Dissent can be defined as active opposition to established public policies or social conventions. The opposition can take various forms, including media campaigns, public protests, organized boycotts, and in extreme cases, violent uprisings. Mainstream society often responds to such activities by trying to suppress the dissent.

Many major reform movements of the past have started with the dissent of a small group, or even a single individual. The dissent often arises out of an inherent injustice in the existing order. When the injured person or group speaks out, the established powers may see the protest as a threat to their own privileged position. As a result, in many cases the dissent is quickly crushed. But sometimes the new viewpoint survives and begins to gather support. If it gains enough adherents, what started as a small movement may eventually lead to a major political or social reform.

The American revolution against England began as a small dissenting movement. The anti-slavery movement in the United States also initially represented a minority viewpoint. Other initially small movements which eventually achieved at least partial success include the campaign for a woman's right to vote, the civil rights movement, and the effort to protect endangered species.

The growth and pervasiveness of the world wide web has made it easier for dissenting voices to reach an audience. Numerous individuals and small groups have established websites to publicize their message and promote their causes. But the web also makes it easier for other people to oppose these causes. Unfortunately, in some cases proponents of unpopular views have received hate mail and even threats. But many courageous people continue to maintain their sites despite this opposition.

Other Voices was created to serve as a guide to some of the dissent that is being expressed on the web. For convenience, each page in the site is devoted to a particular type of dissent, with categories such as personal freedom, social causes, religious dissent, environmental defense, and alternative healthcare. There are also pages which list some other useful resources available on the internet.

Note: Other Voices does not list websites which advocate or defend any form of violence, or that provide information about how to obtain, build, or use any kind of weapon. It also doesn't list sites which promote or encourage political or religious persecution, gambling, aberrant sexual practices, sadistic behavior, pornography, spousal or child abuse, pedophilia, and child molestation.

Categories  

• Personal Freedom
  This category includes websites that oppose attempts to take away personal freedom and civil liberties. It also includes sites which support efforts to protect privacy and guard against government and industry snooping.

• Political Dissent
  This page lists websites which take unpopular political positions or call for changes to existing governmental systems. It also includes sites that fight to protect or gain political freedoms, and that advocate new approaches to matters such as taxation, budgeting, and lobbying.

• Anti-Corporate
  This group includes websites that oppose detrimental policies and practices of large corporations and institutions. Such practices might include collusion, artificial price controls, exploitation of women and children, lobbying for special tax benefits, unfair awarding of contracts, and exploitation of natural resources.

• Alternative Information Sources
  This page lists websites that publicize news and information ignored or suppressed by the mainstream media. It also lists groups that fight against governmental and private censorship.

• Religious Dissent
  This category includes websites that oppose the beliefs and practices of major established religious groups, or that promote the beliefs of small lesser-known groups. It also includes sites that cover topics such as speaking in tongues, abortion, and evolution.

• Alternative Healthcare
  This group includes websites that investigate and publicize possible fraudulent practices of organized healthcare systems and large drug companies. In addition, it lists sites that advocate alternative methods of medical treatment such as natural remedies.

• Peripheral Science
  This page lists websites which put forward theories about phenomena that lie outside the scope of conventional science. It also includes sites which oppose efforts by governments and large institutions to suppress research in areas such as stem cells, cloning, and unconventional medical treatments.

• Nature and Environment
  This category includes websites of organizations that fight to protect the natural world from human exploitation and encroachment. This could include the advocacy of animal rights, the protection and expansion of park lands, and opposition to commercial development of unspoiled land.

• Skepticism
  This page lists websites which express doubts about majority opinions or offer counter-arguments to conventional beliefs. This can include commonly accepted ideas about political systems, religious practices, and social policies.

• Social Causes
  This group lists websites that speak out for the rights of repressed minority groups or neglected segments of society. Issues include voting rights, access to health care, and treatment of the aged.

• Other Resources
  This page lists other useful online resources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, and reference materials.

• More Resources
  This page lists some additional resources.

This non-commercial directory lists websites that express dissenting viewpoints on major social, political and cultural matters.

The image at the top of each page is the painting The Uprising by Honore Daumier. This painting is a public domain work reproduced courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.

In web directories, this site is usually listed in the categories of society, social issues, activism, social sciences, or niche directories.

Other Voices is an ad-free site.