system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does protesting work? You see massive nationwide protests when there is civil unrest, but why can't the government just ignore it until the protestors give up?
gpt
Protesting isn't about getting the government or entity you are protesting to change because of the protesters. They will always be dismissed as a minority opinion and troublemakers. It is about getting a larger group of constituents (the ones who would never actually go to the protest) interested with the issue.  It is about attention and media coverage and creating a groundswell.  You hope by having 100 people show up you get 5000 to write their congressman.  You hope by staying in place for a month that you get 50,000 to care.  In short you hope to influence a larger group, create pressure.