And that is OK - there are many acceptable modes for activism, ranging from simple awareness and teaching to letter writing and boycotting. The day that war was declared on Iraq during the Bush Administration, I remember watching the CNN anchor ask the reporter, standing in front of the White House after war was declared what the noise was in the background. The reporter said it was nothing, that a few demonstrators had gathered, but there was nationwide support for this war. He was lying. Down the street, over half a million people had gathered in the largest anti-war demonstration since the Vietnam era.
Estimates are that the crowd swelled to a million the next day.
You cannot wait for the TV news to tell you of the front lines. Near the town of Volgodonsk in Russia, five activists protesting a nuclear power plant suffered brain damage when employees of the power plant bashed their heads in. This means that any arrests and convictions are for federal felony crimes. Conviction of a federal felony in the U.S. carries severe penalties. You probably won't be hired again by anyone - for the rest of your life.