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I have always have had an interest in approaches that obtain social change.

With this interest, a few years back I met a retired government official, one who had a lead government role in dealing with a major social uprising on an issue. I questioned him on how it evolved, his role and how it ended up.

He said that major public protests, that got "big media attention" was actually useful to the government. I was surprised and asked him how that could be. He said that people focusing on publically protesting took the energy out of the movement and once it "petered out" (those involved were comforted that they had, done something that seemed significant on TV) there was little energy and focus left for the actual negotiations. He said, those reduced pressures left us "government folks" with more "wiggle room" to initiate less severe measures with the movement leaders.

That conversation has remained with me, and the message that sometimes, what seems to be happening may not be what is occuring at all.