Actions of activism

By Anthony D'Angelo III

There comes a time during certain situations where action is needed. No more talking, planning, debating or biding time.  It’s time to take a stand. To be on the offensive rather than the defensive.  It may be a sudden rush of adrenaline and emotion that compels one to act. It may be months of meticulous planning to make the perfect statement at the perfect time.  

Dictionary.com defines activism as: “the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstrations, protests, etc.” I believe that the key to this definition is action. Activism is tangible. Activism is bold.  Knowing this, it’s important to understand how different media sources portray acts of activism. This point was stressed in chapter ten of Communicating Nature. Understanding the who, what, where, when and why of activism is crucial in determining the level of success one may have. 

Bidder 70 was an inspirational film based on a true story of real life activism by Tim DeChristopher. The movie documented this brave young student/activist and his struggle to save a beautiful piece of land, adjacent from Canyonlands National Park, from oil and drilling companies. It became clear to me that this act of civil disobedience started out by accident, but became something that would come to define Tim’s life. Tim wasn’t really sure what he was going to do, but he showed up to the highly disputed Utah BLM Oil and Gas lease auction anyway, and spontaneously made himself a martyr for the environmentalism movement.  I think this theme of martyrdom is emphasized by the mood of the film. The viewer almost forgets that this young man’s future is in serious jeopardy, because the movie has such a strong sense of optimism and “coming-togetherness.” For example, the scene from the courthouse when all the demonstrators are rushing the building and chanting “We have power” really makes an impression. It shows that Tim’s cause is strong, and the activists are united.  Tim was more interested in justice for the environment than justice for himself.  In that sense, his activism can be seen as more than just civil disobedience. The film portrays him in an almost Christ-like way. Tim made a selfless sacrifice for a just cause, and in doing so, stirred the masses and united the people in a way that Tim’s enemies could have never predicted.

In contrast to the true story of Bidder 70, The East was a fictional depiction of eco-activism ( or eco-terrorism, depending on how you look at it.) The east is a group of activist who plan and execute attacks on various violators of environmental rights and morals. Sarah, a highly trained intelligence agent who is sent undercover to expose the plans of the east, finds herself torn between the life she used to know and the one she is pretending to live. This relationship between “old Sarah,” “new Sarah” and The East, I believe, is representative of the extreme differences amongst the sides of the environmental movement. 

Old Sarah =  Extreme right           New Sarah = the optimal balance           The East = Extreme left

“Old Sarah” represents the government and big corporations. She is ex FBI, and currently privately employed, symbolizing two of the main enemies of environmentalism. She is sneaky, resourceful, infiltrating and forceful. She is spying on the group, because they are threatening to take action against important corporate figures.

The East are the fist of the environmental movement. They are daring, anonymous, silent and loud at the same time. They are the voice of anger and discontent. They live a life of minimal consumption. They represent the extreme wing of environmentalism because they use fear, in this case internet threats, to try to make their points. 

“New Sarah” I believe, is symbolic of optimal activism. Both old Sarah and the east use violence and deception to accomplish their goals, just like the government and terrorist. But “ new Sarah”, the Sarah that questions and changes her environmental morals, stays true to her belief that two wrongs don’t make a right. She wants to expose the big corporations and corrupt government officials, but not at the expense of human life. This compromise is key to understanding one of the main themes of the film. In this case, extreme activism is walking a thin line between activism and terrorism.  Activist need to focus their ambitions in ways that not only complete their goals, but stay within the lines of morality. In the end, new Sarah’s weapon of choice is knowledge. Rather than exploit her fellow field agents, she tracks them down and converts them to her cause. And they expose the system without violence and terrorism.

Another fictional tale involving activism is The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. This story has different levels of activism in it. The obvious activism tie in the story is the God’s Gardeners.  This group has essentially removed itself from society, due to the horrors that exist in the modern world. They are activist because they actively abstain from the modern world, and instead value sustainability and the natural world. But there are more underlying themes of activism in the story, such as passive aggressive shots at the meat industry, big government, big corporations, and the exploitation of women.  

To further understand the varying levels of activism in this story, I found an article titled “Before the Flood” by Guy Dixon. This article is a Q and A with Margaret Atwood. In it, she addresses the idea that her book if a form of “activist writing:”

“You've described The Year of the Flood as the blueprint for a possible future, a warning. Is it correct to describe this as a form of activist writing?

What is activism? I'm not an activist by nature. I'm a rabbit in the Eastern astrological chart, and we like to stay in our burrows and lead quiet lives. In the Western astrological chart, I'm a Scorpio, and we like to spend our time in the toes of shoes, and we're quite happy there unless somebody puts their foot in. [laughs]

I mean, some people are professional activists. That would be Naomi Klein and other people. It's their métier, it's their business. So I would say that it's not activist writing in that sense, since there is no "one thing" that I want the reader to do.

I don't want you to come out from the book and sign a petition. I don't want you to invent a disease that will wipe out humanity. I would say activist writing has a goal in mind, a very specific goal that they want the reader to do.”

“There are, though, elements of satire, such as the religious sect in the book, God's Gardeners, turning the energy-saving habit of not taking elevators into a religious dictate, or the Secret Burger restaurant that serves meat of highly suspicious origin. 

Utopias, dystopias - which are actually the flipside of each other - they always have a satirical element, either explicit or implied, because you cannot really write about the future: We actually don't know what's going to be in the future.

But do you believe that dystopias are actually possible? 

Mine are. Yes, absolutely.”

Although Margaret says that she isn’t directly writing about activism, we reader, just like Guy Dixon, get the connotation that there are underlying themes of activism. “Secret Burger,” without knowing anything about the story, sounds sketchy. It echoes the sentiments of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle; what’s in your meat is a secret. It needs to be exposed. 

Another example of this passive aggressive activism within the story is the exploitation of women. There are many examples of feminism issues within the story, however I believe the most significant detail in the story concerning feminism is the settings of the two locations in which Ren and Toby are trapped. Ren is trapped in a sex club, signifying the exploitation of woman for man’s use. Toby is trapped in a high end salon/spa, signifying the exploitation of woman for woman’s use. 

Feminist activism is depicted very differently in the article “Deep in the Amazon, a Tiny Tribe is Beating Big Oil” by David Goodman. The articles details the battle that the Sarayaku people have waged with oil and drilling companies in the heart of the Amazon. Although the article is about the entire community’s fight, the woman of the tribe are emphasised greatly. The picture on the article, followed by the opening paragraph, set the stage for a symbolic woman’s battle with big corporations. “Patricia Gualinga stands serenely as chaos swirls about her.” I get the image of a calm woman, wearing her convictions on her sleeve, standing strong amongst the chaos that is New York City, the concrete jungle. This article, much like Bidder 70, has a very positive connotation. You get the sense from the mood of the writing that the pendulum is swinging in the direction of people who insist that “‘nature has rights deserving of protection.”

Activism comes in all shapes and sizes. How one chooses to take a stand doesn’t matter; it’s the taking of the stand that matters. The importance is taking action, not just talking about a problem, but trying to remedy it. Whether through the media in books, movies and articles, or whether through real life acts of courage, activism is a compelling tool used by the environmental community to make a difference in the way we view and understand key issues.