The Failure of Angry Activists
They don’t see the harm they create.
“The best fighter is never angry.”
― Lao Tzu
I grew up next to Berkeley, CA. The home of activism.
I’ve been around activist, environmentalists, protestors and social justice fighters my whole life.
There was a lot of anger.
I have no issue with protesting and fighting for causes. Almost all of my work is in the work of education, environmentalism and social causes. Some feel the only way to get things done is to be angry and fight.
And if necessary, burn, destroy, damage and hurt.
I don’t agree.
Loving Woman Spewing Hate
I was in Bali, Indonesia where we spend a lot of our time as we have a place there and our kids were schooled there. One day during our first few months we were sitting in a restaurant having a discussion about how to build a home in Bali with some friends. We weren’t being loud, our discussion was private.
As we were leaving a lady in her 60s with long, gray hair, gently asked me if she could ask me a question. She was so kind and approachable, I was happy to meet a new person.
“I overheard you talking about building a home in Bali,” she said.
“Yes, we just moved here and were exploring our options as we may stay for a few years,” I replied.
Her face changed, she sat forward, and with a voice of spitting anger she spewed,
“I LIVE HERE AND IT’S A FUCKING SICKNESS WHEN YOU PEOPLE COME HERE AND BUILD HOMES.”
There was more to her tirade. I was taken aback. I simply told her to have a good day and that we were sorry if we somehow offended her.
Have you discovered the irony and hypocrisy in this discussion? She was a foreigner. She had moved to Bali just like us and lived in a home that either she build or rented which meant she was taking up Balinese land.
She wasn’t angry that we were building a home here. She was angry because she wanted to keep Bali peaceful and quiet to herself. She didn’t see that her own actions were the same ones she was so vocal against. Yet she had no issue yelling at strangers with her views and opinions.
The Power of Hope
Since I was little I was around angry activists. When I am in CA I am still surrounded by angry activists. (Actually, everyone is angry in CA these days). People believe that the ends justify the means. They are are so adamant in their beliefs that they disregard any dialogue or different approach.
This past week a pair of activists decided to throw soup on a piece of art in a museum in France. They felt justified in their actions to make a statement against the oil companies. A Medium writer wrote an interesting piece on this with her views on the girls. I got into a discussion with another Medium writer as we held different perspectives on how to be effective activists.
My point to him was that we don’t need to be angry and destructive to make progress.
I shared my work at Green School Bali which helps to create green activists. I highlighted a few of the students including Melati Wijsen who is an Indonesian activist who cofounded Bye Bye Plastic Bags and founded Youthtopia.
The difference is that Green School, as well as the Women’s Earth Alliance, of which I am a board advisor, fight for causes and build their activism from a position of hope and love. Some react to this as idealistic and ineffective. We tend to forget, however, that some of the greatest activists of all time were pacifists: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jane Goodall, Alexandra Cousteau to name a few.
I was working at Green School a few years back when a writer from Der Spiegel, one of the largest magazines in Europe, wanted to meet with me. He was incredibly busy and only had a short period of time. So I met him promptly and we started to talk.
And we talked and talked.
He told me he could only be there for that one day. But I saw him the next day. And the next. I asked him if all was OK as I thought he had to leave.
“Chris, I travel the world going from conference to conference on environmentalism. They are working on exactly the same issues as you and your staff and the students but all they do is complain and blame. I come here and I see all the work your kids are getting done and how they are changing the world for the better. They have hope and they are happy. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen.”
I have no issue fighting for a cause. I have been fighting for causes since I was 5 years old and walking home from school with a brick in my backpack to stick in the back of our toilet to reduce the amount of water we use. I’ve done a lot and I’ve seen most everything.
We blur the lines between our cause and the actions to achieve them. Our anger blinds us to the wider damage we are creating.
I would argue we are seeing this with the Black Lives Matter movement where even support from African Americans has plummeted. This is the tragedy when a good cause with a good vision loses its perspective and diverts from its mission.
Fight for your cause. Don’t hurt other people.
Protest for your position. Don’t destroy property.
Focus your anger. Don’t be blinded by emotion.
And give hope and love a try.
It works.
🙏 🦋
Please share your thoughts and experience. What are you seeing in the world today with activism? How can we be more effective?
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