Author Archives: David S. Meyer

Unknown's avatar

About David S. Meyer

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

Counterprotests for health make strong images

Intensive care nurse Lauren Leander got a respectful hearing on CNN Thursday night, as she explained to Chris Cuomo why she decided to spend her day off staring down open up protesters in Phoenix. A few nurses dressed in clean … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Generational Divides, Student Activism, and the Youth Vote

Moblizing Ideas, a blog that Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Social Movements maintains, commissioned a series on youth activism–way before most of us were tuned into the way the #coronacrisis would take over our politics and lives. I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Organizing or Astroturf?

Critics of the scattered “Open Up” protests were quick to circulate a fine article from the Washington Post describing how three brothers committed to gun rights had launched Facebook accounts to promote the protests. The story, told by Isaac Stanley-Becker … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments