While each exhibit and play we attended was well done, “Zero Tolerance” had the most profound impact on me. This exhibition did an incredible job of showing the many emotions that people go through when they are trying to overcome oppression. Some people choose to rebel in the form of peaceful and quiet protests, while others have violent protests or riots, but they all have the same intentions of making changes to the current system.

We have heard enough about the layout of “Zero Tolerance” from earlier posts, and while it was an impressive setup, there is no reason to go through it again. This exhibit was so impactful for me because it relates to what is going on around the country right now. After the events in Ferguson and now in New York and the rest of the country, I wanted to see this exhibit to get a better understanding of what was going on. I was especially interested in learning why people demonstrated in such different ways, as some chose peaceful protests, while others chose to loot and riot. Having grown up in St. Louis, I have followed the Michael Brown case and the riots that occurred as a result very closely. I always support peaceful protests for whatever cause, even if I do not necessarily support the cause, but it was painful to watch the rioters and looters that terrorized the city of Ferguson. I could not understand how robbing businesses and burning down buildings that had nothing to do with the issues they were fighting for would help their cause. It seemed like these looters were taking advantage of the situation rather than actually trying to cause positive change. That is why I wanted to see this exhibit so badly, however, as I was hoping it could show whether these types of actions could actually have a positive impact. While the exhibit showed violent protests, these examples were directed to people involved in the situation and not just causing destruction to anything in sight. “Zero Tolerance” validated my concerns that many of the protesters were taking advantage of an unfortunate situation and were detracting from the efforts of the protesters who worked hard to have organized and peaceful demonstrations.

This exhibit was a fantastic display of many different protests across the world. The timing of “Zero Tolerance” could not have been better, as it relates so well to exactly what is going on across the country. It made me very appreciative of this assignment, “The Art of Choosing”, because I do not think I would have visited this museum or even heard of this exhibit until this assignment was given to us. It was a very influential show of everything that goes into these protests, because it is more than just showing up and having a demonstration, these people go through many things that compel them to sacrifice their time, and sometimes safety, in order to cause change.