On “Black Friday,” I was out walking to find two particular homeless women (and one particular homeless man) when I gazed upward to see the sign in the photo above.
Locally, so many would-be reformers and radicals get sidetracked into what amounts to performative moral outrage. They see it as raising consciousness and appealing to conscience. Some of them, to their credit, also engage in direct engagement and direct relief. But they are the minority and they have to contend with people who claim that direct relief and engagement papers over the problem. So we've ended up with a tiny minority that has hard-earned, practicable insights, and a vast majority that, for all their good intentions, only makes a lot of noise.
You've nailed it, as usual, James. You've articulated why I often focus on topics like this rather than use my Substack solely to vent about world events over which I currently have no influence.
I remember becoming very aware of this phenomenon during the "Bring back our girls" campaign some years back, when the 200 Nigerian students were kidnapped.
For the record, I'm not downplaying the potential of collective consciousness. But unless we step out of our comfort zones to engage in direct action, it just turns into a show.
Well said. Among other qualities, compassionate direct action is an effective way of building personal and group resilience. It helps build a knowledge base too, along with a capacity for situational awareness and some valuable folkways for dealing with social setbacks and problems. Not least, the effort builds a healthy pluralism and a tradition that can be handed on. There's a lot of upside!
Locally, so many would-be reformers and radicals get sidetracked into what amounts to performative moral outrage. They see it as raising consciousness and appealing to conscience. Some of them, to their credit, also engage in direct engagement and direct relief. But they are the minority and they have to contend with people who claim that direct relief and engagement papers over the problem. So we've ended up with a tiny minority that has hard-earned, practicable insights, and a vast majority that, for all their good intentions, only makes a lot of noise.
🎯
You've nailed it, as usual, James. You've articulated why I often focus on topics like this rather than use my Substack solely to vent about world events over which I currently have no influence.
I remember becoming very aware of this phenomenon during the "Bring back our girls" campaign some years back, when the 200 Nigerian students were kidnapped.
Another good example, Jaye.
For the record, I'm not downplaying the potential of collective consciousness. But unless we step out of our comfort zones to engage in direct action, it just turns into a show.
Well said. Among other qualities, compassionate direct action is an effective way of building personal and group resilience. It helps build a knowledge base too, along with a capacity for situational awareness and some valuable folkways for dealing with social setbacks and problems. Not least, the effort builds a healthy pluralism and a tradition that can be handed on. There's a lot of upside!
Amen! ❤️ ✊ ❤️
Hi Mickey! Thought you might appreciate this..... George Packer on Activism and Bad Art https://tarahenley.substack.com/p/george-packer-on-activism-and-bad?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=584920&post_id=139263778&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=c55mw&utm_medium=email
Thank you, Stella, I'll try to listen to this later today! ❤️
❤