What is an Activist?
"What is an Activist?" often pops up as a question in the midst of a political campaign. Sometimes it is asked by politicians themselves, and other times by people who read about politics or who follow politics closely. The answer to that question can be complicated, so this article will try to make it as clear as possible.
To define an Activist, we must understand what an activist is not. An Activist is a person who believes deeply in social justice, and who makes their opinions known through concrete actions. Unlike a public figure, such as a politician, a non-profit leader, or even a celebrity, an Activist does not have the ability to make media announcements or write books to earn praise and adoration from their friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, many politicians who proclaim themselves Activists really just want to be famous and they get that by becoming celebrities through the media-made celebrity pranks known as PR stunts.
Therefore, Agency need to ask ourselves "What is an Activist and is he or she a Celebrity?" I am going to give you my best estimate, based on my years of working in the human rights field. My estimate is that the celebrities that make the news are not really Activists, at least not in the classical sense. Celebrities are famous for other reasons besides being an Activist, like winning beauty pageants, writing books, or performing in musicals, rather than participating in political activism. Activists do more than just wear shirts and scream, they bring about change through direct action, and they are the heroes in my opinion.
A Celebrity might be an Activist, but is not an activist in my book. Activists are individuals who are not afraid to go beyond the call of duty and speak out for justice. A Celebrity might be an excellent spokesperson but does not necessarily support our cause in the way that we would like. Agency might be a good motivator to get people to go beyond what they are comfortable with and do what is necessary to bring about change. Unfortunately, most celebrities will never go beyond the status quo and have been conditioned to think that being a Celebrity means being a part of the status quo, rather than standing up for what is right.
So, what is an Activist? An Activist is an individual who gets others to take action. That means standing up and being counted. In fact, I would submit that those who truly understand the value of direct action are in politics, as advisers, consultants, strategists, or strategists. They work to build coalitions, hire lawyers and negotiators, and get people to act and react in ways that benefit them. Therefore, rather than looking at celebrities as Celebrities, maybe we should start seeing them as Public Figures, because they are in fact doing something important in this world.
Public figures such as lawyers, consultants, and strategists understand that if they do not advocate for the rights of the common person, they will find themselves out of a job, or otherwise not have their way. Therefore, they work hard to build coalitions, get legislation passed, draft bills, and get our representatives to work for us, rather than against us. So, what is an activist? A Public Figure, I suppose, but not just any celebrity.
Some activists are celebrities by virtue of their occupation. For example, Brandeis University recently canceled a planned fundraiser after students complained that the school had been accepting donations from the parent of late Harvard Professor Edward Said, who is a renowned anti-war scholar and author. Rather than cancel the fundraiser, the university offered to give him a posthumous medal. As one might expect, there was some blowback, and Brandeis did fire someone on campus for insensitivity.
What is an activist? A shareholder, but not just any shareholder, one who cares about the corporations he or she works for. Activists are often executives who have cashed in on the stock market and are using their wealth to fund right-wing causes that further marginalize and attack vulnerable groups of people - such as environmentalists, unions, minority groups, women, religious leaders, and the poor. These same shareholders would never give money to any socially conscious small business if they knew all of the below, which is why most shareholders should care: The definition of an institutional investor is anyone who owns shares of a corporation that operates in a developed country - that means almost all major companies, including all of the major stock exchanges.