It seems like every college campus has a quad which draws protesters when the weather’s nice. And like clockwork, there are naysayers who call them “idealistic,” “ineffectual” and “stupid.”

I’ll give the naysayers “idealistic,” considering the ultimate goal is to change the world with some chants and catchy phrases. But that’s the way it starts, isn’t it? A handful of people have some crazy dream, say, women’s suffrage, and they get out there and do what they can to change it. We owe it to our descendents to try for a better tomorrow, no matter the odds.

And “ineffectual,” that gets a “yes and no.” No, it won’t make world leaders give pause, and it won’t start a revolution, not overnight at least. But that’s not really the immediate goal of a protest. Its ways are far more subtle.

Our society is democratic. That means no small minority can impose its will on the majority (in theory). If only a handful of people think everyone should read Pipe Dream and only Pipe Dream, then it wouldn’t be right to demand legislation to enforce this. But what they can do is get out and raise awareness for Pipe Dream exclusivity, bring up arguments for it in catchy rhymes (“Pipe Dream, Pipe Dream, the editing is clean”) and get their idea on the streets. That will get people to stop and really consider the situation and form their own opinion. That’s the goal, to make people pause in their day-to-day life and think, “Can we win the Iraq war?” Hopefully they’ll end up on my side, but if not, that’s just the way democracy goes.

Oh, and to those who call me stupid, shut up. You’re stupid.