Practicing the Art of Dissent

Abstract

Protest events present portraits of social problems—people, through collective action, send a message to society through their performance of opposition. The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution and diversity of specific activities taking place at protest events in the United States from 2006 to 2009. We empirically examine these activities by drawing on preliminary data from a sample of nearly 2,500 protest events reported in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. To more clearly understand our contentious repertoire, we build upon coding protocol developed by the Dynamics of Collective Action Project and examine over 60 specific activities utilized by activists. What we show—in addition to the fact that protester actions, while sometimes confrontational, are overwhelmingly nonviolent—is that the majority of all protester activity at protest events during the period under study involves literally symbolic, aesthetic, and sensory qualities. In this article, we present a typology of six broad activity categories and propose directions for future research.

We should all be marching: Why humanistic psychologists should take action toward social justice.

“…As marginalized groups have historically been barred from access to policy makers and have had limited routes for advocating change, protests have become the means of expression (Hall, 2005;Hoffman et al, 2016;Perry, 2013). Ratliff and Hall (2014) described protest events as the way in which people, through collective action, make their voices heard and send a message to authority highlighting social, cultural, economic, and political problems. Without true representation in their elected officials, marginalized individuals and groups need alternative communication modes, including disruptive protest (Hoffman et al, 2016).…”

“…Opponents paint Black Lives Matter as anti-White, antigovernment, and antipolice, covertly suggesting that the Black Lives Matter movement, and Black people in general, are trying to tear down the government, the economy, and all that White people have gained (Drakulich et al, 2020; Hoffman et al, 2016; Updegrove et al, 2020). Casting Black Lives Matter in this way elicits fear and anger in the privileged group, which contributes to increased racial tensions, reinforces the need for organizations like Black Lives Matter, and results in increased police presence at protest events organized or attended by Black citizens and groups (Hoffman et al, 2016; Ratliff & Hall, 2014).…”

“…The divide between protestors and privileged onlookers becomes greater when acts of violence or property damage occur. Protestors are often portrayed by the media as violent, referred to as “thugs” and “looters,” yet Ratliff and Hall (2014) found that while protest events are sometimes confrontational, the overwhelming majority of protestor actions are nonviolent (see also Becket, 2021). Black Lives Matter endorses nonviolent protest tactics and condemns the use of violence by unrelated instigators who sometimes attend Black Lives Matter events intending to create chaos (Hoffman et al, 2016).…”

“…Although Black Lives Matter endorses nonviolent protest actions, violence and rioting have occurred at some protest events connected with the movement (Becket, 2021; Hoffman et al, 2016; Hooker, 2016). Law enforcement presence at protests organized and attended by Black individuals and groups is greater than at those organized by White protestors (Becket, 2021; Ratliff & Hall, 2014). Increasingly, local police have responded to peaceful protests in riot gear and have been accompanied by paramilitary police forces.…”

All About Iraq: Re-Modifying Older Slogans and Chants in Tishreen [October] Protests

“…Several activists told the press they hoped to motivate others to join the demonstrations after the violent crackdown caused their momentum to dwindle ( The New Arab , 2019). In other words, Iraqi protestors appeared to strategically draw on shared cognitive and cultural schemas (Ratliff and Hall, 2014) by choosing a familiar song that restored an anti-Iran sentiment while attempting to disconnect it from its original war and Baathist context through reframing. The latter represents a strategic move ‘consciously initiated in order to present a narrative in a certain light’, redefining its features (Baker, 2006: 167).…”