Activism

An ode to the activist

The word activist does not always trigger the same image. One may find them annoying, the other may praise them as the heroes of our society. Activism only originates from unfair, unhealthy, unacceptable situations. Usually, citizens fight governments and the big capital to straighten what is crooked.
There are always two or more parties opposing one another, and as at least one of them thrive on the contested situation, there will always be people against the activist. History shows that the activist is vital in the development of our societies. Often, the activists receive critical acclaim for their actions only long after they were undertaken. While this is a pity, it still indicates their positive effect on the long term.

Activists from the past
Let’s have a look at the past and dig up a few activists who took to the barricades in a battle for rights or cases which were, in their time, as controversial as some are nowadays.
Martin Luther King was a American Baptist pastor, political leader and a prominent member of the Afro-American citizen rights movement. He became famous for his non-violent resistance against racial discrimination in the USA, which had him receive the Nobel prize for Peace In 1964.
Malcolm X, a contemporary of King, was one of the leaders and spokespersons of the Nation of Islam, an Afro-American muslim organisation contending equal rights for the black population. He gained world-wide fame as a champion of Pan-Africanism.
Nelson Mandela was a South-African anti-apartheid combatant and politician. He was involved in the fight of the African National Congress (ANC) against the apartheids regime in South-Africa. He drew a total of around 250 accolades, among which was the Nobel prize for Peace.
Rosa Parks was an American citizen right activist. She grew a well-known figure after her striking deed of resistance in 1955, refusing to give up her bus seat to white passengers. In 1996, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour a citizen can be given by the USA government.
We could add to the list quite a few more names. The ones mentioned above (in no particular order) speak to the imagination since they rose to great fame, while a complete list would include many others that did not. Glory is not the point of it all. You do not become an activist in a longing for the statue and applause, but because you resist injustice. 
Sometime in the past there have been fights against racism, for human rights, abortion, gay marriage, voting rights for women, abolition of slavery et cetera. There have been many and long struggles for a fair, better, healthy future for all, often even resulting in imprisonment and death. Being an activist, and therefore a challenger to the ruling power, does not come without risks. It takes courage and sacrifice to put your own interests aside for the sake of the greater good.

We need people who dare to think about the long term.

Against the stream
Collective ownership, too, is about the bigger picture. It is a way to realize something without being financially rewarded for it in the future. A construction revolving around the ‘I’ as well as the ‘we’, regarding the now as well as the later. Seen from this perspective, anybody making work of collective ownership is an activist. It is the action against the current neoliberal, capitalistic way in which our society is being organized. Living or working in a collective shows that you dare to think and act different.
Frequently I come to speak with people who have a hard time understanding why you would take living in a collective over buying your own house. They find you a thief of your own wallet, since you refrain from the financial benefits that might come with individual possession. Along the same line, I meet people in OT301 who are startled that we ask only 3 euros for a cold bottle of beer. Would you live in a world that turns around money, you would understand them, but luckily enough that is not the case. Life is about much more than money, which makes it important for people and organisations to go against the stream. Thinking by yourself and making decisions based on principles and intentions is smarter than following and parroting the herd. We need people who dare to think about the long term. The masses are obsessed by money and short term results. Exactly that behaviour is what activists today are battling against.

Climate activists
The most well-known activists of the moment are those people in different organisations making a case against climate change and the loss of biodiversity. A worldwide movement has been growing a strong voice that is heard on an almost daily basis through disruptive actions, demonstrations, blockades and barricades. These people want climate justice. They want governments on a global scale to intervene and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions to zero, because climate change and biodiversity loss lead to the collapse of ecosystems as well as the extinction of people and other living species.
What climate activists long for does not sound weird to me at all and therefore I find it bizarre that it has to be fought so hard. Even after all the floods, storms, forest fires, droughts, polluted oceans and other woes of the last years, there are people claiming that nature itself is the cause. The only reason why some people flouting an healthy future of the earth, mankind and other living organisms is greed. It is companies and people who find their own profits more important than the bigger whole.
It may sound a bit too succinct, but the people who find their own profit, possession and power more important than the greater good are perhaps the ones who are fought against. Add to that the government, as today’s government is unfortunately not a guardian of the people’s interests. It is rather a group of managers and lobbyists who are mainly concerned with economic growth, the interests of those with a lot of money and power. Whether we are talking about Extinction Rebellion, Fridays For Future, Disobedient Futures, the Housing Protest, Right to the City, Occupy or demonstrations against racism, inequality, police brutality and the squatting ban: all are rebellions against the ruling powers.

Activism is not only about the act of resistance but also about building communities and solidarity. The bigger and stronger the community, the greater the collective power to achieve your goals.

Tactics
Many demonstrations are relatively small and therefore make only a small impact. The fact that politics are not easily impressed and hardly ever moved to change things does not mean we should stop. Never give up. Every movement starts small. Perhaps, it was on a rainy Saturday afternoon that Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela ignited their first demonstration. Not every form of activism demands to be a widely visible and upsetting deed. Small actions also count.
If you are consciously engaged with activism, it is important to think about tactics. For example, street demonstrations and petitions are good, though not always as effective. The government or other power which is being demonstrated against is probably giggling with a glass of champagne in the hand. They see it happen, but the next day they continue unperturbed. An effective strategy is one that really hits the target, that forces change or negotiations because there is no other way. Strikes are a good example. Laying down work means that you all together shut down an industry or society. It affects everyone (including the strikers themselves), but mainly the ones bearing responsibility and losing large sums of money or votes as a result. 
Suppose you live in a poorly maintained and unsafe apartment building. The first thing you do is calling the owner to make a report, so that maintenance can be scheduled. However, as costs of maintenance are often saved on by owners, chances are that nothing will happen. After the notification, you decide to make yourself loud and clear with drums and banners. The owner probably reacts with concern and promises to do something soon, but again ends up doing nothing. The following week you and other tenants decide to withhold rent until maintenance is put into effect. You will see that the owner does take action now, because as soon as you stop his income, he will probably wake up. That is not to say that he will start maintenance immediately. Most likely, he will first threaten you with eviction, squads, lawyers, lawsuits or other means of pressure. Yet, negotiations have begun. The most important with this type of action is to make sure that everyone participates. The more tenants not paying the rent, the greater the effect and the less likely it is that the landlord can get back at you. Activism is not only about the act of resistance but also about building communities and solidarity. The bigger and stronger the community, the greater the collective power to achieve your goals.
Of course, there are many more tactics. Squatting, for example, is an active manner to raise awareness regarding the housing crisis. Today, the highway barricade is a widely used method to call attention for climate change. There are also lots of original and artistic ways around activism.

If you are uncertain about your standpoint towards activism, you could ask yourself in what world you would like to live and what world you wish to leave behind for your children and future generations.

Everybody activist
If you are uncertain about your standpoint towards activism, you could ask yourself in what world you would like to live and what world you wish to leave behind for your children and future generations. If that is a fair, healthy and pleasant environment for everyone, you can be an activist, because that is currently not the future we are heading for. It does not matter if you are not an activist yet and you do not have to paint your hair pink or blue tomorrow or start demonstrating week in week out. It means that you get in on the action, in one way or the other. Everyone’s help is necessary in the fight for change and against the status quo. You do not have to be Malcolm X or Greta Thunberg in order to make a contribution. As long as you know what side you are on and offer support in the right moments. Dare to come out for your opinion, even if the company you are in might be on the other side. You will see that many people have an activist side hidden somewhere, waiting to come out for it.