What is Micah White's view on modern protest?
Micah White contends that contemporary protest is trapped in a ritual loop. Millions march, hashtags trend, yet governments absorb the pressure without flinching. The classic script—petitioning power through sheer numbers—has lost its disruptive charge because rulers have learned to wait out spectacles. White argues that victory now demands tactical innovation that mixes narrative persuasion with the construction of parallel forms of sovereignty. Protests should feel like unexpected chemistry experiments: combine novel gestures, peak public mood and a credible pathway to self rule, then withdraw before repression hardens. The goal is no longer to beg the state for reforms but to reveal cracks in its legitimacy and seed new institutions that can eventually replace it. Failure is not a verdict; it is raw data for refining strategy until we finally produce an uncopiable surprise powerful enough to tip the balance.
Which familiar protest ritual are you prepared to bury, and what unpredictable act could you unleash to jolt the system awake?