One of the essay presentations that I found particularly interesting was Naomi’s essay on the relationship between protest and censorship. This leads to questions of how effective protests can be and in what context. It took me back to middle school, when I was living on Wall Street during the “Occupy Wall Street” protests. Now, I’ll admit to be much less socially aware back then, and I was confused about the origin of the protests. With that being said, I don’t believe my assertion that the protest became very messy is a testament to my youth or ignorance. I remember not being able to fall asleep because at 3am, right outside my window, there were incomprehensible chants from a massive group of people. There was also a moment while I was walking to school where a man grabbed my arm and screamed in my face, “I KNOW MY RIGHTS!” What rights? What on Earth was he talking about and why was he directing it to me, a little white girl? The protest became a mix of causes, homeless people hoping to find money or food, and just downright angry people screaming about their pain. While I know and understand the urge to scream and shout at the hands of injustice, Occupy Wall Street was incredibly disruptive, and did not have a single message. At no point did I ever hear a unified chant. It’s almost as if they had silenced themselves. Having been to and organized many protests, I am very supportive of using protest to get a message across. Occupy Wall Street, however, made me question the effective of protests, and think critically about the elements a protest needs to be successful. I find important that protest fosters discussion, and with the Yoo protests and Occupy Wall Street, I don’t know if that was the case.