You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “90 percent of success in life is just showing up.” I’m a big believer in that, and I try to practice it often -- coupled with the understanding that, while showing up is important, taking action is even more so.
Lately, though, I’m fascinated by “slacktivism” and its insidious creep across our cultural and political landscape.
What’s “slacktivism,” you say? The somewhat formal definition is “actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but requiring little time involvement.”
With major apologies to Shakespeare, however, I define slacktivisim as “a post or comment, written by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
While that sounds harsh, it’s likely you know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to social media. Slacktivism abounds. It’s that friend who tweets nonstop about some issue but never actually does anything about it. Or your family member who is constantly complaining about something on Facebook but never steps into the fray. Sound. Fury. Signifying nothing.
All is not lost, though. America was founded on protest and real activism, and we have a long history of getting our hands dirty and taking action. I said to a close friend recently, as we were engaged in a rather passionate discussion about an issue, “This is America. You are required to take a stand and do something!”
To me, that means if we want to effect real change in our communities, we need to get out from behind the computer and start showing up.
I’m Wester Wuori, and that’s my Perspective.
