Protests at home
I had a bit of an argument today with a friend about something, and wouldn't mind hearing what anyone out there reading this thinks of it. The subject is whether it is acceptable or not to protest an individual at their private residence. My friend says it is, I say it is wrong.
The reason I'm against it is simple: targeting a public person is fair game, but leave the family alone. If you go to their home, you are implicating their neighbours, spouse and children and that is wrong. My take on this is coloured by some examples from the past: two that come to mind that bothered me were during last year's Ontario election campaign when NDP leader Howard Hampton chose to make an anti-tax cut announcement on gold baron Peter Munk's front lawn, and the other was when students opposed to tuition deregulatrion picketed on the front lawn of Bill Leggett, the then-principal of my alma mater Queen's University. Apparently his wife got quite frightened -- I can't remember exactly but I think she had to call the police.
Why do this? It makes the people doing the protesting look really juvenile and cold. And it defeats the purpose: It might garner more media attention, but the press is more than likely going to focus on how a bunch of crazy zealots protested at someone's private residence. The message of the protesters gets lost.
So is it moral? Is it ethical?
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:55 PM
