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Activism is not where you originate from or where you are located, it’s what you do. Activism allows us to make social changes; this can occur in many different ways. It allows us to make a change in the world through political, social, economic, and sometimes even through environmental changes. It’s usually lead by individuals but the majority of the time people gather collectively through social movements. An activist is the principal of a social movement. Activist arouses particular information that impacts individuals and allow them to gather, protest, and make social changes. There are many different types of activism first we have those who “demand solutions to contemporary problems through taking the oppositional stances to mainstream …show more content…
Think of the fight to cure AIDS, cancer research, Alzheimer's research and now healthy life extension. Productively framing, placing and keeping a problem front and center in the mainstream of our culture is hard work, but that education and persuasion unlock purses far and wide. Government money is usually the least of these resources. Far more funding comes from a venture, charitable and corporate concerns. Corporations and venture capitalists see mainstream culture explicitly in terms of needs and markets for future products. If a need is shouted loudly enough, money will be directed to answer that need. Charitable causes answer the same needs and more certainly goes to those needs shouted loudly from the rooftops but through voluntary donations and giving. AIDS funding in the 80s and 90s is one crowning example of a victory for activism and advocacy. In a comparatively short few years, AIDS moved from obscure disease to the center of media attention. There was a close relationship between activists and researchers at that time. The floodgates of research funding opened and AIDS progressed from death sentence to manageable condition for those with access to treatment. Through activism, we, become more aware of current life situations and we make a change for the better with larger groups of people who believe in that we believe …show more content…
Wright Mills, founder of the sociological imagination which means to see things socially and how they interact and influence each other rather than just from our own perspective, emphasizes the importance of seeing the connection between social structure and individual experience. One way in which one can think about this is to recognize how what we often experience as personal troubles, like “not having enough money to pay our bills, are actually public issues”. So how do activist come in to play? it begins with one person, they realize how it is a public issue and want to bring these issues to the government so that there can be a change. Later on you see groups of people that have a similar mindset as the activist and want the issue to be address so they begin to protest, through social media, through the streets, through their jobs etc… and so it becomes not only activism but the sociological imagination itself. A perfect example of a social issue as well would be Colin Kaepernick and his protest on not showing pride to the flag or the country of the United States for the oppression on black people or simply people of color. Of course Kaepernick goes into detail explaining that his protest was in response to the persistent racism and brutality that black people experience, whether its from the police or from the inactions of the government. Kaepernick would be considered a activist who stands up for racial discrimination and just like him there are more like LeBron
There are many issues this world faces such as pollution, car fatalities, not taking care off the world etc.. People try and show their concerns for these issues by starting organisations or having protests and just trying to get people to realise that what they are doing is wrong and that we cant continue to live like this.
While volunteering and advocating for social justice are things that have always been important to me, I would like to become more involved in community movements and advocacy groups that promote gender equity. The article, “Why gender matters in activism: feminism and social justice movements”, by Bhattacharjya et al. (2013), emphasized the importance of community and mutual involvement in working towards gender parity within social movements, concluding that such equality is best achieved when supported by a whole, resulting in unification between males and females in the decision-making
I think part of the dilemma is that people see activists like Kathy Kelly and Media Benjamin and ask themselves, "How do I fit into this?" While both individuals, and those like them, should be praised and respected, not everyone can do what Kathy and Media do: travel overseas, get arrested, spend time in jail, etc. That sort of activism is simply unsustainable for the vast majority of Americans and Australians. We need more practical examples. Again, we need to work on the local level.
Without meeting these three intertwined characteristics, the social movement in question cannot be successful. The Occupy Wall Street movement for example, as mentioned previously, is lacking leadership and organization and its common purpose was very wide, as it focused on social and economic inequality worldwide. It would have probably succeeded if the movement had broken down the claims they made in small movements. Contrastingly, feminist movements embody perfectly this idea, as they each fought for one cause, from the legal right to file complaints independently to contraception. By taking the problem of gender inequality as a basis, they succeeded in taking issues like voting, contraception or matrimonial rights, in the prospect of making changes in society. So today, we can affirm that the feminist movement is succeeding, as it still criticizes current issues. Also, as seen before, sustaining contentious adds the success determinant of other new issues emerge from them, as it brings new political opportunities, by the dissolution of constraints in society. In the end, the key to success of social movements is adaptation to the context, and the flexibility of the movements’
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary (n.d) defines activism as “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue” I chose activism because it shows that they were passionate about help the disable students. The most important statement or line in the article is “Disability studies theory insists that the “problem” with disability is not in the person, but in the environment” (Cory et al., 2010, p. 35). I find this statement really interesting and true. The environment needs to accommodate the person with the disability instead of the person accommodating the environment. The word not in the article that I would best explain the article is consistent. Consistency is defined as “always acting or behaving in the same way” (“Consistent,” n.d.). I chose this word because the BCCC consistently met with the administration of the school to discuss issues and concerns of the
The Progressive Era was the period of reform and social activism from 1895 to 1920, it was an attempt to get rid of all the ills that had penetrated American society during the Gilded age. The Progressives were people who tried to make the life of the average American better, they believed in the ability of humans to create a better world. Industrial capitalism, burgeoning cities, the influx of immigrants, and the depression of the 1890s were some of the sources of the reform impulse of the era. The Progressives were primarily middle class citizens such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, businessmen, etc. Many of them were part of the Republican and Democratic parties. They were greatly influenced by the Europeans.The Progressives believed
The movement changed the landscape of American society and opened it up to excluded groups and gave these groups a model for protest and change. It demonstrated that nonviolent protests and struggle was a viable method of social and cultural change.
