Activism: Ignore / Complain / Do Something?

[ysabetwordsmith]

A friend and I got to talking about activism, and how you decide where to draw the lines between Ignore / Complain / Do Something About. I thought other folks might be interested in what I came up with.


Each person has to decide that for themselves. Some people aren't activists at all; some are lazy; some flail about everything.  Others make mindful choices about what to pursue. If you are an activist, then you need to choose your causes based on your skills and interests, because you can't do everything yourself. Consider ...

Ignore

* Is it actually any of your business? If not, ignore it. Live and let live.

* Will it probably go away on its own or is trivial? Again, ignore it.

* Is it a real problem, but outside your reach, skillset, or declared areas of interest? Ignore it. No one person can fix everything. Let someone else deal with it who is better equipped or situated.

* Is it something that can't actually be fixed? Ignore it, or find some other way to cope with the stress. This is sometimes called a "rock problem," and it is vital to distinguish between rock problems that can't be fixed and clay problems that can.

Don't ignore things that really do need attention.


Complain

* Are you able to identify and articulate a problem, but lack the resources or leverage to solve it yourself? Complain. Detail the problem as much as possible, and suggest any possible solutions you have imagined.

* Do you just need to vent? It's okay to complain, but make it clear that you are venting and don't want advice or solutions, and make sure your audience is willing. Don't treat someone else as your emotional toilet.

* Are you stuck with people who are making you miserable, but lack the power to do anything constructive? Complain. You might as well make the bastards pay for it.

Don't complain just for the sake of complaining, or whine about things you could do something about but can't be arsed to bother.


Do Something

* Is the problem big and serious? Do something.

* Has an issue moved from minor to major, or far from you to affecting you? Do something.

* Has someone else's personal problem moved from their private space into public space, and is now everyone's problem? Do something. They lost their right to demand privacy and solving it themselves when it spilled over onto everyone else. You don't necessarily have to solve it for them, but you should look for a way to get it out of the public air.

* Is a problem making it difficult for you or others to function? Do something.

* Is the issue one of your chosen causes? Do something, it's your responsibility.

* Is the problem something you caused, contributed to, or condoned? Do something. Clean up your own mess.

Don't do something just for the sake of doing something, meddle in other people's business, or exhaust yourself trying to do everything.


Choose your actions mindfully.


Further Resources

https://mom2.com/how-to-choose-a-cause/

https://web.archive.org/web/20161003161953/https://mnwomenscenter.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/pick-a-cause-any-cause-the-beginners-guide-to-activism/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/activist-careers

https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-mindfulness/

https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-positive-psychology-3-great-insights/

https://www.mindful.org/take-a-mindful-moment-5-simple-practices-for-daily-life/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/decision-making-skills

https://www.umassd.edu/media/umassdartmouth/fycm/decision_making_process.pdf

https://www.toolshero.com/tag/ethical-decision-making/

https://creately.com/blog/diagrams/decision-making-techniques-tools/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/problem-solving-skills

https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cla_lesson2_problem_solving

Comments

[adore]

This is interesting because I've done it intuitively until now. I complain because if I don't speak up I'll regret it. I Do Something when there's a situation occurring and I can get involved. And it's not always on the basis of what affects me, because empathy and using your privilege for good if possible etc. but I am mindful of how much I can handle. Like if it's exposing me to more bigotry than I can handle and I'm spiralling, I stop. If I can act without more than momentary detriment to my mental health and faith in humanity, I go ahead.

Coming up with ways to think through and make a decision would be helpful, and I should ruminate more on this.

[oracne]

Thank you for this. I'm going to study it in more detail later.

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy I could help. Decision-making can get complicated, especially in areas like this with few clear-cut lines.

