More About Activism Burnout

[joreth]

I am amused (and a little annoyed) at a few comments here and there from other activists in various places, saying, what amounts to, "Oh yes, I remember feeling like that back when I was new. Now I know how to handle it better. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually."  I'm sure no one actually means it this way (at least, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt), but so far all the comments to this effect came off sounding condescending.  I could almost feel the pat on my head.

First of all, not all of the examples in my rant happened to me. One of the primary motivating factors in my activism is that I hear other people wishing for change, but don't have the ability to effect that change. So I speak for them. I often take someone else's story and write it to sound like it happened to me, and take my own stories & write it to sound like someone else's, for the purpose of protecting identities and privacy.  I also tend to change genders and story details for that same purpose, which is why it is not advised to assume that anyone knows who or what I'm referencing in any given post, if I don't include a link to their LJ or other personal site.

Second of all, I'm not actually burnt out, nor am I feeling under-appreciated, as I've already said. I get plenty of praise, and I don't even need praise to think my efforts are worth it. My self-esteem is ridiculously high, and although I appreciate validation, I don't actually require outside validation to feel good about what I do. The point of my rant was to make *other* people more aware of what their community leaders do behind the scenes and how their unthinking behaviour feels to those activists who have given a significant portion of their lives, and of who they are, to provide for their communities.

Considering how many people make suggestions for someone else to do things, it seems to me that not many people actually know what it takes to be a community leader and what goes on behind the scenes. Seeing my fellow activists get harangued for not doing enough pisses me off, and I know that most of them can't say this without losing their standing in the very communities they're trying to help.

Since everyone already knows I'm a ranty bitch, my standing is not lost by speaking up on their behalf.

The primary reason for my being a community leader and activist is to provide a voice for those who don't have one. My own life looks exactly how I want it to look. I have a great circle of friends, I have wonderful partners, I have my dream job, I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and kitties to love me, and that's all due to conscious design on my part. While there can always be improvements, my life is pretty fucking fantastic. I can be who I am and who I want to be.  But not everyone has that luxury, and I think that ought to change.

I, personally, do not need much of the results of my activism. I have the luxury of designing my life to be exactly the kind of life I want it to be. I feel a strong pull to provide a voice to those who cannot speak, so what those people want to say is of paramount importance as long as I'm speaking for them. I don't think dismissing criticism is effective for the end-result, but I also don't take it personally. It doesn't hurt me, as a person, it doesn't affect my self-esteem, it doesn't make me feel bad about myself. It's a valuable tool for refining my activism efforts.

But the criticism needs to be constructive, and for that, the people offering the criticism need to have more information, such as "I already tried that and it doesn't work" and "I'm already doing the 500 other things that need to be done, so in order for me to add yet another thing, I need assistance."

And that was the point of my rant. I wanted to let people know what their community leaders and activists go through, to foster understanding and empathy for the activists, and to build a better relationship between the activists and their community. If you have a criticism or a suggestion, it can be a much more effective suggestion or criticism if all these other things are taken into consideration, like the activist's limited time, or the scope of the request.  I was not asking for validation, I was not whining about being under-appreciated, I am also not new at activism and discovering this concept for the first time.  

Before I jumped on the poly & atheist activism bandwagons, I was a community leader for a great many causes, including animal cruelty, save the redwoods, recycling, feeding the poor, sex ed in schools, and anti-war protests.  As my shirt says, this ain't my first rodeo and I am very familiar with the progression of activism leading to Activist Burnout.  I also know my own limitations and what works for me and what doesn't to avoid Activist Burnout.  As the subtitle of my journal and the top post say, this is a place of rants and of education.  I use my journal to rant, and to blow off steam, that's its purpose.  I also use my journal to educate people by giving them glimpses into someone else's head.  Through my journal, people can either feel less alone for something they consider "unusual" about themselves, or they can learn about someone who is very different from themselves.  Posting about Activist Burnout fits that use of my journal to a tee.  The opportunity to see a situation from someone else's point of view can be an important part of changing one's own view.

So, really, my rants are actually an extension of my activism.  They're not to everyone's taste, but that's the beauty of LJ - you have to come here to see what I have to say.  If you don't like it, if my form of activism or education isn't your cuppa tea, you don't have to read me.

Comments

[terriaminute.livejournal.com]

Terrific clarification. I hope it helps those who most need to know these things.