Craftivism
I only recently heard about the Craftivist Movement, a form of activism for people who aren’t naturally shouty!
Sarah Corbett is credited with starting this very different approach to changing people’s minds about politics, business and society in a very quite and considered way.
Sarah tells the tale of how she started a successful campaign targeting the pile high, sell cheap, clothes store Primark in the UK to try to make them aware of the damage their business model caused to the poor people who made their clothes in the far east.
I have often felt compelled to speak up on a local societal issue or two, or the abuses of power we see on a daily basis in business and government throughout the world, but I either can’t be bothered to maintain the effort or feel that my opinions aren’t welcome or important enough. Essentially I’ve usually felt that those responsible for these misdemeanours or worse are fully aware of their actions and if they gave a fuck they would change their ways. No amount of name calling by me will change that.
However, I have overlooked the importance of two major points in this approach:
- The need to make others aware of the shit that goes on, that maybe they just haven’t encountered yet
- The need to help ordinary people realise that they can make a difference and that they aren’t as powerless as they sometimes might feel
This is why I commend Craftivism to you if you are a quiet one like me. If something riles you, then it’s likely that it’s wrong and needs fixing and if you can get others to recognise this too, in a gentle non-pushy way, then why not give it a go?
Think illustration rather than raving on about it. Think about shining a light on it, rather than trying to crowbar it back into shape. Sometimes the best way to beat bullies is to simply give them a long enough piece of rope to hang themselves, metaphorically speaking of course.
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