Sources for over 3.5%: see the 2023 election results. 60 million people were willing to vote for a genocidal prick over trump.

This is the point I am discussing in this thread.

I, personally, did not come up with the 3.5% number. Rather, I read what was written by people who publish their findings and rationale. I’ve provided sources that informed my opinion. My opinion could be wrong. If so I look forward to changing it, and thank you for taking the time to inform me better.

To the point: I don’t see how quoting election figures counters the 3.5% number regarding protests. ‘Election’ and ‘protest’ are not synonymous, and the relationship between them are not as simplistic as you infer.

To clarify, and to the (certainly unintentional) strawman-ing of some of what I have posted:

• Re: No-Kings Protests - I’ve never suggested that all protests are effective. I don’t believe that at all. I said protests the size of 3.5% of a population affect change. I’m not aware of any protest that has been that well attended yet.
• Re: Violence - My point was to counter the incorrect claim that the 3.5% referred to violent protests. I’m not making any further claim beyond that. I’ve cited the source material
• Re: Support - I’ve never claimed that 3.5% support will change anything. I’ve only stated that a protest of 3.5% population does cause change, historically.
• Re: Idiocy - I can confirm that I am an idiot. That’s why I read books, because I’ve found that the facts often are unintuitive. The good news is that if we read what people have figured out before critically, then we often don’t have to relearn things the hard way. I highly recommend this process over the alternative.
• Re: Sources - I’ve provided sources for you so you can verify that I’m not just pulling random statements out of my ass. I don’t expect you will actually look at them, but objecting to them with anecdotes and unrelated reasoning seems like a fruitless way to spend your time. But please, continue if you’d like…

It’s funny that in 2025 people still think that just saying shit on the internet means anything.

Sources, or stfu dude.

The 3.5% rule is a concept in political science that states that when 3.5% of the population of a country protest nonviolently against a government, that government is likely to fall from power. The rule was formulated by Erica Chenoweth in 2013. It arose out of insights originally published by political scientist Mark Lichbach in 1995 in his book The Rebel’s Dilemma: Economics, Cognition, and Society.

Non-Violent

Before Trump’ first term I didn’t think any president would get away with:

• overturn Roe v. Wade
• Accept multi-million dollar bribes from historical enemies
• Be a convicted felon
• Incite an insurrection
• Deploy marines into an American city
• Refuse to return documents of the highest security clearance
• Have publicly supported, criminal proceedings against him dismissed.
• Blatantly destroy the 100+ year friendly relationship with Canada
• Demand personal loyalty pledges from his appointees
• Publicly ask Russia to help him during his presidential campaign
• Ask a govenor to fraudulently manufacture electoral votes
• Public threats to private citizens about revoking their citizenship
• No due process extraditions to brutal, non-American, non-Democratic countries prison’s
• Suddenly abandon military bases leaving allies fucked
• Tarrifing the world … I’m tired of writing this shit.

At this point Trump could bomb a U.S. city, claim it was a terrorist attack, and just dismiss any agency that contradicted him. Fox ‘news’ would tell their viewers that the Liberals were blaming Trump just because they hate him, and they would fall in line. Any news program that claimed otherwise would be labeled “fake news”. The sheep that watch Fox news would cancel any host who dared question Trump.

There is no one holding him accountable for anything. The Supreme Court told him to turn planes around and he just didn’t. If Trump dropped a bomb on a U.S. city, assuming you could convince people he did it (which I doubt), who is it that goes to the White House and drag him to court? No one. They wouldn’t let anyone in.

The only solution is protest. If 3% of Americans protested things would change. Historically, 3% is the number. But the longer they wait the harder it is, and they are all convinced they can’t do anything.

Glasses