As a lifelong participant, observer, scholar & often sympathizer of many protest movements: thoughtless protests can, do and will backfire.
-
-
Replying to @zeynep
Trump has many obstacles; he's likely to lose. Except authoritarian demagogues do better when anxiety & sense of uncontrolled chaos goes up.
2 replies 29 retweets 49 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
This decade's wave of protests had it almost all: resonance, legitimacy, numbers. The one thing they didn't: strategic thinking & control.
2 replies 17 retweets 26 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
I know younger protesters don't listen to older folks urging strategy. Still, whoever you are, please don't succumb to pressure to affirm.
2 replies 10 retweets 17 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
Don't confuse "respectability" politics with criticism of self-absorbed acts under guise of protest—this irresponsibility will have victims.
1 reply 14 retweets 22 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
"Respectability" politics deserves criticism when protesters are directed to please those in power. Strategic thinking is something else.
1 reply 13 retweets 22 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
Strategic thinking focuses on the goal—stop Trump—and wonders how different trajectories would play out and then self-regulates accordingly.
1 reply 15 retweets 20 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
/end another thread nobody will listen to. Sad to say I watched this play out in last decade's protest movements and.. I know how it can go.
6 replies 5 retweets 17 likes -
Replying to @zeynep
tbh, a lot of the problems step from this gen's idealization of "leaderless" protest. Occupy, then BLM, and now Trump.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @haircut_hippie @zeynep
it sounds good in theory--horizontal leaderless protests--but the lack of direction kills any real gains. b/c there are few goals.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
They do often have goals but have no means to create and self-regulate boundaries. Fuels flop & rise of authoritarians.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.