Activists and Artivism - Research Paper Example

 Contents Sr. # Topic Pg. # 1. Introduction 2 2. Types of Activism 4 3. Historical and Contemporary Activists 10 4. Artivism 16 5. Conclusion 18 Bibliography 19 1. Introduction “If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal” Richard Stallman Since time immemorial individuals and groups, across the globe, have often resorted to the application of express and at times challenging action, such as a protest or large public demonstrations, in support of a particular cause or against a controversial issue. Such an intentional action is initiated by the concerned groups or individuals with an objective of influencing social, political, judicial, or environmental change for the well being of a community in particular or the society as a whole. The term activism is frequently used interchangeably to signify a strong disapproval or protest against a popular and often controversial issue, however it may originate on account of various political courses of action and assume wider significance which may include express display of discontent revealed through written forms of communication – for instance articles published in popular print media i.e. magazines, periodicals and / or newspapers; against or in favor of the factors which influence such strong reactions. Webster’s dictionary defines the term activism as: “A policy of taking direct and militant action to achieve a political or social goal” (Webster-dictionary, 2009) It involves protests, boycotts, large scale demonstrations, rallies, peace protests, or strikes including hunger strike, and at times violent or aggressive protests such as guerilla attacks to publicize their strong approval or disapproval for the issue in question. The basic idea behind such protests or demonstrations or activist movements is to influence people to change their behavior or views or show concern towards those having opposing views, and also involves deliberate moves to influence those in power to implement laws in their favor. However, not all activist movements or instances of activism, involve violent or silent protest and / or confrontations. Some of them are purely a means of popularizing a given concept for instance, a certain group of vegan, feminist or religious activists seek to dissuade the target group i.e. the people directly rather than involving the government to amend laws to prohibit people from indulging in acts which are against their philosophy or ideologies. Such supportive interest groups or associations aim to establish innovative organizations which conform to cooperative beliefs and standards and largely defy the conventional means such as lobbying or political protests. 2. Types of Activism Activism has various forms and goals and covers a wide range of issues ranging from advocating for or protesting against a social, political, environmental, economic, cultural, and feminist or youth related cause or issues. Other forms of activism or movements include media activism, including internet or other similar forms involving technological use, anti corporate activism, gay activism etc. Some of them are discussed below: 2.1. Social Activism Social activism, as the name itself suggests refers to a movement directed towards achievement of a socially motivated goal. It includes a deliberate move or a direct action taken to promote or publicize a social cause. Tilly (2007, Pp.202) defines a social movement as: "A sustained challenge to power holders in the name of a population living under the jurisdiction of those power holders by means of repeated public displays of that population's numbers, commitment, unity, and worthiness". The fundamental objective of Activist movements is to reallocate control and wealth by dealing face-to-face with power relations whereby a prevailing shared thought, cause or ideology has gained the authority to characterize the society for the masses, to create a philosophy wherein such a definition has a definite meaning, and to accomplish domination with a view to influence more and more people to acknowledge and adopt such an ideology and act accordingly, perceiving it as a natural outcome (Eyerman & Jamison, 1991; Gramsci, 1971;Touraine, 1988). With respect to social activism the basic objective is not merely to influence a particular policy change, but more to ensure a shift in the power in order to direct important decisions in their favor; as well as identify circumstances and assign resources accordingly (Staples, 1984). Social movement theorists usually differentiate among four key types of “actors” in a movement. These include the constituent base, the power holders, the activists, and the general public who are not involved directly in such a movement. The foundation of a social movement comprises of a general population or a community which face similar issues or troubles; and social activism strives to strengthen this base. During the initial stages, the prospective members of the specified population or community may or may not agree or identify with each other or may not share similar problems or issues and hence such movements require to be continuously governed so that a common sense of shared identity or the belief of working towards attainment of a common goal can be strengthened (Sleeter, 1996) One of the most famous or widely popular social activist movements in the last century is the AIDS activist movement which gained widespread popularity during the 1980s. The movement originated from the rising awareness concerning the gay and lesbian community and since then has managed to achieve attention and awareness among the targeted population thereby leading to establishment of a variety of social movement organizations whose structures, goals and vision were centered on promoting AIDS awareness and hence saving millions of lives worldwide. The associations or establishments which were formed during such a movement for the promotion of AIDS awareness varied largely from bureaucratic to highly centralized in nature along with various other similar organizations which were locally based and rather informal in execution. However, irrespective of the scale and extent of its reach, the common feature of all such organizations is their common goal, striving to end or preventing the AIDS epidemic (Freeman, Johnson, 1999) 2.2. Economic Activism Economic activism entails the application of economic strength to initiate desired change. Such a movement is supported and adopted by