History accounts for the great contributions of women in promoting social justice, particularly in uplifting the morale and functions of women in the society. From being the oppressed gender, various women managed to change the traditional roles of women by fighting for their rights to be heard and for them to given equal opportunities. These women boldly stood against gender stereotypes of women and proved the entire world that they could defy conventions. Particularly at the turn of the 20th century, women battled against the oppressions brought by patriarchy in different ways. These activist women had crusaded for the promotion of their civil rights, sexual freedom, and pursued careers which were once forbidden to them.
Restraint and Activism Judicial activism is loosely defined as decisions or judgements handed down by judges that take a broad interpretation of the constitution. It is a decision that is more of a reflection of how the judge thinks the law should be interpreted, rather than how the law has or was intended to be interpreted. There are many examples of judicial activism; examples include the opinions of Sandra Day O'Connor in the Lynch v. Donnelly and the Wallace v. Jaffree trials. Sandra Day argues for the changing of the First Amendment's ban on "establishment" of religion into a ban on "endorsement" of religion. Others include the U.S. v. Kinder, where Congress passed legislation that would require a minimum sentence for persons caught distributing more than 10 grams of cocaine.
1) Name and describe the Social Movement. What is the goal of the Social Movement?
I am deeply committed to social activism; the words of Desmond Tutu inform my actions every day: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” At Phillips Academy, I am active in Women’s Forum, BOSS Magazine, and GSA.These activities give me the opportunity to speak out on issues such as race, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and intersectionality, but as much I value discussion, I would like to move beyond mere conversation; I want to do something. I want my life and my work to make a difference in the world.
This summer if you were on social media you heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The concept was simple, just film yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, challenge your friends to do the same, and donate ten dollars to the ALS Association. Opt out and donate one hundred dollars (Madison). Many Americans did not know what ALS was and by putting this challenge on social media has brought tons awareness to this devastating disease. Activism used to be taking action to bring social change, people in the 1960s used to gather in front of community centers and protest and or speak about their issue or cause. Now even though people still gather together it is much easier to use the internet. Hundreds of social media applications
Awareness springs activism. When one properly learns of a situation that must be alleviated they can now act to reduce the problem. Courses and organizations on women’s and gender issues are most helpful in spreading awareness throughout the land. As more people become educated on the subject, there is a good chance that a percentage of those people will take action.
The concept of activism is rarely understood by any “normal” citizen. The donation of one’s time towards a certain cause or belief has always been envied by the working class citizen who feels it is important to give back, but is pushed away when those good intentions go bad such as when “non-violent” protests or speeches turn reckless. With an intuition of activists having to be heard through harsh acts, for example the demolition of bridges, billboards or aqueducts, their cause is usually overlooked; their actions are looked down upon as people with internal rage. We must ask ourselves if they are using activism as an excuse to vent out their personal anger. Rather than activists causes being the center of the attention they receive, the ill-mannered way they go about trying to solve problems have become the subjects focus.
During the 1960s, the accepted American way of life was challenged. People began to question, and ultimately reject, traditional societal roles and values. This led to the mobilization of like minded individuals who sought to effect change through gaining political influence. The Civil Rights Movement, the Free Speech Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, and the Antiwar Movement were the result of such mobilizations. Participants in these movements were uniformly deemed leftists or radicals or revolutionary bums by the mainstream. This oversimplification obscured the true linkages that existed between the different movements. From the inception of the Women's Rights Movement, it has drawn on ideas originating in the Civil Rights Movement. In particular, the Civil Rights Movement played a significant role in sparking the Women's Rights Movement, and it continued to influence the women's movement because of their shared ideologies.