I recently read some terrific stories about Jane Jacobs, an activist who protested against "urban renewal" in New York. (you may have heard of her book 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities') In one her organized protests, her and a group of protesters -- ranging from children to adults -- stormed a town hall meeting wearing gas masks. It was original, made the headlines, and raised awareness of how 'urban renewal' efforts actually 'dirtied' livable cities. This was one of many unique actions her and the protesters took. At the time, without Big Tech, these awareness campaigns really did mobilize people.

All that to say: I agree -- there's a lack of pragmatism & originality in protesting today.

However, many of the people who exclusively attend rallies for vague causes are often not the ones who are also fighting in other ways to create tangible change. Lots of people are active in more ways than one.