Activism plays a major role in our everyday lives whether we recognize it or not. Most people would not have the rights and opportunities of today without some form of activism. The topic of How to Think Like an Activist by Wendy Syfret and the documentary The Punk Singer- Kathleen Hanna was activism, the effort for change in a system. A movement is led by activists trying to influence those in power to hear their voices.
The text began with some history related to activism. The French Revolution and the Salt March were discussed and juxtaposed in a way. The author compared these two movements for their different methods of igniting change. The French Revolution was a lot more violent and ended with many deaths but also led to massive changes. These changes included the rise of democracy in Europe.The Salt March was more passive and Gandhi participated in civil disobedience for which he and many others were arrested.
The article goes on to discuss the waves of feminism. The first wave of feminism was the suffragette movement in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The main goal was for women to attain the right to vote. The second wave was focused on “systemic sexism, gender pay inequality, reproductive freedom, and access to education” as Syfret writes. This was done through protests and marches. The third wave of feminism was in the early 1990s and took a more artistic approach. Music was greatly influenced by feminism. Feminists during this era also recognized the lack of intersectionality in earlier movements. Feminism before mainly fought for white, cis, middle class women and their rights. Currently, the fourth wave of feminism is active and it is similar to the third wave in a sense but with more tools like the internet. The Me Too movement has also grown to be a big issue at hand.
Syfret went on to talk about the youths influence on activism and mentions Greta Thunberg’s efforts to speak on climate change and her powerful speeches. Many of the youth’s activism is allowed by the internet. The internet allows for quicker delivery of information like spreading the word on protests, live streams to be seen, and videos to be shared.
Finally Syfret goes into tips and various approaches to activism. She advises knowing what the message of your activism is, forming a group to engage with this message and allowing the group to be diverse. Syfret also says to unite and learn from others in similar situations. One can also learn from groups that have already been established and remain vigilant of the information you take in, separating facts from opinions.
In the documentary about Kathleen Hanna we learn about Hanna’s rich life as an activist and artist. She was a feminist who decided to approach her audience through her art which were zines and music. Hanna formed Bikini Kill and made music that inspired women to fight back against the violence inflicted upon them. Hanna faced a lot of backlash, having people say she was troubled or she had issues with her father. Personally, I really enjoyed this documentary. I knew a little about Bikini Kill beforehand and about riot grrrl as a movement. It fascinates me to see all that she accomplished and continues to do for feminism.
I’d like to mention Sadira Mohammed’s snapshot and the controversy behind it. The snapshot depicts AOC wearing a dress that reads “Tax the Rich” on the back. While the meaning may be powerful, the ways it was carried out and where it was done feels performative. Politicians talk a lot and hardly get much done. The event costs 35k per ticket, an exorbitant amount of money for an event designed as a grand display of wealth. It seemed shallow.
