Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.
I would say that worrying that the protest appears non violent is a waste of time. If the protestors refuse to get violent to lend sympathy for the boot, then violence can be manufactured. It happens alot in protesting, and the whole shtick of the non violent protest is it REQUIRES media buy in. If the media is captured by oligarchs for example then the message will be drowned out or perverted. Even a neutral reading of “this protest happened, it has 1 billion people in it, now to John for the weather” the protest will fail.
If a protest of a billion people happens, then it cannot be ignored by the media.
I know, it was hyperbole, but the point is that if 12 million people are on the street, it’s not that the 12 million people need to get people’s attention, they are indicative that the people already have that perspective and are showing it in the streets.
A small protest has a goal of getting attention on a problem that people may lack awareness. A multi-million person protest isn’t about a need to raise awareness anymore, it’s about showing the awareness and commitment that is already there. For whatever volume of people actively protest, you can be sure there’s a singnificant multiple of that number of people who agree with the protestors but didn’t take it to the streets for one reason or another.
And i don’t think that The no kings protest succeeded in that goal. I went and was a part of it, and i am very frustrated with its reporting. And those who did not go, it was just another protest. And people are talking more about two lawmakers in Minnesota killed by a no king protestor.
Yes i know that’s spin, but that’s what was talked about. And trumps parade was given more time over all. Its just frustrating as fuck
I would say that worrying that the protest appears non violent is a waste of time. If the protestors refuse to get violent to lend sympathy for the boot, then violence can be manufactured. It happens alot in protesting, and the whole shtick of the non violent protest is it REQUIRES media buy in. If the media is captured by oligarchs for example then the message will be drowned out or perverted. Even a neutral reading of “this protest happened, it has 1 billion people in it, now to John for the weather” the protest will fail.
If a protest of a billion people happens, then it cannot be ignored by the media.
I know, it was hyperbole, but the point is that if 12 million people are on the street, it’s not that the 12 million people need to get people’s attention, they are indicative that the people already have that perspective and are showing it in the streets.
A small protest has a goal of getting attention on a problem that people may lack awareness. A multi-million person protest isn’t about a need to raise awareness anymore, it’s about showing the awareness and commitment that is already there. For whatever volume of people actively protest, you can be sure there’s a singnificant multiple of that number of people who agree with the protestors but didn’t take it to the streets for one reason or another.
And i don’t think that The no kings protest succeeded in that goal. I went and was a part of it, and i am very frustrated with its reporting. And those who did not go, it was just another protest. And people are talking more about two lawmakers in Minnesota killed by a no king protestor.
Yes i know that’s spin, but that’s what was talked about. And trumps parade was given more time over all. Its just frustrating as fuck