this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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Chapotraphouse
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No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer
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A lib I'm talking to reference this book as a way to show these protests are doing something meaningful:
https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/wcrw
Then linked to this article:
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/advocacy-social-movements/35-rule-understanding-what-makes-protest
Direct quote when I said these protests are useless:
"but that is an excellent book. Should you actually be interested in effective revolution... that book has a century of global civil resistance analysis breaking down what tactics work best and which are less effective or, worse, tend to bring forth even more authoritarian leadership than that which is trying to be overthrown (spoiler: it's when violence is included. When violence is present, it succeeds less than half the time when it's nonviolent, and when it does succeed, it results in more authoritarian regimes following the resistance efforts than when it's been nonviolent). Strongly recommend the read."
If you think they'll actually do it, offer to read their book if they read The Jakarta Method.
That's a pretty good retort. I might have to try that.
Protests are not useless but only doing protests is useless. There are quotes from Marx and Lenin about participating in politics to show that liberal democracy is a sham and that the entire system needs to be overthrown. Protesting can be an organizing and radicalization point within that context of raising class consciousness.
These protests however are useless because there are no real demands, there is no mass movement or organization at work, they aren't even consistently done, and there is also no threat in any capacity to the system as a result. At the end of the day what is really being accomplished other than liberals blowing off some steam?
Yes yes you know what I meant.
Are you talking to my mother?
Ok this got a good laugh out of me.