both conservative as well as liberal groups which resort to economic activism by prohibiting or refusing to use goods / services produced by companies which do not share political, religious, social, or environmental ideas similar to the groups advocating such a protest. As a mark of protest the economic activists may call for a prohibition of goods produced by a company which does not share their views or ideologies or instead promote the goods / services produced by companies which share similar ideologies or beliefs. The basic idea behind such a protest is to encourage “good behavior” i.e. companies which abide by ethical norms and abandon those which go against such ethical practices. In the process it encourages the general public to adopt the right path and empower them to protest injustice and unfair trade practices. Economic activism has managed to influence several vital changes ranging from the manner in which a company conducts its business to the manner in which government functions. It uses a very common yet extremely powerful tool – the purchasing power of individuals, to protest against the unfair trade practices of a given company. History is abound with incidences whereby a group had collectively protested against such an act and successfully achieved decisions in their favor. One such example is the 1733 Boston Tea Party whereby the colonists boycotted the tea which was shipped from England in order to break its monopoly and safeguard the rights of the colonist merchants. When the British East India Company could not sell its tea in England, the government passed the Tea Act to help the company from suffering losses and hence gave an exclusive right to sell its product directly to the colonies without paying the taxes which the colonists were supposed to pay. Such a decision was instantly viewed as unfair since it allowed the company to establish its monopoly and hence faced widespread protests from the colonists who mass boycotted the tea thus using their purchasing power as a tool to revolutionize economic oppression by those in power (Axelrod, Phillips, 2008). Another similar historical incidence of economic activism is observed in the case of boycott of foreign goods initiated by Gandhi, a noted civil rights activist. He influenced the Indians who were then under the British rule to boycott the use of foreign cloth and promoted the use of homespun cotton cloth in order to economically empower the poor oppressed population of India. This movement achieved great momentum as it reinforced the belief of power and dignity among the Indians and instilled the desire to achieve freedom from British rule. Thus a simple economic act of abandoning the use of foreign goods and buying indigenous products instead, helped in shifting the power from the rulers to the hands of the common man. Another similar incidence observed in the United States was the Montgomery Bus Boycott whereby the African Americans protested against the oppression by whites. African Americans during the 1950s did not enjoy similar rights as whites and were often discriminated against. Hence when a black woman Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, black people refused to ride the buses in Montgomery for an entire year. The bus boycott was joined by over fifty thousand African Americans and hence the sheer strength and magnitude of the protests forced the Supreme Court to finally end the discriminatory practices (O’Hern et al, 2006). 2.3 Environmental Activism Since the last couple of decades, concerns related to the environment as well as issues related to its protection have been a permanent feature in public debates worldwide. Concerns regarding the protection of our natural resources as well as other elements of common interest such as the seas, oceans, and the atmosphere are raised by common interest groups. The basic objective of such groups is to make their cause known to a large number of people, and raise awareness about them so that environmental deterioration can be prevented through public intervention. Hence they adopt means such as protest rallies, demonstrations, public speeches, and sometimes violent protests and agitations. Public outcry regarding environmental issues raised in the past, and as documented across news channels and advertised in popular print media proves the fact that citizens today are increasingly becoming aware of the causes which support environmental protection. However for any movement to achieve large scale implementation government intervention is a must hence such groups seek to attract government attention through organized protest march and large scale public demonstrations. Apart from issues such as medical and health care, education and housing protection of society from environmental hazards, guarantee clean air and water, prevention of emission of poisonous gases, protection and restoration of endangered species as well as effective management of solid waste is an important issue which deserves political attention. But governments in turn rely on environmentalists to help them incorporate such issues within their political agenda. As aptly stated by Switzer et al (2003, Pp. 1) “Under the concept of pluralism, the voices of the people are expressed through groups that represent their views and serve as a conduit to elected officials” Environmental activist groups like various other activist organizations can be broadly categorized in accordance with their scale of operation i.e. local, regional, national or international. Certain environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Earth First, and 350.org for instance such international environmental organizations which govern and lead protests and demonstrations associated with protection of the environment. Recently, on October 24, 2009 the “International Day of Climate Action” was celebrated world wide to raise awareness regarding climate change and influence government bodies to take preventive measures to help protect the earth. Supporters of such a cause organized rallies and demonstrations across the globe in support of environment protection. The following images illustrate the various forms used to create awareness worldwide (Pretty, 2007). Supporters at San Antonio, Texas stage a silent protest Supporters forming the figure 350 at Bayonne, France and Public Gathering of environmental protestors at Toronto, Canada 3. Historical and Contemporary Activists The term activist refers to an individual or a group