Nyunews.com(Washington Square News): Protesters could learn from Falun Gong movement

In stark contrast to the normal obnoxious groups of protesters that roam campus, a new type of activist can now be found around the NYU area. Promoting the cause of the Falun Gong, a [group] being persecuted by the Chinese government, these protesters, made up largely of older folks of Asian descent, are trying to raise awareness in America of the ultra-repressive Chinese government.

These protesters mostly sit quietly in meditation, unlike the normal - and the term "normal" is used very loosely here - campus protesters we are subjected to. Their message is spread mainly through signs or pamphlets distributed by a polite activist.

They do not scream; they do not go out of their way to rudely accost passers-by. Members of the Falun Gong movement are nice, courteous activists.

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Granted, activists for other, more widely recognized issues - like the Iraq war or terrorism - get plenty of dismissals as well, but it seems like the courteous Falun Gong are getting more than their fair share.

Part of it is because the Falun Gong do not resort to the outlandish and oftentimes illegal manners of protest that other activist groups turn to. Most likely, there will never be a news story about a member of the Falun Gong assaulting an NYPD detective just trying to do his job.

The Falun Gong members will never be arrested for crashing private events. While these types of criminal antics may attract attention for other activist groups, it is not the style of the Falun Gong, and for that, citizens of the city should be grateful.

Unlike other protesters, the active members of the Falun Gong make sure that their activities are actually related to their goals. When they meditate quietly on campus, they are demonstrating what they want the right to do in their own country. When anti-Bush protesters ride dozens of bikes through busy city streets, they are saying nothing about their agenda.

The members of the Falun Gong are not part of the screaming left or the screaming right. They have no equivalent of a Rush Limbaugh or a Michael Moore. These protesters are the nice guys that get ignored.

As students in what is supposed to be an institution of higher learning, as part of what is deemed a "global university," and as citizens of a country that, like it or not, is the only superpower left in the world, it is our duty to pay attention to protesters like the members of the Falun Gong. We cannot allow ourselves to become so jaded by the flood of obnoxious activists that we ignore the ones that actually have something important to say and are willing to say it in a civilized manner.

These members of the Falun Gong movement serve as role models for activists everywhere. They are providing a service to the world and to us, not only by raising our awareness about an important issue, but also by showing us that protests do not have to be obnoxious.

We at least owe it to them to do our part to see that, for once, the nice guys do not have to finish last.

Will Phung is a columnist for Washington Square News.