SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

How People Create Change

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• Was the Occupy Movement a true social movement like the textbook suggests?
• Why or why not?
• What about the Tea Party?

WHAT ARE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS?

• Loosely organized collections of people working outside established institutions, using unconventional and disruptive methods to get their voices heard by the public, the media and the government.
  • The goal of social movement(s): To promote, resist or undo some social change (They are looking to gain acceptance of their problems; the medium through which they do this is by being heard; the end goal of every social movement is to be heard by the public, the media and the government.)
  • The idea behind social movement(s): The general public does not know the problem that the social movement is trying to tackle; but if the public was aware of the problem, they advocate for a larger solution to the problem
  • They are different from Interest Groups and Political Parties
    • Both the Interests Group and Political Party work/act inside the government, in a way, are able to directly affect change. In contrast, social movements are indirect; they create change by bringing a large amount of outside pressure on the problem and because of this, social movements tend to focus on broad, society-wide issues (and not simply in minor changes in policy or a particular law)
  • They are the political institutions of outsiders
    • Made up of people who do not have access to the ordinary workings of politics, using the means that they have in their disposal (They are not heavily structured and are working outside established institutions)
    • Insiders can use other means to be heard
  • Mass Grassroots Phenomenon
    • The Power of a social movement is derived from large numbers of people involved in the social movement and not the resources or the money (They have people who are willing to spend time and effort to bring about a social change)
  • Has a shared sense of grievance (A problem that affects a lot of people that needs a large action)
  • Unconventional/disruptive tactics
    • Using unconventional/disruptive tactics to let the people see the problem and to get their voices heard by the public, the media and the government. These bring attention to the issue.
  • They often turn into interest groups
    • As they become more successful, they lose their outsider status; they become insiders and continue their work by creating interest groups

4. MANY JOIN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

THE CYCLE OF THE SOCIAL MOVEMENT

• The Idea of MOMENTUM is useful and important for a particular social movement
• #1: They hold protests and do things to gain attention of power holders, or the government of the people. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN NOW. What happens instead is that the social movements focus their energy on the public.
• #2: Social Movements alert, educate, inspire, involve and engage with the public. The public has the ability to bring a larger amount of attention towards the federal government.
• #3: As the social movement engages with the public, the general public influences the government and;
• #4: Members of the public will join the Social Movement -> MOMENTUM

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN A MAJORITARIAN DEMOCRACY

• What is the role of social movement in a majoritarian democracy? Do social movements fit in a democracy?
  • Utilize a small minority (They don’t engage with the majority)
  • Use disruptive means to achieve their ends
• Things that social movements do to increase and promote democracy
  • Encouraging participation (They help people get involved and engaged in politics)
    • may help increase political interest (among the people)
    • Instrument of outsiders (Outsiders are people who are not part of the major forms of government; they have no way of being heard)
    • Bring attention to issue that may have been ignored
  • Help overcome political inequalities
    • Can help people without resources to enter politics
    • They do this through mass mobilization
      • Involving large numbers of people in a social movement

• Creating new majorities
  • Creates the situation to convert a large number of people to an idea
    • Labor Unions (Labor Unions were illegal before)
  • Overcoming Constitutional Limitations
    • The energy of a social movement can overcome the difficulties to change the constitution
    • Most major social reforms/constitutional amendments are the result of large-scale social movements
      • Voting rights, social security, environmental protection, etc.