David S. Meyer
I'm a professor of sociology and political science at the University of California, Irvine. I've been thinking, and writing about, protest politics for almost ever. This site offers comments on contemporary events, informed (I hope) by knowing something about history and about the academic study of social movements.
Tag Archives: Wisconsin
Movement overreach in Michigan
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder blamed the unions when he signed legislation designed to devastate them. He said that he had no intention of pursuing “right to work” legislation in his state, because it would be controversial and divisive. The last … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ALEC, Americans for Prosperity, countermovements, Indiana, Koch Brothers, labor, Michigan, Ohio, recall elections, referendum, Rick Snyder, right to work, Scott Walker, unions, Wisconsin
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Chicago teachers, commitment and numbers
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of people rallied to support the Chicago Teachers Union, as its representatives moved closer to a negotiated agreement with the city that would bring them back to work–and send 350,000 students back to school. Mayor … Continue reading
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Tagged bystanders, Chicago, commitment, education, elections, intensity, labor, Rahm Emanuel, teachers, Wisconsin
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Petitions, virtual and otherwise
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees “the people” the right to assembly and “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. “ Do petitions matter? How? Signing a piece of paper is one of … Continue reading
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Tagged Amnesty International, Change.org, initiative, petitions, recall, referendum, Scott Walker, Trayvon Martin, Troy Davis, Wisconsin
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Drawing a line from ALEC to Trayvon
George Zimmerman fired the shot that killed Trayvon Martin, but ALEC wrote the Stand Your Ground law at the core of his legal defense. Taken just a slight step further, ALEC also pressed for the budget cuts that have led … Continue reading
How the courts disappoint
American politics has provided some updates on our concerns about the courts and social movements (see: “You can’t count on the courts”). Be sure that activists will be disappointed–and that they are extremely unlikely to give up. In Wisconsin, the … Continue reading
You Can’t Count on the Courts to ________ Social Change
“Scarcely any political question arises in the United States that is not resolved, sooner or later, into a judicial question.” This is a tag from Alexis de Tocqueville’s monumental Democracy in America, published well over 150 years ago. This is … Continue reading
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Tagged Arizona, Brown v. Board of Education, courts, immigration, Roe v. Wade, Wisconsin
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Anger, Organization, and the Myth of Spontaneity
When protest explodes/emerges/erupts/ after a politician does–or threatens–something unappealing, we talk about the unrest as a response. So, we saw disruptions at town meetings across the country in 2009 about President Obama’s health care reforms, and we saw large demonstrations … Continue reading
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Tagged Frances Fox Piven, health care, organization, town meetings, unemployment, Wisconsin
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On Wisconsin: After Defeat, Activists Pick New Arenas
When a door closes, start trying the windows. A defeat in Wisconsin has spurred a new wave of activism, and advocates have turned their attention beyond the state senate. In the United States, when activists lose a battle in one … Continue reading
It’s not just protest (Madison)
Although those dramatic demonstrations, like the ones we saw in Madison, capture the imagination, by themselves, they won’t change a policy or a government. Protest signals, supports, and coerces. Changes in politics and policy depend upon how a broad range … Continue reading
