Activism 101
I'm confused. How is a busy person with a job and a family supposed to be politically active? Maybe I just need to take more vitamins, but I find it difficult. For example, you can give money, but once you give they keep asking and asking and asking and it gets depressing. You can knock on doors, but I don't really like doing that--and it's really hard work and time consuming. You can send emails, but how much good does that really do? Some I guess. Should I volunteer for Moveon? Should I volunteer for the Democratic party? Should I work on a local campaign? Should I get a job that's political and professionalize my activism? How much time should I spend on my day job versus activism? Do I just need to shut up and get busy? Everyone has to figure out their own answers to these questions I guess at their various stages of life. It would be interesting to me to hear people's stories of how they have worked these things out for themselves.
There are way too many political blogs that just repeat political news with a comment to the effect of our side--yay/their side--boo. I'd love to see a blog with stories about everyday people who are figuring out how to put some kind of activism in their lives. Anyone know of anything like this? Anyone want to be a part of starting something like this?
Ok let me answer my own question. ZNet has something like this called Inspirational Interviews. I'm going to read some of them.
posted by Victor Laszlo @ 4/06/2007
3 comments
3 Comments:
I went to the website and it asked if I was opposed to capitalism. I am not. I have been in places where capitalism is not the primary economic system and I don't like it, no sir not at all. So, that is part of the problem. Like Treebeard said in the Lord of the Rings: I am not all together on anyone's side because no one is all together on my side."
I agree with that. And maybe that is part of the time management problem on activism. Am I willing to spend my time capital (see capitalistic views of time) on a group that only partially agrees with me (Dems) or if I do find a group who agrees with me, they are invariably small (the association of liberal neurotics with a quiet love for rainbows, tequila shots and scooby do) and underfunded (no one pays to see more rainbows).
I think you hit it hard when you need to with the group best suited or you come to terms with the idea that no one really thinks just like you and if you can't politicize with the ones you love, politicize with the ones your with.
I'm opposed to unrestrained capitalism. From there it's a matter of degree. Ideally, one of the lessons of politics should be learning how to work with people who you don't agree with entirely.
And also, you could argue that capitalism's relentless push to make workaholics of everyone reduces the amount of time they can devote to community and activism.
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