Creating change in society is not an easy task. The civil rights movement in America was certainly not an overnight process. Some would argue it was a movement in America started in the 60s and has been an ongoing process. Personally, I disagree with this conception of the struggle for civil rights. I think the struggle for civil rights was born the instant humankind solidified any notion of society. The moment mankind became social was the moment that we were forced to reflect on our ability carry out our conduct. When human beings became social, hegemony was established that placed certain kinds of people at the top of a caste system and placed anyone outside of that group into a position to be abused. Racism, misogyny and homophobia are not new to the Internet, nor the people using the Internet. However, society’s ideas and expectations about these concepts have drastically changed over time. In the past, homosexuality was so salacious that people refused to address the behavior with a title. In 1894, people spoke of “the love that dare not speak its name” [Lord Alfred Douglas]. In the 1950s the government convicted Alan Turing for “gross indecency” for homosexual behavior. In 2014, almost 60 years later, homosexuality is far less stigmatized. In contemporary culture, people have come to regard homosexuality as a relatively common and unproblematic occurrence. In short: change is possible and does occur, but it takes time!
It sounds like an impossible task to say, “I want to change the general opinion of society about minorities”. Frankly, it is impossible, if you expect the change to occur overnight. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Social Change as “…The alteration of mechanisms within the social structure, characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social organizations, or value systems”. Simply put, social change is exactly what it sounds like: the process by which society changes its values, behaviors and social hierarchy. How exactly do we create changes in these areas? We look at Theory of Change. I’ve defined this term in my previous post “My Goal: A Critical How-To Guide Of How to Use the Internet to Create Change”, refer there for the definition if needed. Particularly for the social justice community, awareness of successful techniques for creating change amongst people is useful to accomplishing goals. The pursuit of social justice demands creating change in society to promote the equality of all people, thus necessitating access to this kind of information. However, social justice is rife with good intentions that lack a grounded goal.
The following article is a wonderful “reality check-list” for social justice bloggers and activists:
ttp://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/six_theory_of_change_pitfalls_to_avoid.
Forti neatly categorizes six questions that I feel any social justice blogger should be able to address, or at least consider. I consider questions 2 and 3 the most pertinent for online social activists. In a moralistic pursuit like social justice, it is easy to become wrapped up in the ethics of the ideology and ignore the demands of reality. Question 2 asks: “What benefits are you seeking to achieve (results)?” Even with a concept as broad as social justice, defining the parameters of what you are looking for makes it much easier to discern whether or not you are achieving what you aim to achieve. Likewise, complaining about not achieving an unclear goal is not productive. As any parent with an infant can attest to, when someone demands that they want something without specifying exactly what they want, it makes giving them what they want extremely trying and difficult (though not impossible). The pursuit of social justice can easily sound like an “I want everything” demand when an adequately articulated goal is not defined. Question 3 asks: When will you achieve them (time period)? Obviously, every looking for social justice wants it now. Frankly, it is a ridiculous expectation in any situation to expect immediate satisfaction, especially with a situation as complex and gradual as engineering social change. To make the claim that social justice can be achieved universally within a specific time frame is impossible. I suggest using a model recommended by healthy weight-loss intended diets: set small goals for the short-term that build up to work a large goal. Expecting gay marriage to be legal throughout the entire United States would have been laughable before 2004, when Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage. However, once Massachusetts legalized gay marriage other states began to follow over time. 10 years later, 16 other states have legalized gay marriage. If this trend continues, gay marriage will be legal in all fifty states in less than 50 years. Creating realistic and achievable goals is paramount to success in any endeavor, social justice included.
In short, change is not simple. Change is not quick. Accept that. If you create realistic expectations and parameters for your goals, you can accomplishment nearly anything.