I was actually moved into action (activism) far before I even decided where I would go to college or what I would study. When I was fourteen I was doing research to write an essay about a controversial topic for social studies class. I chose to talk about animal rights because I had always been passionate about animals. While on the internet, I found PETA.org and looked at some of their blogs and videos. My life changed forever because of that media. I became vegetarian that night, and really started to explore activism. What started as a mission to save animals became a mission to use my life for activism. The media really does reach people.
Learning that corporations have human rights under the constitution really affected me, and the way I think about politics, scarcity and inequality issues. I have contemplated this topic over and over. I have discussed it with many people since learning about it in this and one of my other classes this semester. I have begun to realize that all problems are much larger and interconnected than I had ever realized, yet very simple at the same time. The overarching problem is greed and inequality. The specific problem is that those in power are those with the most money and least compassion, and it humanity has not risen together to overturn it yet. I don’t know how we’ll overcome, but I know that millions of people are already active. There isn’t one larger collaborative movement, though. Some people use grassroots organizing to change their communities, some take “monkey-wrenching” direct action, and others try to separate themselves completely from “the system” (almost like what Chris McCandles did in Into the Wild).
Something I have really come to terms with this semester is my need to focus my efforts on problems that I am passionate about and can change. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed and defeated by all of the issues that I hear about. I have had to slowly learn that it is more effective to do what you can about immediate local problems, while sustaining an overall compassion for everything. Personally, I am really motivated to make effective changes for the lives of animals. I have gotten heavily involved with a campaign to change VT state legislation about livestock care and slaughter. I am going to make a campaign plan today (for ENVS Activism) for a project that I will implement in the fall. My main ideas are to reform animal testing practices at UVM and hopefully eliminate the need for it as much as possible, or mandate that only local meat is served on campus. From taking Media Literacy and the Environment, I have learned how effective the media is in reaching the masses. Before our PSA project, I had never made a video for anything. I had also never had a blog or talked critically about Facebook before taking this class. I am really interested in journalism, and seeing the DemocracyNOW video really spoke to me. I absolutely plan to take what I have learned with me to make effective changes.
As far as spreading media literacy, I have already been doing that in my own life. Whenever I see any kind of ad I automatically question which company made it and for what reasons. I don’t have a television, but when my roommate is watching her TV I overhear commercials and literally start laughing and usually ask her what she thought about it. Generally we agree that it is ridiculous. I have always questioned the exploitation of women in the media, but now I have even more reasons to validate my disgust.
My vision of the world has been molded by two major voices in activism: Saul Alinsky and Derrick Jensen. In his book Rules for Radicals, Alinsky writes: “Much of an organizer’s daily work is detail, repetitive and deadly in its monotony. In the totality of things he is engaged in one small bit. It is as though as an artist he is painting one small leaf…What keeps him going is a blurred vision of a great mural where other artists –organizers—are painting their bits, and each piece is essential to the total. (Page 75)” I certainly try to maintain a blurred vision of a better world, and make sure that I take actions everyday to make it a reality. When I heard Derrick Jensen on Earth Day this year he said that: “the world is pretty fucked up, and there is great work to be done”. That sums it up pretty well. There is always something that we can do.
3 questions:
Do you see anything happening in the future as far as a movement for parents to have much more control about the media that their children are exposed to? Or a movement to reform the way that movies and TV are rated so that violence is taken more seriously? It seems like right now the corporations have a lot of control over youngsters, and it would really irritate me if my kids were being unnecessarily influenced, peer pressured, and exposed to violence.
This one may be difficult to answer, but it is something that I have been thinking about. There is a lot of violence by men onto women, as well as extreme objectification in the media in our society. I feel that much of it may have been catalyzed by pornography, which really doesn’t accurately display female sexuality whatsoever, but rather caters to male fetishes. Are there any laws or limitation to what can be made and distributed as porn? How can that type of film be allowed to be so corrupt?
What would be an effective grassroots campaign to take rights away from corporations? Would that even be possible since they can put as much money they want into lobbying? Are we doomed, or could democracy come back to life?
