Go outside and shout at the world
Why in-person activism matters and how to do it right
Why?
I imagine there are plenty of people who view activism through the same lens as me: it is about how people act on their political views. Activism can be left or right wing; the far-right campaigning against refugees is activism, and so is the left-wing counterprotest.
For me, political campaigning (the less sexy name for activism) is the opportunity to change the world, paired with the steadfast belief that a better world is not only possible but inevitable. It’s the idea that humans haven’t reached our true potential yet, that we all have the ability to be genuinely happy once we’ve built ourselves a better world.
However for plenty of others, activism is a more abstract idea. It remains an internal process: “if I change the way I view the world, I can perhaps change others’ minds too”. In reality, activism is a way to relate to a world that is miles away from perfect, a way to channel our anger in a productive and healthy way. Most importantly, it is a way of working with other people to create tangible difference, to improve our material conditions. *Don’t get mad, get organised.*
How?
All activists have a toolkit, and nowadays it would be almost impossible to be a successful political organisation without social media. Instagram infographics, Twitter threads and Facebook events are crucial in building a solid following and to create a good level of hype around whatever protest it is you’re building this week.
During the height of the pandemic, social media activism was more or less all we had. The biggest ideas of the day were relegated to Zoom meetings, plagued by slow internet and difficulty finding the ‘raise hand’ function. Around this time was when the ‘Infographic’ phenomenon really exploded; suddenly everyone was an activist. Something I like to call ‘keyboard warriorism’ had a vice grip on bored young people everywhere. All you needed to do to change the world was post an infographic to your Instagram story. A weird sort of moralism took hold, and the core point of activism became distorted as the same five infographics were circulated by everyone you knew.
I know I sound incredibly cynical, a grumpy socialist trying to gate-keep how people ought to engage with political struggle. But I’m not blaming the individual here, by any means. Protesting in real life became dangerous during the pandemic, whether you were worried about cops or Covid. We only had online activism, which was the most accessible way to demonstrate anger at the establishment for many hundreds of thousands of people.
Thankfully, we are now out of lockdown, and Covid is far less a threat. We are able to go out and protest in person, which is exactly what we need to be doing, given the current political climate. Organising on Zoom or on a group chat is just not the same, there is nothing like meeting up with comrades in person and deciding on your next protest, rally, or march. On top of the human interaction making a huge difference to morale, it is also far easier to organise in person, just as it is to socialise.
The what?
Next comes the protest, the picket line, the stunt, the march and so on. This is the really exciting bit, the physical manifestation of all your hard work, your anger, and your hope. You stand in solidarity with tens, or hundreds, or thousands of like-minded people and shout about the same thing. Everyone is angry, right there with you, and you no longer feel that you are shouting into the void (as can often be the case with online activism).
There is something very beautiful, and often very moving, about mass mobilisation. Picket lines, for instance, can bolster the spirits of a broken workforce. Protests can be full of music and laughter or they can be full of anger and heartbreak, but there is always hope.
Unfortunately we are now in a situation where protesting is getting more and more difficult. The government is cracking down on anyone that tries to fight back, and this only really seems to be affecting the left. Not only is it the horrendous treatment of Just Stop Oil by the state, but it is getting harder and to room venues for public meetings, and Thatcher’s archaic trade union laws mean its very difficult to organise successful industrial action.
This is exactly why we need to keep protesting in person, and perhaps be less reliant on social media, which is also becoming quite hostile for activists (thank you Elon Musk). There are exciting new things in the works regarding a social network specifically designed for protests (thanks CAUSE), but until now, I urge my fellow activists everywhere to join a picket line, go on a protest, or just go and stand and shout at the world for a bit.
