Sepharo wrote on Mar 14, 2018, 22:03:

frequent examples that people tend to use to refute the assertion when analyzed more closely do nothing to disprove it when one realizes that what accomplishes historical change happens alongside activism but certainly not because of it.

Okay do your magic trick then, explain to me how the activism of the (50s and 60s) Civil Rights movement did not help to bring about the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968.

Okay. Rosa Parks. Made a stand against 50's American society's repression of black people by actively refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. One simple heroic act. She didn't stand on a street corner with a sign no one would read as they drove by and rolled their eyes. She eschewed the safe and put herself at risk. History refers to an activist but what she did beyond that is what ignited the civil rights movement almost single-handedly. This did more than a thousand, ten thousand people standing on a corner or gathering in a park. Martin Luther King used his great leadership and powerful voice to unite and motivate an entire race. He didn't do this in his spare time - he dedicated himself fully to making things happen. He DID something. Were he just an activist he would have had no more effect in advancing civil rights in America than useless, cynical, opportunistic race baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have. They are the picture of pure activism. Not only have they accomplished nothing in the way of civil rights advancement, they have actively hurt the cause and furthered the divide between races. People say they "raise awareness" and "fight for justice". I say they insinuate themselves into situations where they see an opportunity whether or not race is at the heart of the issue, throw themselves at the cameras, and increase racial tension while trying to build their legacy. Activism at its finest. Jackson and Sharpton did to the civil rights movement what happens to every single movement that lacks a powerful, moral leader of decisive action (or in the case of the civil rights movement, loses said leader) - they co-opted it for their own ends, twisted it into something it was never intended to be, and derailed the ongoing efforts set into motion by true leaders and heroes.

And civil rights is just one example. Remember the Tea Party movement? Co-opted by Islamophobes and right wing extremists. Occupy Wall Street? Co-opted by Communism-seekers and anarchists. Activism from left wing extremist groups gave us Trump in the White House. Activism from frustrated conservative simpletons gave us clowns like Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan in powerful legislative positions. Activism by the extreme fringe lefties is why the NRA is as powerful a lobby as it is. Activism by man-haters and feminist snowflakes is currently killing the #metoo movement in its cradle. Anecdotally speaking every single guy I know rolls his eyes at the very mention of it. Or was that the kind of "awareness" they were going for? I applaud the women who shed light on the abhorrent behavior of that pig Harvey Weinstein. That took some real guts. The rest of those opportunistic bandwagoners (activists) can piss off.