Beyond Spectacle: Why Big Marches Don't Work for the Left – (Part 1)

SHOW NOTES

We keep losing. Not because we don't care enough or try hard enough—but because we're organizing all wrong. This episode unpacks the brutal truth about why massive protests accomplish almost nothing, while quiet, local organizing builds real power. We examine two movements that launched in the 1980s—DARE and MADD—and reveal why one fizzled into irrelevance while the other changed America. The difference? Structure over spectacle.

Climate organizing faces the same trap. Decades of fighting what people want has put us at war with human nature itself. Meanwhile, the evidence is clear: people respond to solutions that are cheaper, cleaner, and better—not moral lectures about sacrifice. We explore what happened when clean energy became the economically smart choice, and why the movement must shift from preventing development to enabling clean development.

Finally, we confront the purity test problem. The Women's March mobilized millions, then collapsed under ideological litmus tests. Meanwhile, conservatives quietly built the most powerful grassroots network in America by welcoming everyone who'd support their candidates—no other requirements. Big tents win. Small circles lose. The research is unambiguous. This episode reveals what actually works, backed by data, stories, and unflinching honesty about where progressive organizing has gone wrong.

A CALL TO ACT Full Index

TRUMPING TRUMP Resource Guide

ACTIVISM AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Community Engagement: Step-up Participation in Climate Action
• Community-led Climate Action Planning
• Tools for Eco-Organizers