Guns and Roses

This was going to be a post about how protests are a fascinating terrain for sociological study. But, that seems flippant and self-involved, given what is at stake in the current protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in India. The incident I was going to write about was the photo of a cute and coquettish well-heeled protestor in Delhi giving a rose to a policeman, while his colleagues grin as he blushes. Only the privileged would dream about giving a rose to a policeman, who is someone to be feared and avoided by the poor. If you are poor and from a low caste, an interaction with a policeman often starts with him slapping you in the face. But, what would the point of such a post be beyond pointing out the obvious caste privilege and coming across as  being churlish and judgemental from the safety of an armchair in another country?
Protest and popular movements may reflect social hierarchies but they also  have the potential to test social hierarchies, build unnatural alliances and reimagine one's status in society.