Activism Made Easy

 For many years, when anyone uttered the words “grassroots activism”, one of the most common associations that sprang immediately to mind was that of the far-right, rabidly ideological and generally fact-impaired variety. The Tea Party is only the latest iteration of this. Lately though, this is thankfully changing. While perhaps there is a degree of political and sociological apathy among my typically left-leaning age cohort, I believe that the apathy we may have experienced in our youth is giving way to a rising concern among my peers about the future the previous generations are leaving us, and an increasing willingness to do something about it. We have sat witness to some very conservative governments winning office around the world over the past few decades, voted in predominantly by our elders, and have watched, feeling stunned and helpless, as they have enacted one terrible policy after another, eroding not only the rights and freedoms of the working class, but our environmental protections and the very integrity of the planet on which we live. As we have come of age, I believe many of us have come to realize that our legacy will have to be to undo this damage, and find wiser and more sustainable solutions to society's problems. This is, in fact, the very reason I chose to study sociology and psychology. We are finally learning what it means to be passionate about a cause, and are increasingly willing to fight passionately for a world that is more able to change, adapt, and grow as circumstances demand.

 In a world that is changing more rapidly than at any time in human history, the ability to fluidly adapt is what we desperately need. If history can teach us anything at all, it is that if a society cannot learn to adapt, it ultimately stagnates and dies - the Romans are a perfect example. This century, we have seen conservative parties in many countries given ample opportunity to play their hand, and the evidence, when one bothers to look at it, is damning: austerity, cutting taxes on the rich, loosened environmental protection, cuts to education, harsh drug laws, privatization of social institutions and lax regulation of the marketplace have lead us to the edge of disaster. These sorts of policies have been tested in the field, so to speak, and there is no ambiguity in the data – they have failed, and miserably at that. Conversely, in places with more liberal governments, such as in much of Scandinavia and parts of Europe, we have tangible evidence of how societies can effect better and more innovative solutions. While occasionally counter-intuitive, policies based on studies of actual human nature (and not how we might wish ourselves to be) produce real results. Targeted economic stimulus, tax rates in favor of the working class, protection of important environmental resources, investment in education, approaching drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal matter, funding social institutions and regulating the marketplace are policies that produce results, in virtually every place they are tried. These are not the pipe dreams of a day-dreaming left, they are workable solutions to very real social problems, and deserve to be recognized as such by both voters and politicians. This is why advocacy is critical – it all boils down to getting the word out, and making our voices heard.

 To paraphrase Desmond Tutu, the price of a functional democracy is eternal vigilance, but to this I would add that we must also be eternally vocal, and active in demanding our rights. Creating a just society is never a finished task; it is always a work in progress, and even in the most prosperous societies on Earth there will always be room for improvement. So, if I can get any message across here, it would be this: get involved on some level - any level. The political machine, such as it is, is all we have. The only way to improve the system is from the inside – the right understands this, and they mobilize accordingly. The left is starting to see how effective this can be, and it's important to keep up this momentum. The Occupy movement was a good start – it shone light on many important issues – but camping out to prove a point is not enough. There are many ways to be involved, and while highly visible protests are one tactic, it's important to utilize as many tools as possible.

 On a day to day basis, politicians need to know what the public thinks. Politicians need to feel that they are accountable, to know that their constituents are watching them, and to feel tangible pressure when they try to enact shoddy or partisan legislation. Keep in mind the fact that when they first get elected, these people often have less experience in politics than you might think. Effectively crafting legislation based on well-sourced information is a skill-set that, clearly, a staggering number of elected officials lack, and therefore it is up to an informed citizenry to help steer them in the right direction. An imperfect system to be sure (one that we can hopefully improve on eventually by incorporating more of the scientific method into the legislative process) but for now, it is what it is. Petitions and letter-writing campaigns are effective in applying pressure to elected officials, and if everyone added the weight of their name to a few every week, it would make a difference, without any doubt. There are many organizations that dedicate themselves to just such a purpose, working to find the most important issues and applying the right pressure in the right place. I subscribe to several of these advocacy groups, and consider it a very valuable use of my spare time. I recommend you check a few of them out, if you haven't already.

• Avaaz.org is focused on social advocacy and human rights, and although only a few years old, its strategy of focusing on “tipping point moments” and using technology to remain light on its feet is proving quite effective. With many political, environmental and human rights wins under its belt, it's definitely worth supporting.
• SumOfUs.org unites worker, consumers and shareholders, and pushes for the rights of the individual against corporations. They work tirelessly to help ensure that the greatest injustices perpetuated by criminal corporations are brought to light, and that corporate interests do not infringe upon our rights or the integrity of the environment.
• Change.org is a household name, well known for fighting a variety of injustices around the world. Using the power of petitions to fight regional injustices wherever they may be found, over the years it has undoubtedly helped to make the world a better place for everyone.

 These are but a few of the organizations working to make the world a better place, and to improve the lives of people like you and I. Their passion helps to keep important causes moving forward, and helps to clear away the spin that often confuses such critical issues. More than most politicians, they have the interests of the people in mind, and as governments around the world become increasingly influenced by corporations and their money, it's vitally important to have such a counter-balancing force. The internet is a potentially powerful democratizing tool, but only if we actively make use of it as such. If we don't, it will eventually become just another venue for advertisement and propaganda.