Thursday, January 20, 2011

Activism


I think a good activist would be someone who is willing to fight for what they believe in no matter what. Ideally the activist should really believe in what he/she is fighting for because that way the activist fights with all his/her heart and soul. An activist should be someone who is not afraid to get “dirty” for the cause they are fighting. For example, there could be a chance of going to jail for protesting or a chance of getting killed for speaking out against the majority, but I think if the activist really wants a change in the world they would be willing to go to jail and willing to die for that change. A good activist does not always have to join protests or go to jail or die for a cause, but instead he/she should always be willing to fight for justice wherever he/she finds injustice. Activists should also be willing to do all the things mentioned in the video Visionary: bell hooks like acknowledging people, having tough conversations, talking about taboo issues like sexuality and race, and treating yourself and others with compassion.
 Although I do not admire any one specific activist I try to admire every day people that have done something to create more equality in the world. I admire those people because they are doing something that a lot of other people do not do. People like Shirley Chisholm and Naomi Klein are just a couple of activists among tons that should be admired for their fight towards more equality. I really liked that Naomi Klein said “it was no longer possible to be neutral” in the video Naomi Klein on Becoming an Activist because so many people avoid taking responsibility for making changes in the world yet activists do not. Instead they fully embrace their responsibility and use it in order to make the world a better place. 

4 comments:

  1. I agree with the point you made about how a strong activist should be someone who is willing to fight for what they believe in with all their heart and soul. If you're not committed about what you're fighting for then you will not be a strong activist. You need to truly find what's within yourself and react to how you feel about injustice. I also agree that there are many people out there trying to make a change in their day even if it is something small and they are helping even though it doesn't seem like that much. It's definitely appreciated I'm sure.

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  2. I like your post about how a good activist knows there's a chance of going to jail for protesting or a chance of getting killed for speaking out against the majority. It's terrible though that activist get killed for speaking against the majority. They shouldn't have to worry about dying but unfortunately there are nasty people out there so they do have to worry.

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  3. When Naomi Klein said "it was no longer possible to be neutral" that was very powerful to me as well. She felt something so instrumental to her that she knew she just couldn't sit idle anymore. Embracing her responsibility to do something.

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  4. I liked how you brought up that activists need to be willing (sometimes) to even go to jail, or intense protests for the cause. I forgot that a lot of protests get out of hand and many people could be hurt or arrested. That would take a lot of dedication to a cause to be willing to get injured, or sent to jail for it!

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