Feeling hopeless?

What we need is enough people and some good trouble

The current administration isn’t even a week in and I already feel overwhelmed. And that’s the aim, their goal. They want you to feel angry and powerless. Maybe even make plans to get rid of them. They probably hope a group of brave men and women will try something. Even when it’s mildly violent, they will strike it down. They will be merciless and they will make sure it’s plastered wall to wall on news channels and social media. They won’t make the same mistakes like the Democrats after January 6. For me, I don’t want any well-meaning citizen to end up in prison for life. So what is the solution? I’ve been wreaking my brain and then I remembered the 3.5% rule. Many years ago, I read an article about how a small minority can change the world. It was based upon research by Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard University and Maria Stephan, a researcher at the International Center of Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). They found that: “Once around 3.5% of the whole population has begun to participate actively, success appears to be inevitable.” What impressed me most was the emphasis on the non-violent part of the protest. I won’t repeat the article, better to read it for yourself. Here is a link: BBC article: The 3.5% rule.

Of course, 3.5% of the US population is a lot. Somewhere around 11 million people. Roughly 15% of all the Harris voters and a third of the Bluesky members. It’s a lot, but not impossible. If anything, it gives me a little hope. Something I really need nowadays.