Assignment post 2

Goodwin and Jasper explain how it is that social movements recruit and maintain participants active. It is essential for movements to have the ability to keep its participants active in the movements. In order for a social movement to be successful it is imperative that it maintains its members otherwise, the movement will declined and is likely to fail. In order for a movement to succeed it is important the members raise consciousness and move towards a collective identity. A collective identity is key in mobilizing members within the group because it helps people in the group to come together after finding common ground. This allows for people within the movement to come closer together and organize in a more effective manner in order to achieve the change that the social movement desires. It is also a good way for people to feel like they are a part of a group. Realistic goals are also important in order to maintain the participation of people within a social movement.
In the book Goodwin & Jasper mention some of the reasons why a movement may fail in retaining its participants. They mentioned how some may feel burned out by being pressured into doing so much at once. When too much time and commitment is required from people they are likely to drop out of the movement. Very important factors that may lead to the disintegration of a social movement are the unrealistic expectations or the poor tactics and strategies of a group. When this happens people may lose hope and faith in their group which will lead to the withdrawal of its members.
Framing is an important precursor to the development of a social movement. It is important that movements find a way to attract certain people to join their cause. Certain issues need to be brought to the table in order to appeal the attention of potential recruits. Using emotional or appealing stories and actual facts that will convince people to join a movement are ways of framing. There are three types of framing that are specified in the book as very important to successful recruitment. “Diagnostic, in which a movement convinces potential converts that a problem needs to be addressed; prognostic, in which it convinces them of appropriate strategies, tactics and targets; and motivational, in which it exhorts them to get involved in these activities”. (Goodwin & Jasper,57) A group must have strong framing tactics in order to recruit strong participants. It is easier to promote a movement amongst people who share the same beliefs.
In Young’s article she talks about the movement by the Mormon church members to stop the Equal Rights Amendment. The church was mainly responsible for the framing of this movement. Most of these women claim that they were not aware of the ERA until they learned about it through their church. Framing included the church instilling fear into its fellow followers about the contradiction of their beliefs about the role of women. Any woman who would not follow these beliefs could not be considered of Mormon faith and ran the risk of being ostracized from their communities and their church. These were smart tactics that the church used to frame this movement because it discouraged those women who might have been thinking about supporting the ERA.
Crenshaw’s article on intersectionalities addresses problems with identity politics and how they can be quite complex. The reason for this is that for example women are viewed as one group and all differences such as race and class are ignored. All women are not the same; every woman has its own intersectionality that shapes who they are such as what socio economic class they come from, their race, and their sexual preferences. Crenshaw mentions in her article that women of color are often victims of battering and sexual abuse as a result of intersecting racism and sexism.
Within the immigration movement I believe the frame that is most common would be through the media and technology. I believe this because many of the activists who are trying to mobilize and recruit people have been doing it through the radio and through their local news stations. They are directing their speeches to the immigrant and Latino population letting them know about the rights that they do have. They also appeal to this specific population by convincing them that it is time to step out of the shadows and claim their path to legalization. This also has to do with collective identity all who join the movement are fueled by the same desire of change for the immigrants who are marginalized. They all share the same or similar beliefs therefore; they have a collective identity for immigrant rights.
There are various similarities and differences in the way in which the pro-life movement and the environmental movement were framed. It seems that the environmental movement was framed through trying to convince people of the harm that industrialization is causing to the environment. I believe that they appeal to the public through facts and various other scare tactics that led people to join the movement. The pro life movement I believe used religion as its main source of framing. It is most popular within groups of people who are religious because they are likely to share similar views on pro life and the role of women in society.
I think that the iconic face of the immigration movement might be Cesar Chavez. I believe this because the key chant in the immigration movement has been “Si se puede” which derived from Cesar Chavez. Many commemorate him and believe him to be the pioneer of the immigrant movement during his time. The immigration movement attracts participants through being active through the media and informing people of their gains and struggles. Activists who mobilize within immigrant communities have played an important role because it helps to mobilize immigrants who otherwise would be afraid to come out and join the movement in fear of deportation. It has been successful in retaining its participation through active dialogue and won battles. I believe that people seeing the gains that this movement has made helps to retain members and their faith.
I think all people who are immigrants, have family that are immigrants, or have immigrant friends are likely to join or support the movement. Those who believe in equality and human rights regardless of nationality are also likely to join. People primarily responsible of framing this social movement would be immigration advocates, activists, legislators, immigrants, and the Spanish media. Both men and women are equally in this movement. I would say the majority of the participants are Latino, predominately Mexican. The political affiliations of the majority of the people within the immigration movement seem to be democrats and of lower or working middle class status.
I can see where the intersectionalties can pose some challenges, especially because the majority of the participants are minorities, lower class, and undocumented. These are big challenges because it is harder for these people to claim rights when they are a minority and are part of a broken system that forced them to come into this country illegally. Those who are against immigration believe that undocumented immigrants have broken a law and should not be rewarded which consequently poses a great challenge that this group will have to overcome.
I believe that since the framing of this movement is more directed towards the Latino and immigrant communities it may leave out others who may not be Latino or immigrant. Some negative consequences that came from the framing of this movement happened in 2006 it persuaded all immigrants and Latinos to boycott and not attend work. This backfired because some people lost their jobs or were reprimanded by their superiors, also many students’ missed school which only sent a negative message to the youth. I feel that this movement overall is framed to inclusive of anyone who may want to join. There is always room for improvement perhaps campaigning and reaching out to different communities might help.

Sources:

The Social Movements Reader Cases and Concepts
Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper
The ERA is A Moral Issue
Young
Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color
Crenshaw