Perhaps it is better to start by defining what social activists are not. Social activists are NOT crazy nut jobs who don’t have anything better to do than to walk around carrying picket signs. Social activists are not mentally ill. Social activists are not haters of America, their states, their cities or their communities. Social activists are not people haters. Social activists are not fly-by-night scammers.
According to Amherst College, “Social activism is an intentional action with the goal of bringing about social change….An activist is anyone who is fighting for change in society.”
Jesus and his followers were social activists. Joan of Arc was a social activist. Susan B. Anthony was a social activist. The people who hid Jews and helped them escape the Nazis during World War II were social activists. Mahatma Ghandi was a social activist. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist. The hippies who protested the Vietnam War were social activists. The “MeToo” movement is made up of social activists, as is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (PETA). Greta Thunberg is a social activist. Domestic violence crisis centers are social activists.
These are people who see that a thing in society is wrong, and they take what steps they can to change it. If a picket sign is necessary, they carry it. If calls and letters to legislators are necessary, they phone and write. If editorials, books and blogs are necessary, they write them. If speeches are necessary, they make them. If food or clothing is required, they collect and distribute it. If money is necessary, they raise it. If loving care is necessary, they provide it. If welcoming hugs are needed for the newly arrived, they embrace it. If clean-up is needed after a flood, they clean it.
Social activists are devastated at the sight of children in cages. They are horrified at the thought of alligator-filled moats at our borders. They are sickened by mass shootings and other means of genocide. Pedophile priests and other sex abusers make their stomachs turn. They are disgusted by corrupt officials in high and low places. They are fearful for the women who are fleeing abusive relationships.
What motivates a social activist? Every individual is different. Some have experienced deep hurt or loss. Some may have a deep sense of moral responsibility. Some have a sense of indignation and anger at people being left out. Whatever their individual motivations, social activists all possess one thing in common: an extraordinary sense of compassion. This compassion is far deeper than a sense of feeling sorry for someone who is down and out. It is a sense of wanting to help, of wanting to ease the pain of others, of wanting to make it better. Social activists want change.
Change is a scary concept. Truth be told, most people are terrified of change. Society’s attitude is, “Better the devil that you know, than the devil that you don’t.” Or, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
But the devil we know is very dangerous, in many cases. And society IS broken. With the advent of technology comes new ways of doing everyday tasks. Old ways are being left behind for new and different methods. We are at a similar point in modern history as were the people of the feudal era when the Industrial Age arrived. Change will come whether we want it or not. And no one should be left behind for any reason.
Anne