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Attacks can backfire on attackers-sometimes spectacularly. Examples include the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police in 1991, the surveillance of Ralph Nader in 1965, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Attackers often inhibit adverse reactions by covering up the attack, devaluing the target, and using other methods. Through numerous detailed case studies, Justice Ignited reveals the most promising tactics that can make unfair attacks backfire.
List of contents
Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Sharpeville Chapter 3 Dili Chapter 4 Dharasana Chapter 5 The Beating of Rodney King Chapter 6 Target: Whistleblowers Chapter 7 The Dismissal of Ted Steele Chapter 8 Environmental Disasters Chapter 9 The Invasion of Iraq Chapter 10 Abu Ghraib Chapter 11 Countershock: Challenging Pushbutton Torture Chapter 12 Terrorism as Predictable Backfire Chapter 13 Theory and Backfire Chapter 14 Conclusion
About the author
My friend Jørgen lives in Sweden. We usually use email to communicate, and occasionally connect on Skype. One time, he was in a pessimistic mood about world developments - the war in Ukraine, global warming, racism and so on - and said, "Brian, tell me something positive. What's getting better?" Put on the spot, what did I think of?
Smoking and nonviolent action. Perhaps I should have made a joke, but I couldn't think of one.
Jørgen's question hit the mark, because I had just started studying whether things have been getting better -or worse. Some young people are so depressed by the prospect of climate catastrophe that they don't want to have children. In contrast, others say we've never had it so good, so we should stop complaining and appreciate our good fortune.
I had studied research on happiness. One of the important findings is that most people have their own personal "set point." After changes in their external circumstances, such as a promotion or a serious accident, they tend to return, after several months, to roughly the same happiness level as before. Figures from several countries show that when the per-capita standard of living increases dramatically, average happiness self-ratings hardly change.
So maybe things are getting better, but we don't appreciate it. Or maybe they're getting worse, and we adjust to that. Or maybe both: some things are getting better and some worse. That, logically, seems the most likely possibility.
There's a systematic bias in my assessments, specifically in the movements I favour. This includes, for example, feminists and peace activists. You might have different priorities, and that's fine. You can come up with different conclusions, and I hope you do on at least some topics. One of the best ways to really understand issues is to engage with clashing viewpoints.
So, is the world getting better or is it going down the drain?
Summary
Attacks can backfire on attackers sometimes spectacularly. Examples include - the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police in 1991, the surveillance of Ralph Nader in 1965, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Through numerous case studies, this work aims to reveal the promising tactics that can make unfair attacks backfire.
