Effective Activism - Politics & Change

A while back my friend Abby was on my radio show and made the comment that she used to be a “Re-actionist” and now had matured into a “Pro-activist”.

She went on to explain that before she would become angry about something going on in the world and then would immediately swing into action to confront what was bothering her. After a while she learned that sometimes she was reacting to a particular piece of information, and then had a completely different perspective once she understood the entire issue. The other thing she had learned was that it was somewhat difficult to engage others in her campaigns if she was angry and in reaction.

Abby has become quite effective in getting people involved in the things she cares about. She studies the issues that concern her to make sure she has the whole picture of what is going on, and then determines how she could be most effective in stimulating awareness of the issue and gaining support to address the issue. Once she has finished her “homework” she is then in a position to work patiently and consistently with others to create the change she believes in.

Politics Vs Activism
In an interview a high profile environmental activist (who shall remain nameless) was asked why he left the large successful environmental activist organization that he had helped to found. He said that the organization had become so political that they seemed more concerned with making headlines, raising money and getting more people to join than they were with actually making a difference. He went on to elaborate that the group was ignoring scientific evidence that pertained to one of their flagship issues. He resigned because he felt that staying would have compromised his professional ethics.

Dangerous Water
A couple of years ago the comedy team of Penn & Teller sent a team of interviewers to a large gathering of various environmental groups. They set up a petition for participants to sign stating their opposition to the use of dihydrogen monoxide. All day the interviewers collected signatures from enthusiastic citizens eager to rid our world of this pernicious substance. Not once during this campaign did any of these well-meaning folks ask what this substance was or how it was used.

To those of you without a chemistry background dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for water.

Credibility is Essential to Winning People Over
The more you read and listen to the material on the Bright Future website the more you realize that we already have the knowledge and technology to address the big challenges facing humanity. The obstacles are all political. To make the kinds of changes that are necessary to avoid a collapse of our society we will need the support of people who currently are either opposed to or ignorant of the solutions that are available.

This means opening the minds and hearts of millions of people who are used to being mislead and lied to by their public servants and the media. To be successful activists must maintain impeccable credibility. The moment the public finds out that their facts are inaccurate, incomplete or presented in a misleading manner all credibility goes out the window.

Similarly, the public is much more receptive to those whose motivations are free of vested interests. If they sense that politics are more important to the activist than facts or making a difference then they cease to listen.

Activists would be wise to follow that fine example offered by my friend Abby. Effective “Pro-Activists” are more dedicated to truth and fairness than they are to any particular idea, perspective or position.

A good example of effective activism can be found in the work of Greg Mortonsen who is building schools and educating the women of Central Asia. Mortonsen is so successful at winning people over with his sincerity and consistency that the Grand Islamic Counsel has granted him special dispensation and protection. Considering that the schools built by Mortonsen’s Central Asia Institute violate common Islamic rules like having women attend and not teaching the Koran we can consider Mortonsen a very effective Activist indeed!