don't shut up!

Written by Alison Hofmeyer, Communications Consultant

I read an interesting article this morning on internet abuse and stalking.  That is not at all related to this post; however, the article made a statement early on that has really stuck with me.  The author seemed to be responding to some criticism that she rants and raves too much on this topic of internet violence against women.  Her response was as follows, 

Anyone who genuinely cares about anything is bound to sound like a broken record from time to time. If you actually care about a problem (and I don't mean a "problem" like "the co-op is out of Honeycrisps," I mean a PROBLEM PROBLEM), then you don't just lodge your complaint and sit back down while the world rolls on around you. You do not shut up until that problem is fixed. You repeat and reframe and repeat and reframe and message, message, message, and eventually—hopefully—you manage to lodge that message somewhere in the public consciousness. That is how things move forward.
Sam Woolley, We Must Not Shut Up About How Women Are Treated on the Internet

I was struck by this.  As someone who tries to stay relevant, politically correct, and passionate all at the same time, sometimes I can get too bound by other peoples' reactions to my opinions.  Rather than express boldly those issues in which I am so committed to fighting, I carefully consider how other people will react to it.  Have I brought this up already today?  Do I sound like an echo? 

While in this quest to fight injustices and empower those who are most vulnerable, we must remember that our commitment to a cause is a beautiful thing.  Perhaps the words you share will be the motivation a new donor needs to give to an organization.  Perhaps your knowledge of an issue will inspire a writer to shed light on the subject.  Maybe, just maybe, your relentless diligence in combatting an issue will be the beacon of light that breaks through and makes a difference.  While what our world does not need are more messages of targeted hate (something even us social justice people are guilty of), it desparetely needs message of stamina, commitment, and hope. 

So go ahead!  Post that 3rd Facebook status of the day about animal rights or give your state representative yet another phone call asking him/her to support a local neighborhood in their fight against re-zoning.  Whatever your heart is beating for, let it be known!  Let's just all do each other one favor... fight out of a spirit of love for people and hate for issues, not the other way around.