The Energy From Activism Doesn't Disappear; It Changes Form

The energy from activist movements doesn't disappear once the objective is met, they simply change form.

I'll explain what I mean...

Before I begin, I want to make clear that the examples I'm about to use aren't to state that these movements shouldn't have existed in the first place but to point out how they tend to morph into an altered form different from the original objective.

The two examples I'd like to utilize are the 1950s-60s Civil Rights movement and the 1990s to 2010s gay rights movement.

Both movements had a clear objective in mind and were created from legitimate demands for equal treatment. The Civil Rights movement's main objective was to get rid of Jim Crow laws which were preventing black Americans from receiving equal treatment.

The Gay Rights movement was a mix of social awareness of unfair treatment with the main governmental objective was to allowing gay Americans to get married. For decades, gay marriage was the barometer of if this movement was successful or not.

Both activist movements created a variety of organizations and elevated prominent figures to become vocal representatives for them. Both movements received money from a variety of sources & multiple organizations gained prominence along the way.

This is not a criticism as for any organization to function, they need resources and for there to be a political change, they need to find ways to get noticed by influential political figures. However, creating a seat at the table with powerful people is inherently a power move.

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With success, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became the law of the land allowing for their objective to become complete. However, what do you do with all of that activist energy and power that was wielded to get the might Federal government to create laws on your behalf?

What complicated matters even more so was the death of MLK 4 years post-signing of this law. There became a theoretical power vacuum as there was comfortability with the concept of black leadership, resulting in figureheads who became public mouthpieces for black Americans.

With the Gay Rights movement, their objective became complete in 2015 when gay marriage was legalized. Decades of activism energy and the formation of multiple gay rights organizations combined accomplished their goal of gay marriage. But now what?

In the laws of energy, they state that energy doesn't disappear, it just changes forms.

I'm also reminded of what a friend once told me:

"Once you create an industry, it's hard to get rid of it"

The energy from a genuine social and/or political movement that is successful has the possibility of changing forms by becoming an industry of grievance.

This doesn't mean that every issue they bring to light is without merit but it does create a necessity for issues to remain, not disappear. There is power in activism & a financial incentive; giving up either isn't what people tend to do.

The Civil Rights movement with MLK as the theoretical head morphed into Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and Al Sharpton's National Action Network. It's not a coincidence that both men ran for President. They had the power, money & connections to consider it.

Today, we have Black Lives Matter and other figureheads like Benjamin Crump who've joined in on the grievance industry.

The Gay Rights Movement morphed into an all-encompassing identity-driven alphabet, which expanded their activism necessity and influence.

The morphed grievance industry isn't objective-oriented attempting to crush clear issues from our society. Instead, its objective is impossible absolutist solutions like "getting rid of racism".

That would never happen because hate is part of the human condition.

Attempting to cure the impossible and fundraise for the inevitable will keep the industry alive.

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