which is involved in advocating a specific cause. The online dictionary (2009) defines the term as: “A proponent or practioner of activism” Patch Adams Hunter Campbell "Patch" Adams, born on May 28, 1945 in Washington, Columbia and the motivation behind the famous Hollywood movie of the same name “Patch Adams” is more than just a medical doctor and a clown. He is a serious social activist a diplomat, performer and an author who is a strong critic of the American health care system and believes it to be elitist and highly expensive in nature and hence devoted over thirty years of his life in transforming the same by incorporating his ideology that laughter, joy and creativity which are the essential elements of a therapeutic process and hence must be adopted by medical practitioners as a part of their prescription. He encourages both the doctors as well as the patients to develop a feeling of mutual trust and in order to increase and improve the process of healing. He incorporates his experience as a medical practioner as well as that of a street clown to develop a unique method of healing whereby the association between treatment and funniness is explored to offer a distinctive combination of professional know how, and showmanship. He is a well known speaker on subjects ranging from wellness, amusement, and fun as well as on health care. He deals with the aspects related to individual, societal, and universal health with enthusiastic energy. Dr. Adams believes that the most revolutionary act one can commit in our world is to be happy. (patchadams.org, 2009). In 1972 Dr. Hunter, along with his like minded associates jointly established the not for profit organization called the Gesundheit Institute located in northern Virginia. The team ran a home based family medical practice and supervised and examined more than fifteen thousand people for free. He organizes a group of volunteers dressed as clowns, from across the globe, to travel to Russia to entertain orphans and patients and bring them joy, hope and fun (Goldman, 2004). Judy Shepard Judy Shepard is a popular gay rights activist and an author, who campaigns actively for the protection of the LGBT community and demands equal rights for them. She is the founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, named after her gay son who was killed in an assault by unidentified strangers for being gay. The organization is an LGBT rights group which aims at “replacing hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance” (Matthew Shepard Foundation). Its main objective is to support diversity programs in education in order to help youth organizations establish environments wherein the youth can feel safe and be themselves. Thousands of people across the globe are often the victims of such hate crimes and yet the miscreants who initiate such assaults or indulge in aggressive acts against members of the LGBT community manage to escape the law. Judy Shepard, having lost her son to one of such random hate crimes, has taken it upon herself to raise awareness regarding the issue and is lobbying hard to get a hate crimes bill passed in favor of gays which ensures them protection against such future assaults and brings the miscreants to book. She is also actively involved in demanding equal marriage rights for gays, as well as the freedom to choose their occupation. The bill, if passed would be an extension of the 1969 federal hate-crime law which is concerned with crimes provoked on account of the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Various adaptations of such a law have been launched since 2001, with additional features added each time, however adequate provisions for protection of gays from hate crimes, have yet to be made. Thanks to activists like Judy Shepard, the gay rights movement has finally received support of the Democratic Congress which has assured the adoption of appropriate measures in that regard (Politics Daily, 2009). So far, Judy has headlined "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium", has gone on several speaking tours, taped numerous public service announcements for the Human Rights Campaigh GLSEN. Such attempts are directed at increasing acceptance of differences. Greater acceptance will hopefully lessen the number of hate crimes and encourage friendly public and cultural environments. These are praiseworthy objectives and activists such as Judy ensure that the society we live in is taken to a place where differences are seen as problems to be solved or obstacles to be overcome, rather than suppressing them through violence and aggression (Tillman-Healy, 2001). Erin Brocovich Erin Brockovich, born on June 22, 1960 is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, regardless of the lack of a proper law school education played a vital role in successfully implicating the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG & E) for irresponsible behavior and unethical business practices resulting in serious threat to lives of individuals in the community. The lawsuit filed against the company was on the grounds of pollution of pure drinking water by the company with dangerous and potentially harmful chemicals, in a small town of Hinkley in South California. The case was finally settled in the year 1996 for an approximate $333 million, which is regarded to be the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in the history of United States. Since then, she has been involved in similar projects associated with filing of anti-pollution lawsuits which includes the Whitman Corporation in Willits, California; the Kettleman Hills Compressor Station (2006) in Kings County, California – which was settled for $335 million. She plunged in the field of environmental activism after she experienced similar contamination related problems in her own home. This extra ordinary feat achieved by a common woman, who did never even attended a law school was soon captured in the 2000 movie by the same name. Ever since the film was released her story and her name gained widespread popularity across the country. She then went on to host various shows and appeared on television interviews and talk shows. She founded the Brockovich Research & Consulting firm, of which she is the president and went on to work for the New York law firm Weitz & Luxenberg (ABA Journal, 2009). 