I applaud the organizers of the protests against President Trump’s disdain for the Constitution and disrespect for people here and around the world.

But this is not 1963, when television images of young Black kids being attacked by police dogs pricked America’s conscience and created an environment favorable to the eventual passage of the Civil Rights Act. Nor is it 1965, when we watched mounted police charge the courageous Selma marchers. Those visuals helped pass the Voting Rights Act. And the huge antiwar demonstrations and nightly news footage of Vietnam’s horrors helped turn much of the nation against the war.

We don’t have such compelling images today. Nor do we have a nation that watches the same news programs. In the 1960s we had three television networks and they showed much the same things and were pretty objective in their coverage. Today, we can select what we want to hear — and see — by tuning in our choice of channels or websites. Moreover, much of what the administration is doing isn’t very exciting to broadcast.

A more effective weapon would be to boycott the billionaires. Don’t stay in Trump’s hotels. Refrain from using Musk’s X or buying a Tesla. And let Zuckerberg and Bezos know that there is a cost for supporting Trump. Get off of Facebook and Instagram; stop using Amazon. The only pain these people feel is in their wallets. Get them where it hurts. Boycotts work.

Arthur Benedict
Peaks Island