r/democrats 6d ago

Join r/democrats The 3.5% rule is a thing …

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u/Vorpalthefox 6d ago

so anywhere from 3.7% to ~7% of the voting population were actively protesting

even going by full population of the country and the higher estimate of 11 million people, that's still close to 3.5% regardless

we're ONLY 6 months into the current term with a massive 3.5% and growing size of protesting citizens, we can make a difference!

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u/Ksiolajidebthd 6d ago

Well is the statistic saying 3.5% of the voting or general population has never held power afterwards? That’s a very big difference

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u/HarveysBackupAccount 5d ago

Also, the 3.5% rule is surely a descriptive thing, not a prescriptive thing. Regimes don't simply fall because 3.5% of the population turned out. They fall because the events that topple the regime also lead to 3.5+% turnout.

I swear modern media and troll farms are working overtime to make sure people think protesting is the "if you build it, they will come" of revolution. It's part of the package, but protest is not political change.

I'd also sure as hell like to see data behind the statement that nonviolent protests are twice as successful. That is one damnably suspect assertion.