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That cohort is still a numerical minority and while they may own the majority of civilian firearms, the United States government absolutely owns the majority of
by germinalphrase 5y ago
That cohort is still a numerical minority and while they may own the majority of civilian firearms, the United States government absolutely owns the majority of effective weapons. That said, calling the potential conflict a “domestic insurgency” is not much of a comfort compared to “civil war” even if the former is unlikely to be an existential threat to the country.
- gsibble 5y agoAccording to studies, it only takes 3.5% of a population revolting to foment a successful revolution. I'd argue we're approaching that figure. Might take a few more years, but I could see it in the US in our lifetimes. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35...
- germinalphrase 5y agoI’m skeptical. For one example - more than 3.5 percent of the Hong Kong population showed up for a single protest, but the leviathan power still prevailed.
- gsibble 5y agoThey weren't armed.
- germinalphrase 5y agoDid you read your own source? It specifically calls out 3.5 percent nonviolent protest as 2x more effective than violent protest. In any case, it is far more logically that a core of highly motivated protestors causes sudden political revolution because they represent the unrealized/unstated preferences of a popular majority. I don’t believe this is likely in this situation as that cohort’s displeasure is largely due to mass culture (and associated forms of economic, social influence) moving further and further away from them.