Thread by @Occupy_PDX

It's been a while since I did an info thread... let's fix that. If we know where our efforts are being felt, we can more intentionally focus or broaden pressure on decision-makers.
THREAD: Civil disobedience strategies and where they apply pressure. #defendpdx #pdxprotests (1/)

Shame: This is where the majority of actions began two months ago, and is by far the most popular in the US. It's the most simple: You display the hypocrisy, cruelty, etc of a target in order to socially pressure them into agreeing with your demands. (2/)

Shame is effective against opponents who genuinely do want to be (or appear to be) good people, or whose power is dependent on social capital. Unfortunately, it can only get you so far the bigger you go, since some people cannot be shamed and have other capital. (3/)

Sand in the gears: Interrupting the flow of the assembly line by getting in the way. Blockading an oil rig, flooding call lines, adding sugar to engines, shutting off power -it is a wide range of tactics for being a pain in the ass. It costs money and alters the risk/reward. (4/)

Throwing sand in the gears is a combination of affecting social capital AND directly harming the bottom line with concrete actions. This is also great for morale - seeing how you can, for just a little bit, affect them. They are not untouchable. (5/)

Active resistance: Basically a more direct sand in the gears. You are getting in the way of what they are doing, not just passively with your body, but by trying to stop them long-term. Old mining strikes (wars?) against military, slave rebellions... building destruction. (6/)

Sand in the gears & active resistance have a lot in common, the main dif in my mind comes from how proactive it is. Hanging from a bridge until they remove you is throwing sand in the gears. Multiple boats blocking off the river and matching escalation, active resistance. (7/)

Pull support: Similar to shame, but rather than directly targeting the central actors, you go to those who provide social and economic capital. Some might be sympathetic & it's easy as telling them the problem. Others are resistant, but are easier targets for pressure. (8/)

Without pillars of support, the central focus becomes much more vulnerable and can be influenced more easily. If you are able to isolate a target from funding or protection, momentum will carry and future efforts will yield more. (9/)

Pressure from above: Not much to say here, it's basically politics. If you go over the target's head and pass legislation, laws, etc OR get a political official to make a ruling, that can get you some ground. If your opposition is a politician, then the "above" is voters. (10/)

We've seen a lot of this scattered around in the last two months, but without much intention. Think proactively about what pressure is currently being applied and where another angle could prove a tipping point. Some actions can be done with an affinity group of ~20, too! (11/)

And, MOST importantly, don't try a strategy that has already shown to be ineffective against the same target. If it didn't work against them the first time, either there was a critical failure or it's not the right approach. (F)