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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 11, 2024

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Why do people protest? At the most fundamental level, it is because a large group of people on some level have done a cost benefit analysis and decided that protesting is more in their interest than not protesting. Their underlying motivations might be different (social status for some, entertainment for others, etc). But everyone needs a reason to be there, and that reason needs to be sufficiently positive so as to overcomes any negatives.

Let's look at a very safe, very "developed" society like SK. What are the positives of partaking or supporting such a movement.

  1. You get potential concessions from society if the movement is successful (laws guaranteeing more rights for women, more pay, more legal weapons at your disposal, etc).
  2. You get social status. Protesting for a "good cause" is generally seen as positive by your peer group.
  3. Personal fulfillment. You feel like you are making a difference/doing the right thing. You feel more in control of your life.

What are the negatives? Almost nothing.
1)Men might be mad at you. But there's not much risk there. Especially for younger women, since said men will still likely make concessions in order to have a chance to sleep with them.
2)The older generation might be mad. But in modern society, many young people are financially independent. So the older generation has much more limited leverage.

Contrast this to a less developed society. What are your benefits? Possible concessions (with a lower probability) and personal fulfillment. That's probably it. Your peer group will probably distance themselves from you out of fear of sharing the negatives, which are:

  1. Potential violence - both sexual and non sexual. This is the largest negative you can possibly have for most people.
  2. Ostracization - others don't want to share in your misfortune if something goes wrong.
  3. Anxiety - Even if nothing happens, the threat of these things always looms.

There are probably many more negatives, but I think those three are probably sufficient to deter most people. So looking at a cost benefit analysis, the choice to protest in SK vs in SA looks pretty clear.