4. Artivism The term Artivism is a recently developed concept which is formed from the combination of the words art and activism. It refers to the promotion of a political or social agenda through art which includes use of media such as television advertisements, internet, paintings or films or other similar forms of art (2008). Walter Benjamin in the closing section of his renowned article 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' has summarized an assessment of the fascist depiction of politics. His vital, and later on regularly cited, ending is summarized in the last two sentences which state that: "This is the situation of politics which Fascism is rendering aesthetic. Communism responds by politicising art" (Benjamin, 2005). Thus, the merger of politics with art began with this article which appeared in the 1930s. The author bordered the representative policies of the political left and right. His hypothesis entail that politics which is fascist in nature, is the representative of sphere of the right, while the left functions within the sphere of art. This however does not mean that politics entirely falls within the boundaries of interest of the right, or that it is the sole prerogative of the imaginative field of the left. The basic idea here, is the fact that the development of a model used by a particular political trend to challenge the other. Some famous Artivists are discussed below: John Feckner John Fekner is a street and multimedia artist, who has fashioned numerous environmental, social, political and conceptual works of art exhibited widely across the globe for instance in countries such as the United States, Sweden, Canada, England and Germany (johnfeckner.com, 2009). He is an pioneering artist and an influential figure in the field of Street Art movement, having associated himself with various environmental projects through art. John Feckner’s paintings with an environmental message Norm Magnusson Norm Magnusson who was born on March 20, 1960 is a New York-based artist and political activist as well as the founder of the art movement funism. He started his career by making figurative / symbolic animal paintings having sharp public remarks. Owing to his skills in promoting a social message through art and the ensuing public attention and appreciation he ultimately became more and more involved in political art especially after realizing its potential for influencing individuals on a large scale. His sudden interest in promoting a social message led him astray from his original domain as a canvas artist to the one which involved interaction with the public and hence he indulged in creating several videos which were aired on U.S. national television. His messages were publicized and promoted through various forms of media including through internet – i.e. viral emails, as well as through roadside historical markers which carried a modern social message. 5. Conclusion Problems and situations in which the community finds it self on a daily basis are often shaped by inequalities of wealth and power and the disequilibrium between them. The difficulties faced by the masses are hence subsequently translated into various forms of activism, depending on the type of problems faced by each element within the society. Activism hence is a solution to various social, political, economic, religious and youth related problems faced by the community. With the passage of time it has assumed different forms such as artivism which is an interesting amalgamation of art with political issues. Activists are major influential elements which steer the course of the movement towards its desired goals. The various activists discussed in the essay and their achievements in their respective fields offer a glimpse of the extent, scope and magnitude of their reach and impact on the accomplishment of the stated goals. Such movements along with the introduction of new forms of media have opened doors for new actors to enter the fray and help influence the society at large to accomplish their objectives and safeguard the interest of the individuals concerned. It is on account of such organizations which has given new dimensions to the strength and significance of collective effort. Bibliography ABA Journal (2009). Erin Brockovich Signs on With NYC Law Firm [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: Axelrod, A., Phillips, C., (2008). What Every American Should Know about American History: 225 Events that Shaped the Nation, Adams Media Publication, Pp. 38 Benjamin, W., (2005)."The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: Erin Brockovich (2009). Biography [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: < http://www.brockovich.com/bio.htm> Freeman, J., Johnson, V., (1999). Waves of Protest: Social Movements in the Sixties, Rowman & Littlefield, Pp. 135 - 136 Goldman, C., (2004). The Ageless Spirit, Fairview Press, Pp. 293 - 294 Greenpeace (2009). International Day of Climate Action, [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from Inc Icon Group International (2008). Protesting: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases, Pp. 368 Johnfeckner.com (2009). Viewed: October 29, 2009 from: Matthew Shepard Foundation (2009). [online] Viewed: October 29, 2009 from: < http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer> Norm Magnusson (2009). Artivism [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: O'Hern, K., Walsh, F., McHargue, D., (2006). The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Gareth Stevens Publishing Online dictionary (2009). Activist [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: < http://www.thefreedictionary.com/activist> Patchadams.org (2009). Dr. Patch Adams [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: < http://www.patchadams.org/Gesundheit_Institute_speakers> Politics Daily (2009) Matthew Shepard's Mom and the Push for Gay Rights [online] viewed: October 29, 2009 from: < http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/09/matthew-shepards-mom-and-the-push-for-gay-rights/ Pretty, J. N., (2007). The SAGE Handbook of Environment and Society, SAGE, Pp. 319 Sleeter, C. E., (1996). Multicultural Education as Social Activism, SUNY Press, Pp. 224 Switzer, J. V., Vaughn, J., (2003). Environmental Activism: A Reference Handbook, ABC-CLIO Publishing, Pp.1 - 3 Tillmann-Healy, L. M., (2001). Between Gay and Straight: Understanding Friendship across Sexual Orientation, Rowman Altamira Publication, Pp. 5 Tilly, C., Tarrow, S. G., (2007). Contentious Politics, Paradigm Publishers, Pp. 202 Webster-dictionary (2009). Activism [online] viewed: October 28, 2009 from: Read More