Blueprint for Revolution: how to use rice pudding, Lego men, and other non-violent techniques to galvanise communities, overthrow dictators, or simply change the world

by Srdja Popovic

Every dictator, I explained, is a brand. Usually that brand is wrapped in a national flag, and it very often relies on some narrative about stability—Pinochet’s famous quote was “Me or chaos.” Often, a dictator’s brand represents defiance of the United States, of Israel, of whomever. And like all brands, dictators are desperate for market share and exposure. That’s why Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez hosted his own TV show, called Aló Presidente. Broadcast for hours at a time, it featured Chávez making speeches and acting out skits. In one episode he dressed up as a baseball umpire and declared that his political opponents were “out.” Dictators such as the colorful Chávez are like any other brand, addicted to airtime and always seeking to increase their slice of the market. But if you look past the advertising and the propaganda posters, all dictatorships are baked from the same basic ingredients: corruption, nepotism, mismanagement, social injustice, violence, and fear. So why do people choose to go along with them?