There are two theoretical perspectives that can explain why people would risk injury, imprisonment, and even death to take part in a radical social movement. The first theoretical perspective concerns the prism of power supported by Machiavelli. The next theoretical perspective is the prism of culture that Ross talks about. While each prism has its points, the more compelling of the two prisms is the prism of culture. This is because the prism of culture shows the ways in which individuals unite over common identities when faced with opposition in a social movement. Culture marks what people experience as a distinctive lifestyle 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 rhythms and the life cycle of its members (Ross, Culture in Comparative Politics, 137). People of the same culture have similar identities and beliefs that make them feel connected to each other. This is one of the main reasons why people 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 who define their common identity behave in the same way, or that all hold it with equal intensity” (Ross 138). Ross goes on to explain that "there are often intense intracultural differences and conflicts on these topics, so that meaning and identity, control over symbols and rituals, and the ability to impose one interpretation rather than another on a situation are often bitterly contested... ... middle of paper ... the inhabitants of these cultures know exactly what to say to convince people to take part in a social uprising. Most people in the culture have similarities in language, style or in customs, leaders know exactly what points to talk about to gain support for the uprising. People believe that if the radical social movement is for a greater cause, such as their culture, they are willing to do anything for the cause prism of power is flawed because it is a fair assumption to assume that people in the social movement will withdraw or not join the uprising if the potential power gained from participation does not match the dangers involved. However, Ross suggests, regarding culture, that with further opposition to the social movement, collective identity will be strengthened and participation will be encouraged even more..