Alternative Insight

The Call to Activism
A Diminished Force

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Activism has become a diminished force in the United States. This phenomenon contrasts with the manner in which the imposing activist issues of the 1960's; civil rights and anti-war, set in motion huge citizen participation in the social and political causes of post WWII America. The frontal attack on difficult problems moved the government to respond and align its policies with public concerns; at least partially. As examples, (1) The Civil Rights movement brought attention to the social injustices committed against Black people and resulted in fundamental laws that ensured equal rights to minorities, and (2) The anti-war movement partially moved the government to evaluate and end its military involvement in Viet Nam.

Local activism still shows strength in persuading governments to give attention to local problems. National activism has diminished over the years. Even the previous civil rights and anti-war movements have not completed their tasks. Sizable portions of the Black population remain at the margin of American society. United States military still involves itself in the internal affairs of other countries. Further deaths of American soldiers on foreign territory, and military-industrial complicity in the killings of peoples in foreign lands continue to occur. The activism that highlighted conditions that deserved attention from Americans and their government has become less noticeable. Failures to meet challenges are obvious.

Failures to Meet Challenges
No ground swell of protest has been sufficient to move the American government to greatly modify its policies towards Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Cuba, etc. Only several hundred anti-war activists gathered in a corner of Lafayette park that faces the White House, and countered the huge post Gulf War parade in Washington, D.C. The parade featured U.S. warplanes and helicopters flying low over a crowd of several hundreds of thousands persons who lined Pennsylvania avenue. Activists have failed to assemble large demonstrations and provoke a debate on U.S. homicidal policies against Iraq in the post-Gulf war era. Although the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and interference in Kosovo brought some large protests, and a march of many thousands to the Pentagon, the protesters failed to obtain adequate media coverage. Despite large pro-Palestinian demonstrations, the American community has refused to defend the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, the crises grow.

Growing Crises
Growing crises have begun to run away. No group has been able to arouse the American community to apply the brakes:

• Global warming, which the World Watch Institute predicts will raise ocean levels about three feet by the year 2080, and will parch southern U.S. lands, is still debated while the United States seeks methods that allow it to maintain carbon emissions.
• US military power, coupled with NATO power, seeks hegemony by use of force.
• The Mid-East conflict remains unresolved and could precipitate a wider war. The condition of the Palestinian people becomes more perilous.
• U.S. policies have been counterproductive in Africa and have aggravated the turmoil.
• Infectious diseases permeate international barriers. The world community has not been able to organize effective remedies to growing medical catastrophes.
• During an era of great prosperity, pockets of substantial poverty blight the American landscape.
• Despite civil rights laws and decades of education, racism remains a problem in the United States.
• After years of massive spending and technological advantages, the U.S. educational system is considered a failure.
• After decades of bureaucratic fumbling, social problems, such as crime, teen age violence and suicide, and drugs, have not been sufficiently reduced.

Activism is not responding to the growing problems. One reason: A new political alignment.

The Drift to the Passive Middle
A rush by constituencies to the more passive middle of the United States political spectrum has limited the effectiveness and thrust of activist organizations. Essentially, the middle ground buffers those who act against the system and those who protect the system. This middle ground buffer does not exist for all activist movements. National movements that include members from all parts of the political spectrum and many sectors of the nation's socio-economic spheres, such as the gay rights movement, anti-tobacco arguments and, to some degree, the anti-World Trade Organization protests are examples of broader spectrum movements that have achieved a degree of success. In European countries that have multi-party systems and a wider range of expression, demonstrations and movements, such as protests at the European Union summits, are more prevalent than in the United States.

By drifting en masse to a centrist position, the public has displayed a willingness to compromise on issues. A prosperous economy has given a majority of persons the comforts they craved and made them reluctant to criticize a government that is credited for supplying the comforts. The prosperity that produced an economic surplus has expanded entertainment and recreational facilities and these have consumed the remaining leisure time. Activism requires time, dedication and sacrifice. Modern society has assured there is little personal energy and time left for activist activities.

Re-invigorating Activism
There are no sure-fire techniques that make for successful activism. Activism can be a single person, such as Rosa Parks, who aroused sympathy to a personal injustice; or activism can be a national movement that raises the consciousness of a mass of the population. Each cause has its local or national characteristics, and requires an approach that depends on the special characteristics. The decades that have featured a drift to a more centrist political position have exposed the limitations and problems facing mobilizers.

Activist organizations and their members are plentiful, eager and hard-working. They are also insufficient, under-funded and need to evaluate their directions. Most activist organizations have failed to address the appeals to where people power has gravitated: the mass middle of society. The political spectrum has imploded from large polarized "lefts" and "rights" to a large center and smaller "lefts" and "rights." Activist appeals have little effect if they only appeal to those who already are aware of the problems and already understand the solutions. Successful appeals in America follow the rules of public relations and advertising: Speak to the unconverted; speak in the language of those you want to convert; show them a need, show them a solution and how the solution benefits them. The massive concentrated centrists of the political scene seek safety in numbers. They are more likely to respond to organizations with large numbers, to stern but peaceful approaches, to information and not education, to interaction and not patronization.

The first rule to successful promotion of an activist cause is: Frame the cause to the behavior and responsiveness of the new electorate. The second rule is: Don't start a cause without knowing how to make effective use of the media. In the Internet age, this includes the on-line media.

The Media
The media can make or break any cause. The media shapes agendas, selects the important issues and chooses the personalities that become identified with issues. In a reciprocal arrangement, the media shapes politics and becomes shaped by politics. It is the media's lack of recognition of many worthwhile causes that sometimes drives the participants into violent and aggressive behavior. They know that the media will always cover events that contain violence. Unfortunately, the Seattle protest against the WTO gained recognition because of its violence. Unfortunately, the anti-NATO protests went unrecognized because of their peaceful nature. Unless the media is willing to fulfill its duty and allow the cause to receive sufficient press, any cause will have difficulties. Organizing the media to publicize the cause becomes as important as organizing any demonstration.

The policies of a new administration will allow activists to test revised strategies. These strategies will raise the consciousness of the American public and create a consensus to demand a solution to growing problems and a rectification of existing injustices. An appropriate strategy for revitalized activism must be devised or the United States will drift into an era of complacent doom.

alternativeinsight
december, 2000
slightly revised: July, 2002

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