[arlie]

I perceive major issues with the design of digital technology, user interfaces in particular. If I could get a critical mass of my fellow techies involved, it would be possible to create alternatives. I spent several years looking for projects along these lines and found that only non-techies perceived the same problems I do. I *might* be able to organize something if I were 100% driven, but most likely I'd be doing 90% of the work along with all of the publicity. And I don't have the skills for parts of what I can see would be required. Also, I feel old and tired and not like I have the energy.

Net result, I've downgraded my role to "complain". Any time I notice something egregious, I post about it, usually fully publicly. (Now that I've retired from Apple, I don't have to censor those complaints.) I'm posting on dreamwidth, which is a backwater compared to other platforms, but it also has an interface old enough that it lacks many of the problems that annoy me. Either someone who is an influencer will signal boost me enough that this does some good - and doubtless also claim this mission as their own - or more likely no one will. Either way, that's all I'm willing to contribute to trying to fix this particular problem.

This probably means I'll eventually become a non-user of digital tech, and be seen as yet another old person lacking tech skills. (Of course I'll keep older digital tech functioning as long as I can, but internet incompatability and/or parts unavailability will eventually kill them off.) Fortunately, I'm old enough to know about paper day timers and similar. And I have a large collection of paper books, giving me plenty to read once only e-books are available.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I perceive major issues with the design of digital technology, user interfaces in particular.<<

I agree. Many things are becoming less and less useful.

Hell, it's hard to find lightbulbs that are usable now. LED: shines but does not illuminate. Incandescent: harder and harder to locate, let alone in a decent color. Used to be "daylight" gave good results. In the last year, we've bought allegedly daylight or white bulbs that gave off orange or underwater-blue light. >_< I am honestly afraid that I'll wind up lighting my house with fire. I have candles and hurricane lamps because the power goes out frequently. But for fucksake people, better designs exist.

>> If I could get a critical mass of my fellow techies involved, it would be possible to create alternatives. I spent several years looking for projects along these lines and found that only non-techies perceived the same problems I do. I *might* be able to organize something if I were 100% driven, but most likely I'd be doing 90% of the work along with all of the publicity. And I don't have the skills for parts of what I can see would be required. Also, I feel old and tired and not like I have the energy.<<

Yeah, I know that feel.

This is why I think we need lots more disabled programmers. They would know better than to make a lot of the mistakes. And while we're at it, I don't think black people would make an algorithm that identified black portraits as gorillas.

>> Net result, I've downgraded my role to "complain". <<

Not unreasonable in that context.

>> Any time I notice something egregious, I post about it, usually fully publicly. (Now that I've retired from Apple, I don't have to censor those complaints.) I'm posting on dreamwidth, which is a backwater compared to other platforms, but it also has an interface old enough that it lacks many of the problems that annoy me. Either someone who is an influencer will signal boost me enough that this does some good - and doubtless also claim this mission as their own - or more likely no one will. Either way, that's all I'm willing to contribute to trying to fix this particular problem.<<

That makes sense.

>> This probably means I'll eventually become a non-user of digital tech, and be seen as yet another old person lacking tech skills.<<

People often misinterpret my incompatibility as based on age. But Mom brought home a TRS-80 when I was 7. I grew up with a computer in the house. I used it. That didn't make me actually compatible. And electronic or mechanical things in general, well, it's hard to be good at using something that tends to curl up and die when you get within arm's reach of it.

>> (Of course I'll keep older digital tech functioning as long as I can, but internet incompatability and/or parts unavailability will eventually kill them off.) <<

Yeah, I worry about that too.

>> Fortunately, I'm old enough to know about paper day timers and similar. And I have a large collection of paper books, giving me plenty to read once only e-books are available. <<

Agreed. And in some regards I'm better off than average; I have a lot of archaic skills and can make or do things that most folks can't. I just don't want to have to, when better options exist. I can put up with a lack of things that haven't been invented here, like warp drive. I am extremely resentful when perfectly workable extant tools become unavailable. That has gotten so damn common that it's discouraging me from shopping -- because why get attached to something that's only going to disappear a year or few later? I'm happier not having it in the first place.