Organizers vs keyboard activists

[sheshe2]

On a couple of occasions I've mentioned that back in 2009 Al Giordano wrote about the looming split on the left between the organizers and the activists. You can click on that link to see a summary of how he described the difference between the two approaches.

This is the last part of Giordano's post:

I think activism, as it is generally practiced in the United States, is more often than not a cop out and an excuse by some to avoid doing the heavy lifting of organizing.

What is the difference, you might ask, between activism and organizing?



Activism is the practice of preaching to the choir, rallying the already converted, and trying to convince other "activists" to do your work for you (say, call your Congressman, or write your Senator for or against a piece of legislation). Activists like to make declaratory "statements," hold "meetings," invite other activists (usually fairly hegemonic of the same socio-economic demographics as them), engage in group "process," make "decisions," veto (or attempt to do so) others from taking initiative outside of the groupthink that too often happens in activist projects, declare "party lines," enforce them, and claim that one is part of a "movement" even when there is no evidence that one really is.

Organizing is something completely different: It is based on attainable and quantifiable goals (be they small, as in, "put a stop sign in the neighborhood," or be they large, as occurred last year: elect an underdog as president of the United States). Here's a simple yardstick by which to measure: If it doesn't involve knocking on doors, making phone calls or otherwise proactively communicating with people demographically different than you, it's not organizing. If it doesn't involve face-to-face building of relationships, teams, chains of command, and, day-by-day, clear goals to measure its progress and effectiveness, it's not organizing. If it happens only on the Internet, that's not organizing either...


Read More~
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2011/07/giordano-predicted-divide-over-two.html

On the other hand, we're witnessing some pretty powerful organizing happen on the ground. Here's a list of examples that have caught national headlines (I'm sure there are thousands more working at the local level):

Organizing for Action

The DREAMers

Moral Mondays

Stand with Texas Women

The Dream Defenders
SINCE TUESDAY, JULY 16, WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING A SIT-IN OF GOV. RICK SCOTT’S OFFICE IN THE STATE CAPITOL. WE ARE CALLING ON THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE TO ENACT THE TRAYVON’S LAW TO REPEAL STAND YOUR GROUND, BAN RACIAL PROFILING, AND END THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE.

ON THURSDAY, JULY 18TH, THE GOVERNOR FINALLY MET WITH US, BUT PROVIDED NO REAL LEADERSHIP. RATHER THAN CALLING FOR A SPECIAL SESSION, HE IS CALLING FOR A STATEWIDE DAY OF PRAYER TO END RACIAL PROFILING. BUT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS ISN’T JUSTICE.

WE ARE TAKING A STAND NOT ONLY IN TRAYVON’S MEMORY, BUT FOR OUR WORTH AS PEOPLE AND CITIZENS OF FLORIDA. WE CAN NOT ALLOW GOV. SCOTT TO NEGLECT HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF ALL FLORIDIANS.

WE ARE HERE UNTIL OUR STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE IS WON. AND IF WE ARE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

GOVERNOR SCOTT TOLD US THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR SUPPORT. WE KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA AND THE NATION ARE BEHIND US BUT WE NEED TO SHOW IT. CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE YOU SUPPORT BY SIGNING OUR PETITION?
http://dreamdefenders.org/

Click on each of these at the link below to find out more.

I'd suggest that what we're witnessing is a veritable renaissance in community organizing. Wouldn't you?

Its hard not to notice that the keyboard activists are dominated by white men whereas all of these groups who are organizing involve various members of what has come to be known as "the Obama coalition"...women, minorities and young people.

Read More~

http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/07/organizers-vs-keyboard-activists.html


From the words of Buffalo Springfield~

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

Cut

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Somethings-Happening-Here-lyrics-Buffalo-Springfield/528E570C1800DFA648256FB0000907B4

It's time to Organize for Action.

[leveymg]

1. If you think insulting bloggers and on-line activists is a good way to recruit for OFA here, you've

got to be kidding. That is probably not the right approach for most of this crowd, particularly at this time.

I appreciate the work you put into this, but please go back to the drawing board.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Some very dated thinking, also rather heavy on irony

A highly crafted internet post declaring that the internet is for 'keyboard warriors'. Of course people organize housework, they organize a vacation, they organize the work space, the sock drawer but when organization is done to reach a political goal it is called activism.
Silly word games. OFA is a turn off because of such petty sniping at others. They finally stopped with the Rick Warrens and Donnie McClurkins but they still focus on the sermonizing.

[okaawhatever]

3. I absolutely appreciate what you've written & collected. It's true, we are moving from mental and

ideological support to "boots on the ground" support. People are angry and they're realizing what's going on right now requires more than what has happened in the past. With the corporate media it's hard to get attention for political situations. The states that were taken over by the tea party/gop in 2010 are using their majority to push through unthinkable legislation. There is definitely an awakening. Change can't wait for the next election. Attention needs to be brought to this now and people are making that happen. Sarah Sladen, the woman who was removed form the TX Legislature was on Bill Maher tonight. She was also on Lawrence O'Donnell and another show (can't remember which one). A couple weeks ago she was a 22 yr old unemployed TX chick who supported Democrats and women's rights waiting out a move to New York for a job. Look at what has happened in a month. When Wendy Davis' filibuster was going on there were over 200k people watching on You Tube. She was in newspapers all over the world including Nigeria, India, Malaysia and others. She filibustered a cut in education a year ago for about 5 hours and no one even noticed.
I worked on political campaigns in high school and worked for a political group years ago but had fallen into political apathy. No more. I've already signed up to go to a couple of training sessions and am meeting with local women the first of August to map out our plans.
I think you're right and it's an exciting time.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Did Sladen do lots of organizing or did she just get active?

Do you really think she'd be insulting activists and sneering that she's an organizer? I heard her talk and she talked about what she did, not about getting others to do things for her or with her, she talked activism.

[bemildred]

5. The internet is a superb way to organize, as Obama has shown. nt

[struggle4progress]

6. Thanks for posting. I worry more and more every day that I'm spending

too much time on the internet and not enough time reaching out to new faces in new places, to hear what they think, to learn what they want, to help them access information, and to try to get them to do something immediately

This is, I think, absolutely correct:

... If it doesn't involve knocking on doors, making phone calls or otherwise proactively communicating with people demographically different than you, it's not organizing ... If it happens only on the Internet, that's not organizing either ...