My model is that big protests require (1) raising the public awareness, then (2) solving the coordination problems to organize. Small protests are one way to incrementally raise awareness, and one way to solve coordination problems/snowball into big protests (as I’d outlined in a footnote in the post).
But small protests can’t serve their role in (2) without (1) being done first. You can’t snowball public sentiments without those sentiments existing. So prior to the awareness-raising groundwork being made, the only role of protests is just (1): to incrementally raise public awareness, by physically existing in bystanders’ fields of vision.
I agree that protests can be a useful activity, potentially uniquely useful; including small protests.
I am very skeptical that small protests are uniquely useful at this stage of the game.
My model is that big protests require (1) raising the public awareness, then (2) solving the coordination problems to organize. Small protests are one way to incrementally raise awareness, and one way to solve coordination problems/snowball into big protests (as I’d outlined in a footnote in the post).
But small protests can’t serve their role in (2) without (1) being done first. You can’t snowball public sentiments without those sentiments existing. So prior to the awareness-raising groundwork being made, the only role of protests is just (1): to incrementally raise public awareness, by physically existing in bystanders’ fields of vision.
I agree that protests can be a useful activity, potentially uniquely useful; including small protests.
I am very skeptical that small protests are uniquely useful at this stage of the game.