Everything you do creates ripples. Photo by Aeravi Mahoney.
Repercussions
Nothing exists in a vacuum. Everything we do is part of a web of connections that spans the globe. Even the smallest action could have a huge impact, whether good or bad. What if you decided to recycle the paper you use instead of throwing it away? Paper makes up 38% of the average person's waste. Recycling one ton of paper would conserve approximately 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil; 17 trees, 4,077 KWh of energy, and 587 pounds of air pollution. Since you use around 650 pounds of paper per year, it would take you a little over three years to accumulate one ton and recycle it. This is such a simple action, and yet it has such a profound effect. It is only one example of how our actions have larger consequences than we realize.
Imagine the possibilities of small actions taken with a larger purpose in mind. If a group of people began boycotting a certain product because of the unethical practices of its producer, imagine what would happen as the group of protestors gets larger. Given the right networks of communication, information can spread virally, and with a collective force large enough, the unethical corporation would face an ethical dilemma: clean up their act or go out of business. It isn't often that a group of concerned consumers can bring a corporation to it's knees. But that doesn't mean it's not possible.
"Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life"—Albert Einstein
The key to opening up new possibilities in our collective actions is communication and a mass re-education. We have been ingrained to believe that there are no consequences associated with the American way of life. Society tells us that it's OK to take more than our fill, to have our cake and eat it too. But by opening people's eyes to the problems associated with our current system and inciting them to act, change becomes possible. An enlightened and well-informed populace is all that is needed to reign in consumption, a government that doesn't represent us, and even a mighty corporation or two.
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
—Sir Isaac Newton
In order to illustrate the possible effects of an action on the world at large, I went looking for activist movements throughout history and today that have caused ripples, especially those that have had an impact on me and my ideas of activism.
A poster commermorating the second anniversary of Critical Mass. Illustration by Jim Swanson. Source.
Critical Mass: San Francisco 1992-present
One of the first protests I went to was Critical Mass, a group bike ride around Moscow, Idaho. It was at the beginning of the Iraq war, and more than anything I went to protest the war and our addiction to oil. I later found out that Critical Mass was an idea started in 1992 in San Francisco, and it has caused ripples ever since the first ride.
Critical Mass began as a celebration and a gathering of bicyclists. The idea came from a small group including Chris Carlsson, Jim Swanson, Markus Cook, and several others. A group of about 60 bicyclists gathered to "ride home together." They rode to take back the streets and protest car culture, but mostly just to have fun. Critical Mass occurred once a month, and the rides swelled in numbers over the years. The San Francisco ride has drawn up to 1,000 cyclists, and the idea spread to countless cities, including the small town of Moscow where I participate in the "unorganized coincidence."
Source: www.scorcher.org/cmhistory/
A spoof ad by Adbusters. Used with permission.
Adbusters Magazine: Vancouver, Canada 1994-present
Adbusters magazine has been taking a stab at corporate consumer culture since 1994. What began as a magazine has evolved into an activist network and the Media Foundation. Adbusters campaigns include Media Carta, which strives to end media monopolies and put the media back in control of the people, the Blackspot anti-corporation, a model for democratic, green, and sustainable businesses, and Buy Nothing Day, a boycott of consumerism on the busiest shopping day of the year.
Adbusters is influenced by the Situationist movement in France in the late 1960s, and has spurred a new wave of activism called culture jamming. When I first got my hands on Adbusters in high school, it inspired me to think differently about the American way of life. It opened my eyes to issues such as corporate corruption, our dependence on pharmaceuticals, and the perils of consumerism. In a sense, Adbusters is what got me into activism in the first place. Adbusters is often controversial and isn't afraid to shy away from any topic. They have revolutionized activism.
Image from Radical Graphics.
Seattle WTO Protests, 1999
The Seattle protests to the World Trade Organization's meeting in 1999 spawned a new era of activism and brought anti-corporate protest to the forefront. Some 50,000 activists gathered in the "Battle of Seattle" to protest the WTO, a coalition of mostly rich nations that controls global trade and represents the growing force of globalization. Activists smashed windows of stores like the GAP and Nike, companies that represent who really benefits from the WTO. They confronted a battalion of cops in riot gear and brought the WTO meetings to a standstill.
Although Seattle is portrayed as a very violent battle, most protesters were peaceful, and violence was not planned, but provoked by police. Protesters demonstrated against globalization, sweatshop labor, unfair trade practices, the growing gap between rich and poor, and the environmental atrocities caused by consumer capitalism. The activists were successful; WTO members left town without holding a successful meeting. The Seattle protests unified and invigorated activists. It also set a precedent for massive arrests, police brutality, and violence at street protests.
The crowd and the Space Needle at Hempfest 2003.
HempFest: Seattle 1991-present
The Seattle Hempfest began as a small gathering of about 500 people in 1991. The purpose of Hempfest has always been to promote the many wonders of hemp and hemp legalization, spread awareness about the dark side of the war on drugs, and support medical uses of marijuana. It is essentially a celebration of a very taboo plant, and an instigator of the hemp and medical pot movement.
Hemp is truly a miracle plant, one that could solve many environmental ills. It can be used for almost anything, including plastics, a highly nutritious food source, paper, wood, and fuel. It is a source of renewable clean energy, more durable and recyclable fiber for cloth and paper, and all the essential amino and fatty acids we need. When I attended Hempfest Seattle 2003, I was swept up in the movement. I was ready to fight against the war on drugs, the criminalization of hemp, and the cotton, timber, petroleum, and paper industries that want to keep hemp illegal. Visit www.hempfest.org for more information.
