The Political Scene | The New Yorker Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
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Sep 27, 2025 Hardy Merriman, a former president of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, joins to discuss the role of public pressure in combating democratic backsliding. He highlights how nonviolent resistance, through tactics like boycotts and protests, can drive change effectively. Merriman emphasizes the importance of mass participation over high-risk actions and how movements can organically create leaders. He also warns against authoritarian encroachments on civil society and the power of economic grievances to mobilize the public.
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Power Of Non-Cooperation
- Non-cooperation like boycotts and strikes can impose costs on opponents without high personal risk.
- Large numbers, not high risk acts, create pressure that institutions must heed.
Build Cross‑Sector Pressure
- Mobilize broad coalitions quickly when targeting corporate enablers of authoritarian acts.
- Reach out across sectors—labor, civil liberties groups, and political actors—to amplify pressure.
Historic Boycotts As Models
- Hardy compares the Montgomery bus boycott and Nashville lunch‑counter boycotts as historic non‑cooperation.
- These U.S. examples show consumer shifts can force institutional change.