Silence

Silence amounts to consent

Silence assumes support

Silence accepts the status quo

It was silence that authenticated the emperor’s imaginary new clothes

Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.

 ~ Charles de Gaulle

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

 ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Oppression can only survive through silence.

 ~ Carmen de Monteflores

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

 ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men.

 ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What Psychology Teaches Us about Opposing an Unpopular President
Trump’s best hope is to convince opponents he’s more popular than he actually is.

Social scientists say that an “unpopular norm” exists when people perceive a view or behavior to have popular support when it is actually opposed by the majority. . . .

In a situation where the ruling minority asserts, falsely, that it represents the desires of the majority, what can politicians and citizens do to ensure that the true majority sentiment is represented?

Most critically, the majority position must consistently broadcast that theirs is the more popular view. The key factor driving unpopular norms is the misperception of public opinion. Wherever possible, reliable data on the true majority sentiment should be brought to the table and emphasized relentlessly. . . .

The true story of the public’s perception of Donald Trump is not one featuring an easily distracted nation accepting outrageous behavior, but instead of widespread rejection of an incoming president and his agenda.

Second, the majority must be deeply committed. . . .

In practical terms, this means not just maintaining one's views but also working to spread them through grassroots campaigns, contacting legislators, organizing for candidates and ballot initiatives, and engaging in effective protests and persuasive conversations with other citizens.

Additionally, the majority must never “move on” by assimilating to the reigning minority, thereby losing sight of the political injustice inherent in minority rule. . . .

People will change their opinions to align with what they perceive, rightly or wrongly, as the majority view. . . .

But unpopularity is the Trump regime's — indeed every unpopular regime's — greatest weakness. . . .

Satyagraha