how high the tolerance for extremely intrusive government action
You could also view it as high demand for government functionality, with an accompanying commandeering of the governmental power by the public, which has leverage of its own. Consider, for example, that 1/3 of the country is on a rent strike right now, a proportion which will likely grow. That part of the polity is learning to flex its political muscle for the first time in a while, because the economic and political establishment suddenly finds itself at a severe disadvantage.
Of course, the government commands asymmetrical strength through police and (less directly) military force, but that's only effective insofar as disparate groups rarely have broad common interests that transcend regional, economic, or social boundaries. Since the internet provides many of the tools to facilitate collective action and COVID-19 has provided a sufficiently broad incentive, political incumbents are discovering that their powers are only as extensive as the willingness of people to cooperate and that they do in fact require the consent of the governed.
> Consider, for example, that 1/3 of the country is on a rent strike right now
Errr - no, no they aren’t. This month had approximately 12% more people miss their rent payment than last April.
That’s high - and bad news for people like my retired aunt and uncle, or father in law, who rely on the income from their rental property - but it’s hardly a national rent strike.
Not sure if the 1/3 is correct or not but consider this- that's the rise for April. Even people who live paycheck to paycheck can often find a way to scrounge together that money if they just lost their job. I'd say reserve judgement until we see how many people pay their rent in May.
You could also view it as high demand for government functionality, with an accompanying commandeering of the governmental power by the public, which has leverage of its own. Consider, for example, that 1/3 of the country is on a rent strike right now, a proportion which will likely grow. That part of the polity is learning to flex its political muscle for the first time in a while, because the economic and political establishment suddenly finds itself at a severe disadvantage.
Of course, the government commands asymmetrical strength through police and (less directly) military force, but that's only effective insofar as disparate groups rarely have broad common interests that transcend regional, economic, or social boundaries. Since the internet provides many of the tools to facilitate collective action and COVID-19 has provided a sufficiently broad incentive, political incumbents are discovering that their powers are only as extensive as the willingness of people to cooperate and that they do in fact require the consent of the governed.