Thread by @lyroloff

The source of power of social movements lies in two human qualities:
A strong sense of right and wrong. People have deeply felt beliefs and values, and they react with extreme passion and determination when they realize that these values are violated.

We understand the world and reality, in large part, through symbolism.

Social movements derive their power from an upset, impassioned, and motivated populace set into motion.

This happens when people recognize that their strongly felt beliefs, values, and interests are unjustly violated, and the population is provided with hope that change can happen and a means for them to act.

People are specially aroused to action when trusted public leaders, such as the President or Congresspeople, violate the public's trust to carry out their duties of office in an honest and lawful manner.

The process of achieving social change through social movements is the struggle between the movement and powerholders of the hearts, minds, and support (or acquiescence) of the general public.

The powerholders maintain their power and the status quo by hiding the moral violations of social conditions and by their policies. The first line of defense is through a strategy of "bureaucratic management" to prevent the issue from becoming a public issue.

This is achieved by (1) "internalized obedience," keeping the problem out of the public's view of the world and thereby out of people's consciousness; (2) keeping issues out of the public spotlight and off the society's agenda; and

(3) keeping the issue off of society's political agenda of hotly contested issues.
Some of the means used by the powerholders to achieve this strategy are the following
(1)maintain hegemony of information available to the public through the media (2) deny that the problem exists

(e.g., "no arms have been sent to Iran"); (3) create "societal myths" which define the problem for the public exactly the opposite of reality, such as calling the contras "freedom fighters" or saying that the Marcos Duvallier governments were part of the "free world";

and (4) create the threat of demons, such as Communism and terrorism, to install fear in the general population so that they will unquestioningly support whatever policies the powerholders take.

historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/moyerm…

Na, wer erkennt die Mechanismen wieder? #Bundestagswahl21 #Wahlkampf #btw21 #CDUrausausderRegierung #FDP @OlafScholz @ArminLaschet