Protests then vs. “protests” now

GUNITSKY: It seems to be the case that protests are just easier to organize today, and there’s now more non-violent protest movements in the last 20 years than ever before, averaging more than 50 movements each year. During most of the Cold War, during the ’90s, you had about half that. So this is a golden age for social movements in some way, at least for their numbers, at least for their visibility. But success rates, not so much. Actually, we’ve seen a decline in the success rates of social movements by about 20% compared to just 10 years ago.

SHAPIRO: Wow.

Source: NPR All Things Considered 11/29/19  Why So Many People Are Taking To The Streets In Protests Around The World

This is something I’ve written a fair amount about at Complex Praxis. I think there is a lot to be gained from listening to the ghosts of movements past, ghosts that tell us about the pain they endured and the way that pain changed the material conditions they and their families and friends lived in.