QUICK TAKE: How to MAXIMIZE BACKFIRE from threats and acts of political violence
Timely strategy advice on how to make Trump's strategy in L.A. and across the country backfire spectacularly
Folks, we have reached the deliberate provocation and then repression stage of rising fascism in the United States.
I will keep this quick: we lose if we play checkers and react to this repression without strategy. We win if we play chess and maximize backfire against the acts of political violence we are all seeing in Los Angeles.
Here’s a sneak peek:
Scholar Brian Martin and others have examined instances around the world in which a wide range of abuses (especially those involving violence) backfired, as well as instances where they did not.
Over time, Martin identified five methods that perpetrators rely on to try to inhibit outrage and minimize backfire against injustice. These methods are:
1. Cover-up – Hide the unjust actions, deny they ever happened, and prevent word from spreading about them.
2. Devaluation – Try to lower the social standing of the target.
3. Reinterpretation – Attempt to downplay the amount of damage caused by the injustice, portray the injustice as unavoidable or for a greater good, and/or deect blame to others.
4. Official channels – Set up inquiries and investigations that move slowly, limit public visibility or input, rely on technical rules, and provide only the appearance of justice.
5. Intimidation and rewards – Threaten people who may speak out against injustice, and reward people for remaining silent.
Often these methods are effective at preventing or reducing backfire. However, sometimes the perpetrators’ tactics fail, and backfire occurs. When it does, it is often because people relied on five principles (which can be remembered as the “5 Rs” below) to heighten outrage and increase mobilization against injustice. These principles are:
1. Reveal – Expose the injustice.
2. Redeem – Validate the target.
3. Reframe – Interpret the event as an injustice.
4. Redirect – Mobilize support and avoid official channels.
5. Resist – Resist intimidation and bribes.
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