Thread: 8 Stages of Successful Social Movement

Glenn Beck covered this one last night. He suggests that we may be stuck in the "Perception of Failure" stage in the tea party and other conservative movements. This model came from Bill Moyers a social change activist.

http://justlists.wordpress.com/2009/10/ ... movements/

We are one step away from "success" and must not remain in the "perception of failure" stage. Keep emailing/faxing/calling your elected critters. The only ones we want in this stage are the progressives/libtards!!

1. Critical Social Problem Exists
o Violates widely-held values
o Powerholders support problem:
- "Official Policies" tout values
- Real "Operating Policies" violate values
o Public is unaware of the problem
o Public supports powerholders
o Problem/policies not a public issue
2. Prove Failure of Official Institutions
o Many new local opposition groups.
o Use official channels:
- courts, government offices, commissions, hearings: prove they don't work.
o Become experts; Do research.
3. Ripening Conditions
o Recognition of problem and victims grow.
o Public sees victim's faces
o More active local groups
o Need pre-existing institutions available to new movement.
o 20-30% oppose powerholder policies.
4. Take-Off
o Trigger Event
o Dramatic actions/campaigns
o Actions show public that conditions & policies violate widely held values.
o Actions repeated around the country
o Problem put on the social agenda.
o New Social Movement rapidly "takes-off"
o 40% of public oppose current policies/conditions
5. Perception of Failure
o See goals unachieved.
o See powerholders unchanged.
o See numbers down at demonstrations.
o Despair, hopelessness, burnout, dropout, seems movement ended.
o Emergence of a Negative Rebel.
6. Majority Public Opinion
o Majority oppose present conditions and powerholder policies.
o Show how the problem and policies affect all sectors of society.
o Involve mainstream citizens and institutions in addressing the problem.
o Put the problem on the political agenda
o Promote alternatives
o Counter each powerholder strategy
o Demonology: Powerholders promote public's fear of alternative.
o Promote a Paradigm Shift, not only reforms.
o Re-trigger events happen, re-enacting Stage 4 for a short period.
7. Success
o Large Majority oppose current policies and no longer fear alternative.
o Many powerholders split off and change positions
o End game process:
- Powerholders change policies (its more costly to continue old policies than to change)
- Powerholders are voted out of office
- Slow invisinble powerholder attrition
o New laws and policies
o Powerholders try to make minimal reforms, while movement demands social change.
8. Continuation
o Extend successes (ex: even stronger civil rights laws).
o Oppose attempts at a backlash
o Promote paradigm shift
o Focus on other sub-issues.
o Recognize/celebrate successes so far.
X. Focus more on other sub-goals, spin off new social movements
Characteristics of Movement Process:
• Social Movements are composed of many Sub-goals and sub-movements each in their own stage.
• Strategy & tactics are different for each sub-movement, according to the stage each is in.
• Keep advancing Sub-movements through the 8 stages.
• Each sub movement is focused on a specific goal (eg, for civil rights movements: restaurants, voting, public accomodations).
• All of the sub-movements promote the same paradigm shift (e.g. from hard to soft energy policy.)
Public Must be convinced 3 times:
• That there is a problem. (4)
• To oppose current conditions and policies (4, 6, 7)
• To want, no longer fear, alternatives (6, 7)

I watched this last night, I watch Glen every night.

I wonder if the man (Glenn) will eventually come to the realization that he may very well be the George Washington he keeps calling for.

Anyway, I love that we are turning their own playbook against them.

Obama seems to be doing most of the work for us!