In this case - recognition of an attempt at doing something.
Downplaying that is similar to Downplaying protests for not achieving anything.
At the very least it might have brought attention to the topic of contention for more people which can be a spark for change. If you have apathy and disdain for attempts at change - it might be worth evaluating what the consequences might be of that at a societal level when that apathy is the norm for harder to change things (like politics, big corp practices etc.)