Those who call into radio talk shows, write letters to the editor, and present humane education in schools are all examples of effective change agents focusing on public education. Effective change agents focus their attention on the general public, while ineffective change agents focus their attention on the powerholders. Educating a furrier about the cruelty of fur will probably not make a difference, but bringing our movement's values to the general public will eventually drive the furrier out of business. In the last few years alone, animal rights lobbyists have passed federal legislation to cut millions of dollars in subsidies to the mink industry. Activists have won lawsuits in court to stop hunts because the federal or state government violated their own laws, and they have gathered signatures to put laws on the ballot to ban hunting and trapping practices.
Effective reformers make incremental steps while continuing to promote the goals of the movement.
Ineffective reformers, however, lose sight of the movement goals and promote only minor reforms. And every activist can be either effective or ineffective in his or her own role. The point is that a movement cannot survive unless it has people working effectively in all four categories. There are some people who are very good at civil disobedience and jail support. There are some people who love to go into schools and talk to children about animal rights.