Activism: Have we forgotten what it’s all about?
Fifty five
years ago, one of the key events of activism in the American civil rights movement
occurred. Four young African American freshmen
from nearby North Carolina A & T College gathered up great courage and sat down
in the whites only area of the Woolworths segregated lunch counter in downtown Greensboro,
North Carolina, thereby standing up for what they and thousands of other
African American citizens believed they were entitled to, racial equality. In doing so, these students’ actions had an
immediate and lasting impact and helped to forever change the landscape of
civil rights in the troubled southern United States.
Yes ladies
and gentlemen, and this all occurred without so much as a tweet or a like.
Please read
the attached article and learn more about the Greensboro 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_sit-ins
These events
that were shared in Malcolm Gladwell’s article “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”,
gives us much to reflect upon regarding today’s use of social media for the
practise of social and political action.
Does it make deep, lasting and revolutionary change as did the
activities of the Greensboro Four in 1960?
I don’t believe so.
Gladwell’s composition
was an attempt to bring a sense of reality to the over-inflated sense of
importance that we bestow on the likes of Facebook and Twitter. To say that social media is not valuable and
doesn’t have its place in society is foolish. It does have its place to help
facilitate and contribute to activism and social change in a low risk, low
commitment, low engagement sort of way, not drive it.
Contemplate such stunning events as the pro democracy uprising in Tiananmen
Square Beijing China on June 4th, 1989. Despite the expulsion of foreign journalists
and the strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic press,
photos of the heavy military presence were broadcast around the world. A 140 word tweet on social media would not have
helped the Chinese citizens persevere in the face of unprecedented danger the
way the support and face to face physical bond of 1000’s of protestors did in Tiananmen
Square. Armchair
activism is inefficient in regards to challenging the status quo.
It’s the
offline, face-to-face relationships that are the most significant.
On the other hand, in US President
Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, he was the first president to use
social media to reach out to the American public during his run for election. Obama’s use of Twitter and Facebook enabled
his campaign organizers and supporters to reach out to a rapidly growing user
base across all demographics thereby strengthening and complimenting his face
to face campaigning.
If we look
at the meaning of activism it is defined as: a doctrine or practice that
emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or
opposition to one side of a controversial issue. These historic events noted above are clear examples
of two distinct types of activism and plainly show how social media would not
have helped in the case of Tiananmen Square in its “direct and vigorous action”
and how it had a powerful effect in bringing about dramatic change for the 44th
president of the United States.
I don’t
believe that social media activism furnishes the physical human association
that provides the necessary supportive bond when faced with adversity. Sitting behind your computer is a safe means
of activism with the appearance of action.
It doesn’t require any personal sacrifice or commitment and is not the
key to searching for an explanation or solution to a significant deeply rooted
problem. In Greensboro and Beijing it
was all or nothing, on Facebook and Twitter you have nothing to lose.
Thanks to
the involvement and bravery of not only my ancestors and many other courageous
people in many G7 countries, the high risk activism of the past is uncommon
now, but still very recognizable and unfortunately necessary in other parts of
the world.
Regardless of
how you feel about social media, thanks to the ingenuity, creativity and
imagination of individuals we have an invaluable tool that has limitless
possibilities. So what does the future
hold?
References
Independent Lens, Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/februaryone/
Widner, Jeff, Associated Press, Monroe Gallery of
Photography, Retrieved from - http://monroegallery.blogspot.ca/2012/06/this-day-in-history-june-4-1989.html
New York Times, November 5, 2008, Retrieved from http://www.kwanzaaguide.com/history/history_nia.htm
Hesse, Monika, The Washington Post, July 4, 2009, Retrieved
from: http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2009/07/04/pros_and_cons_of_digital_activism/
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, Retrieved
from: http://myjewishdetroit.org/2012/05/what-it-means-to-be-a-social-activist/
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