From: anderson@macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: New Activism (was Re: Colorado Addresses)
Date: 7 Nov 92 19:24:02 GMT
Organization: Madison Academic Computing Center, UW-Madison


In article <1992Nov4.190250.3513@tc.cornell.edu>
shore@dinah.tc.cornell.edu (Melinda Shore) writes:

>Clinton's election is a victory, to be sure, but it's only a
>beginning.  We finally have a president who shows a
>willingness to negotiate and compromise, someone who knows
>nuance rather than casting the world in black and white.
>He's shown that he's open to us.  What that means, at least
>to old burnouts like me, is that there's a new call to
>activism.

Hi, old burnout!  Welcome to the club!

I hope Clinton's election does galvanize a new activism in
parallel to the way the passage of CO-2 has evidently been
catalytic for LGBO people here.

At this early stage of the new regime, it seems appropriate
to hope for the best, to re-evaluate and reassess what we
want, in both wider and narrower contexts.  I think it
would be good for LGB people to make sure they are advancing
not only LGB-related questions, but also other, broader
social issues, like effective responses to sexism and racism
in the society, like long-lasting investment in
infrastructure, like long-term environmental and
resource-management policy, like manufacturing and foreign
trade policy, like research and development investment
policy, like health-care management, like education policy,
like productive policies on poverty, homelessness, and
associated problems, etc., etc.

It's a lot to worry about, but that should not dissuade us
from working on all this stuff.  Much can (and should) be
done by grass-roots organizing of coalitions of available
interested parties.  The more that can be accomplished at
the local level, the better.  This in turn provides a
stronger, more broadly-based coalition at higher levels.

>The changes that we seek and the creation of a more
>inclusive culture will not automatically happen with the
>inauguration of Clinton and Gore, they'll only happen if we
>are vocal and active.

It's a simple question of priorities, isn't it?  If you're a
wheel and you squeak, your chances of getting grease
improve; sure as hell you won't get anywhere by remaining
silent.

>Write letters to your representatives.  Call the White
>House.  Organize at the local level.  Perhaps now that
>there's a possibility that we won't have to struggle just to
>be heard, we can turn those energies to more than just
>"We're here."

It's been interesting, hasn't it, since the passage of CO-2,
how many people who've belonged to the "oh, I'm not
political" school of being political have suddenly been
sparked into motion?  I would guess that about 90% of our
traffic here has been about this one aspect of the election.
I think that's a great development.  

Another good thing, as Melinda infers, is that you don't
have to wait to get moving; you can start just about
anywhere, writing letters, sending a $10 or $100 check to
this or that program or advocacy group, calling up your
local officials and voicing support for progressive ideas in
your own community, donating some time to a literacy
program, visiting the library to find out about the history
of sexism and racism, and so forth.  There's really no end
of things you can do.  The number of options vastly
outstrips the energy resources of any one person, but by
acting in concert with others, almost anything can be
accomplished.

-- 
Jess Anderson <> Madison Academic Computing Center <> University of Wisconsin
Internet: anderson@macc.wisc.edu <-best, UUCP:{}!uwvax!macc.wisc.edu!anderson
Room 3130 <> 1210 West Dayton Street / Madison WI 53706 <> Phone 608/262-5888
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