I donât think this is an accurate portrayal of what Dale was trying to say.
I donât see them actively recommending a particular policy in the postâjust noting that some studies of repressive behavior find that it may lead to a certain outcome. It can be true that repression sometimes quells riots while also being true that it has many other negative outcomes and should clearly be avoided. (Though I didnât see Dale say that, either, and I donât want to put words in their mouth.)
Of course, the vague term ârepressionâ and the differing social context of the examples Dale cited mean that blanket statements like âliterature suggests that repression is effectiveâ arenât very useful, and I wish theyâd acknowledged that more clearly in their post, especially given the awful consequences of policies like âharsher prison sentences for a lot of people.â
*****
As for the claim that âjusticeâ will clear up protests quickly; leaving aside the question of which specific demands will have a positive impact on their own merit (likely many), have we seen enough demands granted so far to have a sense of what usually happens after vis-a-vis public protest? Especially in cases where actually following through on promises of change will take a long time?
The clearest example of responsiveness to protest I can recall (havenât been following the topic too closely) was action taken by the Minneapolis City Council to ban certain restraint practices and explore âdismantlingâ the police department. Did either action lead directly to a reduction in public protest?
I donât think this is an accurate portrayal of what Dale was trying to say.
I donât see them actively recommending a particular policy in the postâjust noting that some studies of repressive behavior find that it may lead to a certain outcome. It can be true that repression sometimes quells riots while also being true that it has many other negative outcomes and should clearly be avoided. (Though I didnât see Dale say that, either, and I donât want to put words in their mouth.)
Of course, the vague term ârepressionâ and the differing social context of the examples Dale cited mean that blanket statements like âliterature suggests that repression is effectiveâ arenât very useful, and I wish theyâd acknowledged that more clearly in their post, especially given the awful consequences of policies like âharsher prison sentences for a lot of people.â
*****
As for the claim that âjusticeâ will clear up protests quickly; leaving aside the question of which specific demands will have a positive impact on their own merit (likely many), have we seen enough demands granted so far to have a sense of what usually happens after vis-a-vis public protest? Especially in cases where actually following through on promises of change will take a long time?
The clearest example of responsiveness to protest I can recall (havenât been following the topic too closely) was action taken by the Minneapolis City Council to ban certain restraint practices and explore âdismantlingâ the police department. Did either action lead directly to a reduction in public protest?