- What makes a peaceful protest effective?
It’s easy to feel exhausted or numbed by the sheer number of demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks, and skeptical of what they’ve accomplished. But evidence suggests this kind of action actually works.
More people are willing and able to participate in nonviolent movements, and there is power in numbers. Nonviolent forms of resistance “are more inclusive and representative in terms of gender, age, race, political party, class and the urban rural distinction,” Erica Chenoweth, director of the Program on Nonviolent Action at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said in a TEDx talk.
Nonviolent protest is also more likely to attract sympathy from outsiders and gain traction that way. Violent protest can result in property damage, injury and even death. Because of that, third-party, non-involved citizens tend to worry that violent protests will negatively affect them and the places around them, evolutionary psychologist Jesse Marczyk wrote for Psychology Today.
- When ‘slacktivism’ turns to activism
Younger generations pride themselves on their civic engagement, a lot of which is happening online. We see things like posting our opinions to social media or signing online petitions as a form of activism.
New research by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement suggests young people’s “slacktivism” and “clicktivism” is translating to real world action, like participating in protests.
Nearly a fourth of adults ages 18 to 24 said they “have engaged in at least one form of offline activism such as attending a march, sitting in or occupying a place as an act of civil disobedience, walking out of school or college to make a statement, or participating in a union strike,” CIRCLE reported.
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