The 3.5% Rule

From France:

 

Thank you France
 

 

 "Non-violent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change."

Really?

I didn’t know that. A blog reader suggested I look into the 3.5% rule, and I did.

Viola’, good news.

I didn’t walk in Eugene, Oregon’s No King’s Parade, on Saturday, but I, in my trusty pickup, crossed the bridge spanning the Willamette River to pick up my kids who did. Protestors lined the bridge, friendly waving, signs waving, people cheering, thumbs up upping. It was great. I was in a parade of cars.

Today, I found the 3.5% rule, which gave me hope. Way to go, Thank you, dear reader!

“The “3.5 rule” is a set of conclusions from research conducted by Erica Chenoweth and Matthew Stephan, authors of “Why Civil Resistance Works.” They reviewed historical data and found support for the notion that a government could not successfully withstand a challenge when 3.5% of its population actively mobilized against it.”

--Richard Seifman, June 11, 2025, former World Bank Health Advisor and U,.s. Senior Foreign Service Officer.

 

Non-violent protests such as the No King March held yesterday, June 14, 2025, allows people who are empathetic to a cause to bring their voices to the table in a non-violent way. It also fosters solidarity among diverse groups.

When a government or establishment portrays demonstrators as violent or aggressive, riling them with tear gas or the military instead of letting local authorities handle a violent outbreak—which can happen when people get seriously riled, it tells the world this is serious--It is a desperate attempt to squelch dissent.

Remember the 50s’ and 60s’ when individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr. championed non-violent tactics such as boycotts, sit-ins, and marches. They were met with resistance too, but they persevered. They changed people’s opinions. When people coalesced behind their leadership, legislative change happened. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 came into effect.

The anti-apartheid movement in South Africa’s success, was mainly due to the non-violent strategies employed by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Their approach built a domestic coalition and garnered international support. That pressured South African leadership to end Apartheid rule.

In India, Mahatma Gandhi led several peaceful protests that encompassed “Satyagraha,” a philosophy of non-violent resistance emphasizing truth and love force over violence.

Watching tanks roll by? Spending 45 million dollars to do it? “Peanuts,” said the President.

Hey, I like peanuts. The people could use a few.

  

From San Francisco:

 Cool

 

"Hello"

 

 

"Never Talk Religion or Politics."

 

A rule of etiquette—in business, at the dinner table, at the barbershop, and elsewhere. This phrase, “Never discuss religion or politics with those who hold opinions opposite to yours,” has been cited in print since at least 1840.

And what do I do? I break the rule. (Family member—I wasn’t at the barbershop.)

Here was the rebuke: “If catastrophe befalls you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”—

Whoa.

What if you really do want to know what they think? I read about the Ancient Egyptians, so the story went that when a stranger came to their village, they asked them what their religion was, for they were receptive to all kinds, and really wanted to know what this new person brought to the table.

Linus, from the Peanuts comic strip in 1961, said, “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people…religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”

I’ve only broken two of the three.  

 I looked up the author of the quote at the top of the page.

It was Richard Bach. I love that man. He wrote Illusions, my most-read book. (Also Jonathan Livingston Seagull.) I found this:

 

Okay, Dokey, guys that lets me off the hook. I will continue to read, learn, wonder, and invite others to jump in whenever they take a notion.

Hop in and tell me what you think.

Comment

I should let Peaches, the Pink Party Poodle for Peace, do the speaking for a while.

dogblogbypeaches.blogspot.com/

See ya later,

Jo

"To wonder and invite others to wonder with me."