Being a young activist in the modern era oftentimes feels like living under a microscope. You’re expected to speak up, organize and resist as a model of a progressive future, but in reality, no choice is ever perfectly clean. Contradictions pile up fast and everything has the ability to make someone upset.
Every step in the right direction can often feel like taking two in the wrong one.
In just one day, you might avoid fast fashion to support workers rights, only to throw on a campus hoodie made in a sweatshop. You could march downtown for climate justice at noon and eat takeout in plastic containers at dinner.
There are better options but they’re not always accessible. You might be balancing classes, jobs, group projects and an exam. Fast and easy often wins out.
There is a quiet pressure to always perform the “right” kind of activism– to always be passionate but level-headed, up-to-date on every political issue, always ethically aligned and always ready to mobilize.
All of these expectations pile on to the basic ones of being alive in college– keeping up with academics, relationships and your mental health.
Real life is messier than that. Sometimes you don’t have the energy to call out every problematic moment in class. Sometimes you need to pick convenience over ethics because that’s the only way to make it through the day.
Especially in college, where the cost of existing– financially, emotionally and physically– are high, the myth of the perfectly progressive person breaks down in an instant.
For women, the contradictions hit even harder. You’re expected to be ethical, nurturing, tireless and loud– but never too loud. If you’re angry, you’re irrational. If you compromise, you’re a hypocrite. The standards are ever shifting and impossible to reach.
Activism has never been about being perfect. It’s unreasonable to expect everyone to know every political nuance in the world, every corporation to boycott or what “correct” stance to take.
It’s more often about finding something you believe in and sticking with it. It’s about showing up when you can and pushing systems to change where you’re able. No choice can ever be spotless, there’s power in acknowledging the contradiction.
Demanding perfection from activists– especially new ones– is the quickest way to scare people off. Unfortunately, some corners of activist spaces (especially online) thrive on calling people out for trying and not getting it “right.” That kind of purity politics can make activism feel intimidating and exclusive.
Activism isn’t reserved for those with unlimited resources, time or moral clarity. Not everyone can buy the environmentally friendly option, give hours for protests or donate to the cause.
Fighting for justice isn’t about how much money or time someone can throw at an issue they believe in– it’s about how much you’re willing to keep trying.
