ABSTRACT
Successful movements build like snowballs rolling down a hill. They start small, with a core group of participants, but get larger as they roll, gaining momentum and size as they progress. To generate this momentum, movement leaders and participants must appeal to constituencies that might not seem interested or to have a stake in their issues and goals. They must also mobilize the opinions of many actors who will never join their actions, but whose consciousness about the issues may be raised, who may contact elected officials about them, or who may adopt a position on an issue related to the movement's goals that determines their voting behavior (Lee, 2002). These external constituencies are examples of “bystander publics” – individuals and groups to whom movements may try to appeal, but who have yet to engage with a movement. Some bystander publics never engage with the movements that court them, while others eventually become participants. Some bystander publics may someday become supporters of a movement, while others come to oppose it and its goals.
