[Peakoil] Stages of a social movement

[Alex P]

An item from the RunningOnEmpty2 Peak Oil email list:


Alex
O4O4873828

ACT Peak Oil
http://act-peakoil.org

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The editorial I read, though aimed at social movements in general 
and written with the animal rights movement in mind, struck me as 
possibly being relevant to Peak Oil, Global Warming, and other 
problems being dealt with today.

Here is the editorial, minus the last few paragraphs which tie the 
whole thing into the magazine's specific animal-rights issues.

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EMPOWERING THE MOVEMENT

Bill Moyer is a veteran of social change movements who has been 
involved in nonviolent campaigns since the sixties. Today, he 
coordinates the Social Movement Empowerment Project headquartered in 
San Francisco, and spends his time training other activists to 
become effective agents for social change through workshops based on 
the "Movement Action Plan." The MAP is a 16-page primer developed 
to guide activists through the eight distinct stages Moyer claims 
all successful movements pass through over a period of many years.

Stage one, dubbed "normal times" by Moyer, exists when the public is 
unaware that certain problems and injustices exist. Those who do 
perceive the problems and become concerned about them are usually 
ridiculed, and they may feel hopeless and powerless.

A movement begins to coalesce at stage two, and its task is to prove 
to the public that something is wrong. Though the majority 
continues to support the status quo at this point, public opinion 
slowly begins to reflect serious concern.

At stage three, the movement spreads – often through preexisting 
networks – and grassroots organizations form to create greater 
awareness through local involvement and demonstrations. At the end 
of stage three, only 20 to 30 percent of the populace agrees with 
the protestors, but the ground is prepared for the emergence of the 
movement into the public spotlight of stage four. This often begins 
with a "trigger event" that dramatically alerts the public to the 
situation in need of changing; and an "action" campaign with large 
rallies and civil disobedience puts the problem on the social 
agenda. A rapid shift in public consciousness occurs, and by the 
end of stage four, at least half the population supports the 
movement's basic premise.

Something of an identity crisis strikes at stage five for activists 
who have entertained unrealistic expectations of the length of time 
needed for fundamental social change, says Moyer. It seems that 
just as the movement's ideals become a popular theme, many of its 
proponents experience burnout and a loss of faith in their work. 
They believe they have failed because they have not achieved all 
their goals. Stage five is more a phase for individual activists to 
pass through than it is something the entire movement experiences at 
one time.

Moving into stage six requires that the movement, having achieved 
public support, consciously prepares for the long process of social 
transformation needed to create a new political consensus. The 
loosely structured movement, formerly based on short-term and more 
or less spontaneous protest, must now develop a program which will 
include massive public education, coalition building, mainstream 
political action, and the formulation of a new paradigm, or cultural 
model.

Success arrives at stage seven, when the new social and political 
conditions make it far more costly for official decision-makers to 
continue their policies than to change them.

Stage eight involves follow-up to make sure changes are properly 
implemented. At the end of the sequence, new movements are spawned 
as the now-elevated public consciousness is affronted by situations 
that once appeared acceptable. The cycle repeats itself over and 
over, stimulating the moral evolution of society.

The MAP model is not designed to influence the elite powerholders at 
the top of society (who may be willing to support minor reforms but 
remain interested in preserving the status quo); the goal of a 
movement is to educate, convert, and involve the public, as changes 
in laws and official policies follow changes in the awareness of the 
citizenry.
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My personal estimation is that the Peak Oil "movement" is at the 
beginnings of stage three, while the Global Warming "movement" is 
further into stage three.

Food for thought...

Sue
Western Great Basin