I do not need to be a passionate expert on every topic, and it is egotistical to think I ever could.
During my sophomore year at Ferris, as I drowned in the waves of information and tragedy that only seemed to grow, I heard one quote that may have set me free.
“I don’t need to care about everything. That’s kind of a selfish thought. That’s what other people are for,” YouTuber and author Hank Green once said in a video that I now cannot find.
One of the most harmful things that social media has done to our world is the rebrand of genuine activism into something that only requires speed and anger. There’s no time for productive discourse and thorough study when everyone is expected state their claim on new topics the day they arise.
Back when I used the platform formerly known as Twitter, it felt as if I couldn’t even take the time to read a full book on one topic. The expectation is to learn about 10 different topics in 30 second intervals. You can’t specialize on one thing without maliciously ignoring another.
I reject this idea as a journalist, a student of history and a person who should not be given the responsibility to fix all the world’s problems.
True understanding takes effort, especially we expect any action to come from it. It is with good intentions we ask people to participate in politics and activism. But if we do not allow them the time to educate themselves, they can do much more harm than help.
Not to mention the fact that, even if given ample time to study a wide range of topics, nobody will ever have the skill or personal experience to lead every movement. Just because I see someone who is sick or injured, that doesn’t mean I have the expertise needed to treat them.
One important term I hear in activism is “get with it or get out of the way.” By specializing on one clear cause, I feel much more comfortable getting out of the way in other aspects, allowing true experts to lead.
I am a founding member of Ferris’ Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. Our chapter was born out of strong emotions evoked by the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. By participating in this group, I’ve been able to learn with other women and even help people through fundraising. I know that my main cause is to identify and resist all forms of sexism as I see them.
I’ve said, partially jokingly, that I turn all of my college classes into gender studies classes through discussion and my chosen research topics. I can’t resist seeing the material through feminist interpretation. In learning history, you may never find women’s history unless you intentionally look for it.
When learning about a war, we need some people to study the environmental impacts, some to interpret the political implications and some to monitor trends in gender disparity.
All this to say that selecting one cause that resonates with you does not exclude you from other topics. Rather, it gives you a specialized lens through which you can learn and try to help.