Anybody feeling high from the March for Science?

[ncrna]

I was curious about the psychology behind collective action, so I had a dig around on the paper+patent discovery engine sparrho.com (disclaimer: I work there!)

There aren't that many free-to-access papers on this topic, and I'm no psychology expert (my PhD's in biochemistry), but I summarised 4 interesting papers here: https://www.sparrho.com/pinboard/marching-for-science-research-behind-protests/164012/landing/

I'd love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences from the March, and any expert opinion would be much appreciated!

[hantoo]

So excited to see a post about the Science March--I was just about to post about it as well! I definitely consider myself to be an "activist," and I'm involved with a lot of organizations and support many different causes related to social/political/environmental justice movements. I also study cultural anthropology, so every time I attend a protest or demonstration, the most exciting part is sometimes just observing how different people come together and how they act when they're all representing the same cause or idea. I certainly am no expert on collective action, but there are cultural anthropologists out there who study social movements from an ethnographic perspective, focusing on collective action among specific populations, so there's definitely a lot written on what you're describing.

I attended the March for Science in DC, and a few things stuck out to me: First, the demographic of the protesters was fairly unique. There were more elderly people and families than I usually see represented at large demonstrations. Most often when I attend a larger organized protest, people come individually, with small groups of friends, or with a specific organization. Also, depending on the cause, the crowd is usually young adults to middle aged adults. I would absolutely say the crowd was a little more subdued as well. In part that was probably because it was so rainy and cold, but even during the actual march following the rally, there were almost no chants, there was certainly no rowdiness, and everyone just seemed content to walk with their family and friends and talk about science! 

I think the uniqueness of this demonstration also had a lot to do with the cause. Unlike other recent protests, like the Women's March which broadly focused on gender equality but also brought up a lot of other issues like abortion, LGBTQ rights, indigenous women's rights, etc., this event was pretty much just focused on making the point that science is real, and essential to the advancement of our society. I think everyone just wanted to show up and say, "Hey Prez stop cutting our funding and undermining all the important things we scientists do for this world." 

In terms of the psychology behind today's protest, I would say that the speakers, the funny posters, and the excitement of everyone there representing the field they are passionate about really spread a good feeling and kept the mood positive/high during the day. At other protests, like some of the anti-Trump protests I attended back in January or some of the things I saw take place on inauguration day, the feeling of the crowd can sometimes be angry or tense, and things can get out of hand. This particular protest was much more tame and positive, and I think people went away feeling inspired and like they had done something good on Earth Day. Personally, every time I take part in a large event like this, I always walk away feeling hopeful, but also a little worried that people won't continue to take action after the big event. A lot of times when people become a part of a cause that's bigger than themselves, they get caught up in the moment and are excited and passionate when they are in a big group of like-minded people, but then forget about their experience and don't take steps later on to fight for that cause. So, I'm hoping the momentum of the March for Science (and the People's Climate March next week) will motivate participants to take further action. 

And just a general statement and what I originally wanted to post on here: It was really exciting to see so many different fields of science represented today, and the size of the crowd despite the crappy weather really gave me some hope that there are tons of intelligent, dedicated people in this country who will continue to work hard to make this planet healthy and keep its people informed and equipped with the knowledge they need to affect positive change in our society Just wanted to share that feeling here on grad cafe with all of you scientists/scholars/artists/communicators/experts/students who work hard every day to make a difference.