America 14: Protest

It's hard to think about protest without thinking about revolution. America and France, sisters in revolution, share a modern love of protest. But the French seem to protest because protesting is fundamentally French, whereas the American protest feels somehow darker, more desperate. It's important to remember that, while the American revolution was against the British, the French revolution was against the French. Theirs is the victorious protest of a people who once fought their own government and won. But the American government has never been overthrown and, if there were a revolution, it's hard to imagine the people winning. Come to think of it, I'm not sure they're winning now.