Malicious, unjust treatment of immigrants. A proposed budget designed to put money in the pockets of billionaires while cutting services that millions of people depend on. Executive overreach and blatant disregard of due process. All this and more have sparked protests across the country over the last few weeks. The people are speaking out about what we want for our country through mass demonstrations—a fundamentally democratic act with deep roots in American history.
But our research into how Americans think about democracy has surfaced something we need to be attentive to in this moment: While people are quick to identify voting as a cornerstone of democracy, other forms of democratic participation aren’t as top-of-mind. Mass demonstrations were rarely understood as a way for people to make their voices heard.
When people reduce democracy to the act of casting a vote, it’s not a stretch to frame actions outside of elections as illegitimate. Formal elections can be understood as the only time we the people get to “legitimately” express our will.
That leaves mass demonstrations vulnerable to being framed as un-American or undemocratic. And at a time when law enforcement and the military are being used to suppress dissent, we need to do everything we can to help people see protest as a key form of democratic participation.
That’s why it’s so important to consistently frame protests as how we the people express our will. Language like this can help people draw the connection between protest and democracy:
- The people of Los Angeles are taking to the streets to give voice to their views and speak up for what they believe.
- Protests are how we the people express our will. That’s not something to suppress—it’s something to celebrate.
- In a democracy, we shouldn’t shut down the voices of people speaking up for what they believe.
- Our goal should be making it safer—not more dangerous—for people to speak up.
To help show what’s at stake in this moment, frame actions to shut down protests as attempts to take power away from the people:
- In a democracy, the people have the power to decide what happens to us. We need to reclaim that power and reject attempts to silence our voices.
- The only way to make sure that we rule ourselves is by saying “no” when people try to take power away from us.
- Sending military forces into these protests is an unnecessary provocation designed to take more power from the people.
For more on framing this moment, check out:
Issues: Government and Democracy
Countries: United States
