Living in the post-protest age

A thought provoking piece that ran in the St. Petersburg Times this weekend:

Living in the Post Protest Age:
Read complete story in http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article828808.ece

The stock market has gone nuts, and the federal government is treating Wall Street with experimental cures that will cost nearly $1-trillion. An unpopular foreign war, now in its sixth year, has resulted in more than 4,100 American deaths. For the first time in history, the presidential campaign includes an African-American candidate for president and a Republican female candidate for vice president.

Taken together, these data points give this moment in American history a once-in-a-great-while feel of Something Large. But if this is truly a pivot in time, its most peculiar feature may be how un-peculiar it feels. For all the social and political upheaval, for all the banner headlines and for all the bipartisan calls for change, there is plenty of unease — but a very notable lack of unrest.

It's as though the gods of turmoil threw a party and nobody came. When was the last time you saw a street protest? Or a burning effigy? Or a teach-in? Or a boycott? It's kind of odd: We have the sense that this is an emergency, but open the window and give a listen. There aren't any sirens.

How come?