Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
Nov. 14, 2016
(This one goes out to all the purists [sic] who could’ve stopped Trump with a simple vote but instead chose the conformity of virtue signaling.)
The date was Jan. 12, 2013. The location was Bluestockings Bookstore in New York City’s Lower East Side (a venue in which I no feel longer welcome). The event was a literally overflowing, standing-room-only talk by yours truly. Every square inch of the store was jam-packed with “activists” of all stripes.
At some point, I declared: “I’m gonna go out on a limb and take a guess that the world has more than enough corporate lawyers, investment bankers, Wall Street executives, and real estate brokers. If you agree, clap your hands.”
(Much applause)
“That went well so I feel safe playing another hunch,” I continued. “I also say the world could never have enough dreamers, poets, artists, activists, romantics, visionaries, fighters, militants, radicals, and non-conformists. Who agrees with that? Clap your hands!”
(Very, very loud applause)
Buoyed by this response, I decided to “borrow” something from Steve Martin’s old stand-up days. I next asked (loudly): “How many non-conformists do we have here tonight?”
(Everyone’s hand was raised)
“Okay then, I’d like all you rebels to take the non-conformist pledge with me,” I said with a dimply grin. “Are you ready? (cheers) “Raise your left hand and repeat after me.”
With a bookstore full of self-proclaimed leftist radicals quite pleased by the prospect of breaking with tradition by raising their left hand, I quickly commenced the pledge.
“I am a non-conformist.”
(everyone enthusiastically repeated that line)
“I think for myself.”
(everyone enthusiastically repeated that line)
“I do not repeat what other people tell me to say.”
(everyone started to enthusiastically repeat that line before catching on)
I chuckled and warned them that they needed to work on such easy obedience.
In retrospect: I should’ve left the microphone, bolted out the door, and never looked back.
Instead, I kept doing “political” talks and I’d occasionally open with some variation of this: “I wonder what it’d look like if all of you raised your fist at the same time. Why don’t we find out?”
Most folks would enthusiastically raise their fist and even cheer. To coax the rest, I’d add: “C’mon, don’t be nervous. It’s not illegal yet. You won’t get arrested.”
With laughter, they’d join in and I’d declare: “It looks like revolution in here!”
(deep sigh)
I’d like to publicly apologize right here and now for promoting such counterproductive fantasy. Firstly, of course you can get arrested for raising your fist. Cops make up laws on the spot. But far more importantly, a bunch of random “activists” raising their fists at a random event couldn’t be any further from what “revolution” might look like. We were all engaging in willful and delusional virtue signaling -- and I was once a ringleader.
Why does all this matter? Well, if we allow ourselves to think for one second that such standard “activist” behavior has any chance of creating sustainable social change, we’ll never perform the introspection and self-examination necessary to see past the social media likes and shares and recognize how terribly we’re failing.
Reminder: “Activism” (as we know it) contributed to the rise of Trumpism and will do nothing to stop it.
Postscript: Folks often chastise me for “not offering solutions,” but once again I’m suggesting a HUGE first step: Recognize how tragically ineffective we are and how badly we need new perspectives, voices, and ideas. Until we collectively do this, what good are “solutions?”
Mickey Z. is currently writing two books, a memoir called How to Lose Friends & Influence Nobody: My Life as an “Activist,” and a fusion novella entitled stain red. In the meantime, he can be found here.
“Activism”: The conformity of non-conformity by Mickey Z. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://worldnewstrust.com/activism-the-conformity-of-non-conformity-mickey-z.