CompassionateTroublemaking 101
How merging ‘snowflake soft skills’ with active disruption can create the space and culture necessary for meaningful social change.
Troublemaker: (noun) A person who habitually causes difficulty or problems, especially by inciting others to defy those in authority.
The term Troublemaker isn’t new. Through our whole lives, we’ve always known that person:
- The kid your mum didn’t want you to play with after school.
- The peer who always ended up being sent to the headteachers’ office.
- The work colleague who always found themselves on the wrong side of management.
And as the saying goes, if you didn’t know that person, maybe you were that person?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all of those ne’er-do-wells were simply misunderstood revolutionaries. There are those who, unfortunately, want to cause trouble solely to ‘watch the world burn’. But neither can we assume that the rationale behind all troublemakers is that of arrogance, ignorance and destruction
So how do we differentiate between those causing problems for their own gain as opposed to those who do it because of a deeper, wider sense that things need to be different and BS needs to be called out.
It is here that we introduce…
The CompassionateTroublemaker
Compassionate: (Adjective) feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
Again, the concept of compassion is not a radical or new one and, again, It is likely that you’ve always known those people
- The kid who shared their pack lunch.
- The peer who stood up to the bully for another’s sake.
- The work colleague who planned the office birthday parties.
Compassion isn’t just found in the big actions that everyone sees, but also in the small, everyday occurrences that too often go unnoticed.
We believe that as a society, we’ve lost sight of much of this nuance, of the ability to share, to discuss with love and to respect others regardless of our differences. We believe that one of the best ways to not only address the deep inequalities in our world but to also do so with openness and respect for all is through the use of radical, compassionate trouble-making.
What does a CompassionateTroublemaker do?
CompassionateTroublemakers can be found in all areas of life. We are the individuals who look around and question the status quo, not because of a sense of entitlement or the idea that the rules do not apply to us, but because we see an inherent unfairness and inequality in them.
CompassionateTroublemakers have our cause(s) that we’re deeply passionate about, but in the fight for positive change, we will be respectful of our opponents. We hold ourselves to the same expectations of decency and respect that we hold those that we disagree with. We will try to understand an issue at hand from differing perspectives in order to better understand and problem-solve. We spend as much time exploring and understanding problems as we do coming up with solutions.
We are intrigued and invigorated by new ideas and methods of exploring and understanding the world around us. We believe that these new ideas can come from anywhere and that we should be actively opening up and diversifying spaces, both physically and culturally, in order to break down the narrow power hierarchy in decision making.
Compassionate Troublemakers, at our heart, are humans with rich, complex and diverse personal stories to tell and with a strong desire to hear stories also held by others. We believe that this journey of sharing, questioning and exploring is essential at building a kind, fun, engaging and equitable world for all.
Can I be a CompassionateTroublemaker?
Yes. You don’t need our permission to be a CompassionateTroublemaker. If our ethos rings true to the person you are and the work you do [or want to do], then you already are a CompassionateTroublemaker.
We want to help spotlight you and the rest of the community around the world and the wonderful things that are made and done. You can do this by engaging with us on social media using the hashtag #CompassionateTroublemakers.
