07/10/2020 10:25 a.m.
I think at this time and age, people are slowly becoming increasingly disenchanted by humanity. At the end of the day, we can all be sharing and talking about the worldly issues that are happening all around the globe but you question the act of slacktivism. It is, in fact, a new word to me as I am typing this down. I was trying to find a word for it and I chanced upon this term.
"The United Nations defines slacktivism as when people 'support a cause by performing simple measures' but are not necessarily 'engaged or devoted to making a change.' Other frequently used terms are ‘clicktivism’ or ‘arm-chair activism’.
Basically, slacktivism is a way to voice your opinion about a certain cause without taking to the streets or risking your neck. It’s the viral hashtag you’re retweeting. The pink ribbon on your shirt. The rainbow-coloured frame on your Facebook picture. The ‘Save The Turtles’-petition you signed last week." (Citizen Lab, 2020)
Activism should take time and effort.
When the Black Lives Matter movement started, it struck a chord in my heart. I knew and I was aware of the prejudice and discrimination the Black people in America endured throughout the years and I educated myself even more after the movement took off. I learned more about slave traders and systemic racism, which were topics that I was unfamiliar with. I played my part, I shared, I liked and I strike conversations up with the people around me to raise awareness and to really at the end of the day, motivating others to educate and learn more about the entire issue. But I question myself deeply am I doing enough?
Am I doing enough? The next question is what more can I do. It gets a bit brain-wrecking because there is just so much I can do, being in a position like that. A small-town girl in Singapore. Slacktivism.
"We know that our Facebook like won’t actually feed a hungry child. And that chronic diseases don’t take into account how many viral hashtags condemn their existence. In the end, we still have to put our money where our mouth is." (Citizen Lab, 2020)
I think at the end of the day, on a more personal level, one needs to be actively educating oneself of all the issues and learn to empathize. Taking the initiative to do so is a win for humanity and for all of us in the long run. Learn how to empathize, practise being empathetic and make the effort to be empathetic. Empathy can be inculcated and it can be learned. It will be good and beneficial for all of us earthlings at the end of the world.
In my entire lifetime, I was and I still am deeply concerned about some major issues that I find myself always gravitating back towards at random points in my life. As I grow older, I have more autonomy and freedom to really fight for what I think is right and fight by taking action. Taking action is really partaking and contributing to the systems which are driving certain changes in the right direction in these realms. Hence, straightforwardly, the next question I should be asking myself is how to take action? Because clearly, actions speak so much louder than words.
There is so much in the world to fight for and words are so damn easy to say. I just turned 19, and my average life expectancy is 83.99 years (2020). I have 64.99 years to bring about changes that matter to me and to the world. If I were to put things into perspective, changes take a lot of time and effort, especially when mindsets and attitudes are involved. When I die, I want to see change, I want to be pioneering these changes and take things into my own hand. If not now, then when. I am scared of doing certain things and joining certain movements abroad, but I think what I really need to straighten out within me, to what extent am I able to push myself to, to bring about the changes that matter to me.
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