Activist Anger: Is Your Aim True?
By Mickey Z.
06 February, 2015
World News Trust
“Without community, there is no liberation. But community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist.” - Audre Lorde
What motivates any human -- especially one living in relative privilege -- to embrace the unpopular and challenging path of activism? Of course, there are many particular/specific reasons but I’ll posit that the underlying emotion is most often anger.
Rage, vexation, displeasure, irritation, indignation, fury, wrath, ire, outrage -- call it what you wish but those first activist steps usually happen because something really pissed you off. It might be oppression you personally experience; it might come from bearing witness to the suffering of others (of any species); or maybe your anger arises in defense of the entire ecosystem.
The next step usually involves finding like-minded souls…
Collective rage is not only an excellent motivator. As anyone who’s ever stood amongst an angry crowd and joined in the calls for justice can tell you, it’s also a powerful uniter… at first.
“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.”
- Ernesto Guevara
Unfortunately, we often have to add a coda to Che’s quote above: “at least for now.” The trickiest part of activism usually occurs when progress and results are hard or almost impossible to discern. The atrocities, the micro-aggressions, the injustices, the minute-to-minute inequalities persist… despite our work and our righteous outrage.
The next phase is sadly predictable. All that activist fury often gets re-directed: at one another. Back-biting, resentment, jealousy, and betrayal splinter groups and sometimes entire movements. Next comes the need to choose a scapegoat, someone to blame for both our ineffectiveness and our schism.
Meanwhile, the powers-that-be get richer and more powerful, our shared landbase becomes increasingly threatened, and mainstream humans sit back and enjoy the spectacle of activist self-destruction.
“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.”
- bell hooks
We must ask ourselves: Has my activism been controlled by ego and fear or guided by community, solidarity, intersectionality, collective liberation, and non-stop communication?
Successful, sustainable, inclusive activism involves 24/7 diligence to not take the easy paths of gossip, disrespect, exclusion, and betrayal. To have any chance of creating change, we must work in tight, diligent solidarity. Perhaps most important of all, we must always support our allies and ensure that no one in our circle is marginalized and that everyone understands the obligations of collective efforts.
Such unity and trust among activists can and will serve as a bulwark against division -- regardless of its source. Once we have reached that point and found the right patience-to-urgency ratio, another world is truly possible -- even if we do not personally reap the rewards.
“If you expect to see the final results of your work, you simply have not asked a big enough question.”
- I.F. Stone
#shifthappens
Mickey Z. is the author of 12 books, most recently Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on the Web here. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here.
©WorldNewsTrust.com
.
Comments are moderated