2010-2020 saw more mass protests around the world than at any other point in human history, but the societal changes that resulted were often the opposite of what protesters demanded. Author Vincent Bevins explains why.
Small protests are easily ignored. DC climate action protest - 75k people in a nation of 300+ million - even if the muster 1m it’s still peanuts. It doesn’t even move the needle.
Take that same number, 1 million, and have the vast majority be from Georgia marching in Atlanta. Georgia is 10m with 7m available voters. Now we have enough numbers to push the needle.
Sure it’s not on a Federal level, but politics are local. Federal action is a quagmire unless enough localities begin to gel behind a single direction - then those seeking Federal office will have to pivot.
Not enough people care, and the will never care. Most people just want to know that tonight there is bread in the table and that at least this month they’ll be okay. Most people don’t really look beyond that, nor do they want yo, or they feel like their voice won’t matter anyeay.
I guess it’s sort of the same reason why so few people vote. If everyone that could vote would vote, the Republican party would cease to exist the next day. But alas, people don’t. Republicans relatively speaking, do vote a shit load and with that they get a lot of power, something that is nicely exploited by the assholes
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Small protests are easily ignored. DC climate action protest - 75k people in a nation of 300+ million - even if the muster 1m it’s still peanuts. It doesn’t even move the needle.
Take that same number, 1 million, and have the vast majority be from Georgia marching in Atlanta. Georgia is 10m with 7m available voters. Now we have enough numbers to push the needle.
Sure it’s not on a Federal level, but politics are local. Federal action is a quagmire unless enough localities begin to gel behind a single direction - then those seeking Federal office will have to pivot.
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The UK had its chance with the EU referendum and voted to leave. The populace had a chance to voice its opinion and it did.
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And that right there is the problem.
Not enough people care, and the will never care. Most people just want to know that tonight there is bread in the table and that at least this month they’ll be okay. Most people don’t really look beyond that, nor do they want yo, or they feel like their voice won’t matter anyeay.
I guess it’s sort of the same reason why so few people vote. If everyone that could vote would vote, the Republican party would cease to exist the next day. But alas, people don’t. Republicans relatively speaking, do vote a shit load and with that they get a lot of power, something that is nicely exploited by the assholes