There are two theoretical perspectives that can explain why people would risk injury, imprisonment, and even death to participate in a radical social movement. The first theoretical perspective concerns the prism of power supported by Machiavelli. The next theoretical perspective is the lens of culture discussed by Ross. Although each prism has its arguments, the more convincing of the two prisms is that of culture. Indeed, the lens of culture shows the ways in which individuals come together due to shared identities when faced with opposition from a social movement. Culture marks what people experience as a distinct way of life characterized by the subjective feelings of members of the cultural group (and outsiders) and expressed through specific behaviors and (customs and rituals) both sacred and profane and which mark the daily, annual, and life-cycle rhythms of its members (Ross, Culture in Comparative Politics, 137). People from the same culture have similar identities and beliefs that bring them closer to each other. This is one of the main reasons people will join a radical social movement if their culture is threatened. Ross states that “even when different individuals understand each other and share a common identity, this does not mean that widely held meanings are necessarily acceptable to all. , that all those who define their common identity behave in the same way, or that all share it with the same intensity” (Ross 138). Ross goes on to explain that "there are often intense intracultural differences and conflicts over these issues, such that meaning and identity, control of symbols and rituals, and the ability to impose interpretation rather than another to a situation are often bitter conflicts... ... middle of paper ...... people in these cultures know exactly what to say to convince people to participate in a social uprising. The majority of people in the culture have similarities, whether it is language, style or customs, the leaders know exactly what points to talk about to gain support for the uprising. People believe that if the radical social movement stands for a greater cause, such as their culture, they are willing to do anything for that cause. The power lens is flawed because it is reasonable to assume that people in the social movement will leave or not join the uprising if the potential power gained from participating is not commensurate with the dangers involved. However, Ross suggests, in relation to culture, that with greater opposition to the social movement, collective identity will be strengthened and participation will be encouraged even more..