Self-immolation in Tunisia seems to be what recently provided the spark that caused the whole country to rise up against its rulers.
So frankly, you're being historically ignorant. Ludicrously so given how recent the real counterexample is. Moreover you're trying to provide fictional evidence in an attempt to support your point, and you somehow think you actually gave an "example".
No. If you want to open a discussion about the topic, either you ought use some actual evidence, or atleast you ought put slightly more effort to your fiction, to make it remotely interesting or believable or insightful.
You've just earned a downvote from me as well.
You do realize there have been plenty of self-immolations in the West and elsewhere that have sparked no such things in the past decades (example: an American man self-immolated to protest family courts not more than a little over a month ago)?
I'll say they can be a spark, but that's all they are. Sooner or later another one would be there. Had media censorship been more thorough, or had the Western media not picked up on it and showcased it as another example of how horrible those places are it would not have had such an effect. Or had the people simply ...
Someone self immolates and explicitly states it is a form of political protest in Megdad. What a crazy regime!
Someone self immolates and explicitly states it is a form of political protest in Hometown. What a crazy person!
Edit: What -5 already? What is giving an example of how people never take the outside view of their own society that bad a topic for the discussion section? Also disclaimer both Hometown State and Megdadistan Republic are fictional countries and no actual examples where given, to avoid mind killers.
2nd Edit: Wow I really need to spell this out? The media of Hometown are more likley to treat an immolation in Megdad as due to a legitimate grievance worthy of attention and down play any mental health problems or details that might paint the person in an unflattering light compared to someone who self-immolates in Hometown. And I think this effect is mostly not due to government enforced censorship or pressure.
Noble act of defiant self-sacrifice is far. Suicidal crazies are near.
The only way to get good coverage to acheive social change is to count on foreign media to paint a kind picture of you. And supposing your people care about what the media of Megdad say about your country.
3rd Edit: -15 Pretty clear that I'm wrong .