Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Cabin fever versus Covid fever, COVID-19, 6/x

The public reactions to the sprinkle of open up protests has been, like virtually everything else these days, heavily partisan and polemical. The picture at left, from Huntington Beach, is one of the scattered protests to end–or loosen–restrictions on commerce … Continue reading

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Drive by tooting; protest in cars, COVID-19 5/x

Honk if you hate government. A report from Lansing: Activists are always looking for ways to demonstrate their concerns. A good tactic energizes your supporters, discomforts your opponents, and engages bystanders. Despite the extraordinary range of imaginable activities out there, … Continue reading

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Opportunistic Advocacy (1/x); COVID-19 (4/x)

Effective advocates don’t want to waste a crisis. They try to photobomb into public attention to advance their concerns. Sometimes, it’s a clear fit–in direct response to the challenges of the moment; sometimes, they fly a long favored reform or … Continue reading

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Comfort, Congregation, Contagion,Contention, COVID-19 (3/x)

Public worship, especially when prohibited, is often political. The litany of martyrs who practiced their faith against the dictates of their governments stretches at least a couple of thousand years. Stories of individuals or groups standing up against authoritarian states … Continue reading

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Cesar Chavez Day, 2020

In the virtual lockdown we’re living through in California, where one day bleeds into another, I’d almost forgotten about Cesar Chavez Day.  Here’s a piece I wrote about the holiday in 2018, recycled, augmented, and reedited, with a few distressing … Continue reading

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Solidarity and social distance, COVID-19 2/x

If you can’t meet in person, how can you protest effectively, or build the communities that can support effective action in the future? Online connections and social media provide an exceptional set of resources for organizers to spread information about … Continue reading

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Social distance and social movements, COVID-19, #1/x

How does good medical advice affect meaningful collective action? Before the recognition of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, we were living in a time of intense political mobilization–all over the world. But now, advisories to maintain social distance undermine the … Continue reading

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Young people lead

It felt good to see this new picture, posted on Twitter by both Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. Malala,  now  23,  has  been  a crusader  for  human rights, particularly educating  girls  in  Pakistan.  She’s paid a severe price for her … Continue reading

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Loyalty

Donald Trump is trying to destroy Mitt Romney. It starts with snarky side comments in front of reporters and on Twitter, continues through allies–and other Trumps–disparaging disloyalty and demanding that Romney be ousted from the Republican caucus, and will escalate … Continue reading

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Sixtieth anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the start of the sit-in campaign in Greensboro, North Carolina. I’m always moved and encouraged by the audacity of those young men, and there’s a special reason to repost this year. As the stilted impeachment … Continue reading

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