On Protests and Protesters

Anonymous in Cary, North Carolina, writes:
While discussing protesters, a man I know said, “That’s what people do when they don’t have jobs–they protest.” I told him, “Not all unemployed people protest. And some people who do have jobs also protest.” The man said I was being argumentative. But I was simply stating facts. What do you think of the man’s initial statement, my response, and his reaction to my response?

Marilyn responds:

I think the man was generalizing when he made the statement, and he knew this. (I.e., He didn’t believe that all protestors are unemployed or that all unemployed people spend their time protesting.) So when you responded with these facts–which he knew–as though he meant his statement literally, you irritated him. This caused him to say you were being argumentative, and I agree. If you wanted to defend protestors, you should have made counter-arguments to the statement meaning he intended. For example, you might have said, “Well, it isn’t easy to get time off work to protest! And how many people would feel comfortable about calling in sick and then taking part in a demonstration? It’s possible that plenty of employed people sympathize with those protesters even if they’re not out there carrying signs themselves.”