Creating Social Change One Person at a Time

Do you remember a time when you were a child and an adult in your life changed something in you for the rest of your life? Maybe they were the only person who believed in your ability to achieve your dreams. Maybe they taught you kindness and compassion towards the people you found difficult to forgive. Maybe they saw you for who you were and reflected you as good and valuable when no one else had before. Even just a small word of encouragement can be important enough to us at that age that we remember it for decades. That person that helped you probably has no idea that they affected you so much, even if that impact lasted a lifetime. What if you could be that person for someone else? 

The problem of activists feeling simultaneously overwhelmed by so much to do and helpless at how little they have control over continues to be prominent in circles of people devoted to social justice. Today I’m re-publishing an updated version of an article I originally wrote and published for The BeZine as “Using Social Interactions to Create Change One Person at a Time” in September of 2019 which covers my philosophy around enabling social change. Enjoy! 

Hiding Behind “Good Intentions”: Why Good Intent Does Not Erase Oppressive Impact

For every blatantly malicious bigot, there are 10 people who “meant well” or “didn’t mean it like that” or “had good intentions” when they said or did something that actually had a harmful effect on a member of an oppressed group. This excuse is used so frequently that it’s hard to see a single online argument about social justice without someone having to explain that good intentions does not negate or remedy impact. 

Power Dynamics Part 2: Privilege and Power

In Power Dynamics Part 1, I looked at the traits and patterns that can be used to identify uneven power dynamics in interpersonal relationships. In Part 2, I explore how these patterns manifest themselves between marginalized and privileged groups in society.

Why I Argue with People on the Internet

I argue with people on the internet a lot. It’s a hobby that’s not for the faint of heart and the majority of people I talk to don’t have a clear understanding of why I do it. A lot of them think it’s for shallow reasons, like needing to be right or looking for something to be angry about. “YELLING AT PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING,” a person on the internet yelled at me.

A Men’s Guide to the Me Too Movement

I’ve noticed some men seem a little lost as news of the Me Too movement pours in. Why are so many celebrities getting outed as perpetrators of sexual assault and was what they did really that bad? What behavior is expected of men going forward? Why is what happened with Ansari such a big deal? Isn’t this all going a little too far? This article is for you.

Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist, and Sexist, and…

If you were to make an off-color comment to me and defend yourself by saying that you don’t have a racist/sexist/classist bone in your body, or that you are “colorblind” your response would give me an important piece of information about you. Because as the song goes, everyone’s a little bit racist.

Explaining Privilege Part 3: The Scrutiny of Oppressed Groups

We often talk about privilege in terms of the positives, the benefits you receive: Resources, freedom, trust, and benefit of the doubt are extremely common ones. But what about the flip side? The opposite of privileged groups receiving the benefit of the doubt is the scrutiny of oppressed groups. 

Explaining Privilege Part 2: The Cycle of Reinforcement

In the second part of the Explaining Privilege series, I talk about how the socialization of marginalized and privileged groups reinforce the blindspots of privileged groups, which in turn causes a cycle that deprioritizes the needs of marginalized people.