A Controversial Topic with many sides to it; quite simply, do they work? or will they work to produce a change?  

The answer to this question is never black and white. You have to see beyond that typical “it’s either black or white mindset” for the answers since there are various variables at play during a protest, and in other terms, how many “constant variables” (constant) you got is equivalent to the change you can affect by the work people do towards the protest. Let’s take a simple IT jargon to explain the scenarios of a protest.

First, let me explain the variables; most simply, it could be a problem. People get into protests for numerous reasons: lack of essential things such as fuel supply or electricity. This could be a reason for people to raise their voices. As long as these needs are met by whoever is in charge, people can be kept at bay; that’s a changing variable. As long as you supply, it’s a smooth ride.

What is a “Constant variable”? It’s something that’s not changing, a tradition that has kept on forever, and in a programming sense, something that the programmer can’t change once the program executes itself, so in simple words, corruption of government that has kept on forever, a system that is failing yet manages.

This will keep going until it fails to the point that the end-user sees the problem with the program and wants to change it, and the protest to change the constant variable is more visionary and credible.

So, what’s our condition? Are we trying to fix a minor bug such as lack of electricity, or are we trying to implement a new program? What’s your view? think for a second.

 Different people come from different walks of life, and their views vary; some might want the bug fixed while some might want a new program altogether; it’s just the difference between the type of the variable they hold on to.

When the end-user complains that the program isn’t working, our programmer usually has two simple options. Either he fixes the bug by himself and replaces the same system in another different manner where most of the end-users are happy with the current working condition, or he gives it to someone else, such as a Quality Assurance engineer, to check which could reveal the Faulty program to an extent which turns out it’s more than just bug that people didn’t see unless shown. 

Penned By: Rtr. Easara Weerasinghe (Editorial Member 2021-22)

Edited, translated and published by: RACSLIIT Editorial Team 2021-22