Few if any people have failed to notice the protests that have in some cases led to riots in America at this time, and it’s become something of an issue that ha continued to divide the people in a big way and has become a problem in some cities as the protests have been seen to get way out of control. In a way it would be great to say that we almost never see protests get out of hand in real life as we have in the movies, but as it’s been seen lately things have progressed to a level that’s getting just as bad if not worse in some cases and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of the issue going away anytime soon. The reasoning behind these protests is obvious of course but the continuing hostilities and the ability of the protesters to keep coming up with added fuel for the fire has been expected in a big way even if it’s not fully understood. In the movies the protests usually fade to black or eventually burn out after an implied period of time has gone by, but in real life it’s already been noticed that the current protests and the riots that are always ready to spring from them are always lurking just beneath the surface, waiting to be unveiled.
Here are some of the most notable protest scenes in movies.
5. Gangs of New York
The New York Draft Riots were in fact a protest to start with as people were attempting to make their voices heard about the inequality of Irish immigrants being made to fight for the country without having any say in the matter. Unfortunately the protests did end up becoming a massive riot that Scorsese built up just a bit and that encompassed a good portion of the city. This is one of those moments when it’s obvious what happens to people when they’re pushed too far and don’t have any other means of protesting, much as some people have been saying recently. Unfortunately the other fact of this matter is that the government will still do what it takes to calm the mob down, even if it means putting them down if they happen to arm themselves.
4. Born on the Fourth of July
The Vietnam War was a genuine moment when America truly failed its soldiers since many individuals who came back were undeniably damaged and were treated like garbage by the general populace and even termed ‘baby killers’. Likely as not there were those that went to Vietnam and became little more than the savages that we’re shown in movies, but a lot of this appears to be false from the tales told by actual veterans. All the same, many people know of those that came back from the war as broken individuals that could never fully function in society again, while many might actually count the men that died there as the lucky ones.
3. Milk
Harvey Milk was man working hard for gay rights and as a result one can imagine that in his time he was reviled by some and held up by quite a few since this was an issue that a lot of people felt strongly about, just as they do now. The protests in this movie were more likely to be called movements but at the same time it’s very easy to see how those in the status quo were somehow threatened by a change to their way of life, as is usually the case. Unfortunately while he did live long enough to see some change, Harvey was gunned down and never got to see the full culmination of the struggle for the LGBTQ+ community.
2. Selma
Martin Luther King Jr. was a man with a dream as the saying goes, and the dream went a long way towards changing the world that we know and how it operates. There’s a lot still to be done obviously, but Mr. King went on to become one of those that has throughout history been regarded as one of the most staunch supporters of change and of peace in his time. While his ideals weren’t held by everyone they were believed by many and allowed to create an ideal that a lot of people have lived by for a while now. As an historical figure he’s been one of those that has been highly instrumental even now, decades after his passing.
1. The Blues Brothers
This one was just for fun since a lot of people can probably admit that this is what they’d love to see happen to openly racist individuals, even if by law they have their right to free speech and an opinion that people don’t like. It’s true that Elwood could possibly be charged for assault with a motor vehicle, but it might also be defensible that the Nazis were promoting hate speech by actually using their platform as a call to action. It’s a fine line but there’s likely a lot of people that would make that argument.
Protests are the right of a nation’s citizens, but too often it’s seen that they can get out of control very quickly.
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