This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The first time I staged a public protest over rules I didn't like was in the fifth grade. In a move that would outrage any free person, my father arbitrarily decided that a major percentage of my weekend would be dedicated to chores.
This executive order was imposed following a meeting with the Department of Education, a meeting I was not allowed to attend and see that I was represented fairly.
At issue was whether I could legally defend myself by hurling a globe of paste and watercolor into the face of a girl trying to give me cooties.
The answer ended up being "no." Sentence was passed and I was left with no other recourse but to do something drastic.
I occupied a tree in our yard. I barred access to other kids who wanted to play in the tree, and I refused when Mom came out and told me to come down. I shouted my demands at her. If she wanted me down, she would first have to free me from the unfairly imposed chores.
It's important to note here that the Old Man wasn't home. Otherwise he would have immediately set fire to the tree.
Mom elected to let nature take its course. She understood that eventually I would need to eat or go to the bathroom. I fooled her, though. Not only had I had the foresight to bring cookies, I'd been going to the bathroom from that tree since last summer.
Mom was still ahead of me. I naturally got bored after two hours, climbed down and faced the music. My list of weekend chores was doubled. Sometimes you just can't win.
Still, I was lucky that I didn't think of bringing along my BB gun to defend my takeover of the tree. If I'd done that, I probably would have pegged one of my frustrated siblings just for the hell of it. I don't even want to think about what would have happened then.
Most people feel strongly about something — animal rights, conservation, religion, the environment, unfair taxation, etc.
The question isn't whether or not you're right about it, it's how you try to convince other people to understand and maybe even join your efforts. Nine times out of 10, it won't happen if those people think you're nuts.
Guns are a huge factor in swaying popular support away from you. So are bombs, envelopes filled with anthrax, acid in faces, kidnapping, trespassing, hostage-taking and even just threats to do any of those.
Yes, it's hard to get people to listen without some drastic/stupid measure. Pull a gun and they'll listen to you, but they won't be getting the message you want them to hear. They'll be too busy thinking about the gun.
Later, when you don't have the gun — and don't kid yourself, that time will come — your audience will have a message for you. And it will almost certainly be one you won't want to hear.
Lots of things need to change in this world. They just won't change overnight, and sometimes not at all. Having the passion to effectively make the change requires the patience necessary to not make it worse.
Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com or facebook.com/stillnotpatbagley.