How to transform autocracy to democracy: Respect all identities in how you frame your messaging

In her 2023 analysis of the case of Thailand campaigns to rise up against the brutal defense of the Thai monarchy, researcher Janjira Sombatpoonsiri found a clear correlation between frames that seemed to inflame and the likelihood of mass countervailing civil society campaigns. Carefully crafting messaging to avoid the appearance of attacking another ethnicity, religion, political party, or cultural identity group is a crucial factor for any campaign hoping to dislodge an autocrat of any stripe.

References

Sombatpoonsiri, J. (2023). “A lot of people still love and worship the monarchy”: How polarizing frames trigger countermobilization in Thailand. Journal of Peace Research, 60(1), 88–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433221142932