The Activism Train

I was thinking about this idea earlier this morning based on a few comments I always see/hear whenever any conversation about activism comes up.

Everyone in the "Activism Train" as I'm taking to calling it, is confident that their train car is more important than the other train cars. Don't get me wrong, you're all important. But none of you are the most important. The Activism Train isn't divisive between cars, but rather, it's divisive by how good a passenger you are.

I haven't explained myself yet, so this analogy is going to seem pretty murky- Let me get to the point.

PREFACE/WARNING: These categories are not mutually exclusive. You can be a member of one, all, some, or none of these categories at the same time. The descriptions of these categories will include some personality analysis that assumes an individual is only a member of a particular category. So, if you read something you disagree with, consider the possibility that you're falling into more than just that group, which means certain descriptions won't apply to you.

All current activism-based movements have several necessary parts that are required for the movement to function adequately.

1. First and foremost (while not more important, definitely the most obvious part), you have the victims. These are people to whom a tragedy has already happened. These are the people who remind us what life could be like if we don't engage in activism. As such, these are the main people who will inspire activism out of pity, sympathy, or fear that we might wind up like them some day.
The parents of the Sandy Hook school shooting.
People who have been wrongfully arrested.
Victims of prejudice, bigotry, systemic devaluation, racism, sexism.
People who have been swallowed by debt they don't deserve.

People who got the short end of the stick, the raw deal. Without the people who show you what life could be like for you or others, there would be no movement- no activism. Why? Because without victims, there is no problem. Nothing that needs solved.

These are the people who give a face to a movement.

2. Donators. These are the people who will fund a movement. People who have money and feel bad about a problem at the very least. Those who fall solely into this category sometimes just want to absolve themselves of guilt by noting that they have contributed actual currency to a cause.
"White, liberal, middle-class guilt" is often the descriptor- These are people who are willing to put ten dollars to helping people after a catastrophic earthquake. Or maybe some donated supplies or even blood/plasma/marrow. However, these people often do not have the time, energy, or eloquence to do much else for the movement. They're the people who give muscle to a movement.

3. "Slacktivists." This is a term that was coined with the rise of social media. A term I'm not fond of. The name implies that these are people who don't do anything, however, "Social Media Activists" (as I'm going to call them) provide a very necessary element for any movement. These are the people who keep the issue at the front of your mind whether you want it there or not. These are the people who are often writing pieces about the issue to convince those who may be on the fence. This is the role that bloggers, journalists, writers, and social media users occupy- usually to different degrees. If Donators are those without time/energy or eloquence to do anything else for a movement, then Social Media Activists are the people without the money or time/energy, but they can contribute eloquence. They are the people who give a voice/mind to a movement.

4. Demonstrators. These are the in-person activists. Protestors. People who are sometimes willing to go so far as to get arrested for the cause if it'll help. If SMAs are forcing you to read about it when you're at home, these are the people who will remind you when you're out driving or walking around town. These are the people who give a body to the movement. Where Donators represent the money and SMAs represent the eloquence, Demonstrators represent the time and energy in a movement.

Now don't get me wrong- All of these exist in varying degrees as well as varying categories. For example, I can be a "Demonstrator," even if I only show up to a single demonstration where four people sit around with a few signs and get high. I'm a Demonstrator, sure, but a weak one. Same goes for the SMA who posts a single Facebook status with a vague idea for why a movement might be needed. And a Donator can still be a Donator even if they only give a few bucks to a movement without ever contributing anything else.

This is why the ideal activist is either heavily invested in one category or well-invested in more than one. (Obviously, it's to that end that I probably cannot be considered a very good activist, but I try to provide no small amount of thought-provoking perspective. Whether I succeed or not is to be determined by everyone else)

Without the people willing to put their money to a movement, organization is sloppy and it doesn't have the ability to grab your attention, provide studies, or advertise.
Without people willing to put their eloquence to a movement, the movement doesn't have a clear message or a demanding media presence.
Without people willing to put their time and energy to a movement, the movement won't show people how serious the issue is or how seriously people are taking it.

Politicians speak the language of money and they're scared of crowds. That's why the 2nd and 4th categories of activists are typically the ones we acknowledge as legitimate. They can both have a measurable effect on the politicians who can physically enact change.
Contrarily, SMAs don't really do anything for politicians (except send them nosey emails that are likely thrown out). However, SMAs do reinforce the movement itself, which is much harder to measure. However, many Demonstrators and Donators are informed of the importance of a movement by SMAs.


And as I've said, there are people who are willing to do the bare minimum in the name of activism in order to feel better. And there are those who only do it to appear good in the eyes of others. Like all things, activism can be done for the wrong reasons or in truly mediocre quality/quantity.

It should also be noted that contributing the bare minimum is far easier for SMAs than the other two, which is part of the reason that this category is targeted for being "slackers," among other things.


Regardless- remember that all four elements are necessary for a movement to take off and be successful. Try reaching into multiple categories or pushing hard into one category. And while I said some negative things about every category, remember that they're sweeping generalizations and don't necessarily apply to you. Usually because you fit into more than one category to some degree.
(I know plenty of people who have donated and written about the recent Sandy Hook tragedy, for example).


Activism means a lot of different things for different people. Keep an open mind about the actual effect they may be having with their methodology.

-
Waddles