Nov 29, 2022·edited Nov 29, 2022Liked by Starr O'Hara
This is startling! I have never seen such a thing coming out of China. We seem to be witnessing a turning point that has happened recently in that country, a critical mass of sorts may have been reached. Tyrants always push too hard and too fast, thank goodness, and 2023 maybe the year that this particular tide turns. I am very encouraged to see this. The moment where the protestors rescue the outspoken man was as big, in its way, as the Canadian Freedom Convoy. Both were clear messages to their dictators: we are many, we are mighty, and we have had enough.
Nov 29, 2022·edited Nov 29, 2022Liked by Starr O'Hara
In political science, there's a theory called "revolutionary threshold" It states that each person has a certain number of other people that they need to see stand up against the regime, before they have the courage to do so.
Under oppressive regimes, most people pretend to support a system that they secretly hate. This "preference falsification" keeps the true level of opposition a secret both from the government and from the public. However, if an event temporarily lowers the revolutionary threshold of enough people to spark significant protests, a lot of other people realize that they're not alone in their feelings. Then, even if they have a higher revolutionary threshold, the number of people may be high enough to give them the courage to step up and join the protest.
I wrote about this recently, in the context of Iran, but the situation in China is an even better example.
This is startling! I have never seen such a thing coming out of China. We seem to be witnessing a turning point that has happened recently in that country, a critical mass of sorts may have been reached. Tyrants always push too hard and too fast, thank goodness, and 2023 maybe the year that this particular tide turns. I am very encouraged to see this. The moment where the protestors rescue the outspoken man was as big, in its way, as the Canadian Freedom Convoy. Both were clear messages to their dictators: we are many, we are mighty, and we have had enough.
In political science, there's a theory called "revolutionary threshold" It states that each person has a certain number of other people that they need to see stand up against the regime, before they have the courage to do so.
Under oppressive regimes, most people pretend to support a system that they secretly hate. This "preference falsification" keeps the true level of opposition a secret both from the government and from the public. However, if an event temporarily lowers the revolutionary threshold of enough people to spark significant protests, a lot of other people realize that they're not alone in their feelings. Then, even if they have a higher revolutionary threshold, the number of people may be high enough to give them the courage to step up and join the protest.
I wrote about this recently, in the context of Iran, but the situation in China is an even better example.
https://dystopianliving.substack.com/p/why-revolutions-are-always-a-surprise