in south Africa. It is significant also to note that the solidarity of the protesters only increased after the escalation of the administration of the conflict especially because the identification of the group among the protesters was high so that they responded to the threat as a group that was powerful and not as weak individuals (Goodwin and Jasper 103).
The protest has numerous negative and positive effects. The issue of radical feminists clearly indicates this. For example, it is a negative thing, for women to refer to themselves as radical feminists. This is because it sets them apart from the rest of the population. They are essentially odd from the rest of individuals not because they are different but because of her consciousness or beliefs and from her engagement with a group that is distinct from the population. An advantage or positive effect of a movement, based on the feminist views, is that a movement and ideas that it imposes on an individual lasts forever and that these distinct beliefs can be used to build a totally different culture (Goodwin and Jasper 105- 106).
Conclusion
Movements have been and will always be a part of human history. The significances of movements are many both negative and positive.
Works cited
Buechler, Steven. Understanding Social Movements: Theories from the Classical Era to the Present. New York: Paradigm Publishers, 2011. Print.
Goodwin, Jeff and James Jasper. The Social Movements Reader: cases and Concepts. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2009. Print.
