I love love. I love peace. I want to see peace and love thrive in every area of life, including the political arena.

But still. I’ve had my doubts.

Sure, it feels good to be in a crowd of like-minded individuals, all standing for peace and love and justice. It feels good to sing songs of overcoming, songs of solidarity, songs that no one can remember all the words except for that lady next to you who marched in all the Vietnam protests and still remembers everything.

But still. I’ve had my doubts.

What do non-violent protests really do anyway?

Turns out, they do a lot.

Thanks to my friend, Sara Stevens Nicols, I recently read an article that blew my mind.

Did you know that nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to succeed as violent ones? Did you know that nonviolent protests have been successful not just against incompetent and politically weak regimes, but also against brutal autocratic ones?

A scholar out of Harvard University named Erica Chenoweth has done a ton of research on protest movements over the last century. Before they came along (Yes, Chenoweth is a they! My people!), no one had ever researched the effectiveness of nonviolent versus violent protests.

Even Chenoweth was skeptical about what they might find. Like me, they thought maybe the Peace and Love people were just hopeful and not at all effective.

What they found was just the opposite. As I stated above, they discovered that nonviolent protest movements are much more effective than violent ones.

And here’s the kicker.

Are you ready?

It’s really cool.

Chenoweth also discovered that once a movement reaches 3.5% of the population, its success is guaranteed.

At the time the article I cited above was written, 3.5% of the US population was 11 million. It’s now closer to 12 million.

The data on the recent No Kings protests was estimated at anywhere from 5 to 8 million, depending on the source. I’m waiting for Chenoweth and their researchers to give a number, which will take a little while. (You can see that research HERE.) Whatever the number, we’re well on our way to the 3.5%.

Ever since I heard about Chenoweth and their work, I’ve had a new feeling about our current political climate and my place in it. I’m gonna give it a word.

Hope.

Standing for peace and justice makes a difference.

Acting from a place of love and an adherence to the principles of nonviolent resistance makes a difference. A huge difference.

It can topple violent, repressive regimes.

With only 3.5% percent of the population.

Granted, by the time you get 3.5% actively involved, you have a lot of other folks who agree with the movement. You have people who would love to be on the streets, or participate in the financial boycotts, but can’t for one reason or another.

But the power of 3.5%, to me, also speaks to the fact that Love is sooooooo much more powerful than hate. You can make that claim, and it sounds all la la la and hokey, but now Chenoweth, my them/them pal, is here to back up the la la la with facts.

And there’s nothing I love more than la la la plus facts.

Knowing about the 3.5% rule makes me want to participate however I can. As opposed to before I knew about it, when I was more meh. I’m no longer meh! I’m la la la plus facts! And that’s a pretty exciting place to be.

If you want to find out more about Chenoweth and the 3.5%, check out the BBC article. It includes links to a bunch of other rabbit holes you can explore on the topic. To find out more about Chenoweth’s recent research, go HERE. And, as I said above, their data on recent protests is HERE.

Power to the People! Go Love! La la la plus facts!

What’s your experience with nonviolent protests? Share your comments below!

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