The real work is done behind the scenes, which is why building new institutions and gaining positions in existing institutions is so important. However, protesting - if done safely, sanely, and effectively - is far from useless. Look at MLK's "I have a Dream" speech. If he had given that as one man with no preparation and no following, nobody would remember it today. But because he had built up a significant following with many powerful allies, and because so much of the media was on his side, and because so many prominent organizations were aiding him and propagating his message, it went down in history. The myth that the media wants you to believe is that *any* protest will work. This is why they show Greta Thurnberg protesting and then suggest that the UN is drafting new climate regulations because of her, when in reality both her protest and the regulations were planned from the start. The reality is that protesting *can* work if it's done intelligently and coupled with the right help from existing institutions and the right coverage by the media.