Social action without action

As part of the Duke bubble, it is refreshing to take a step back to look at the political and market structures of the world and to challenge the beliefs that most Americans hold as fact. This greater picture was introduced to me when I took Sociology 166: Politics and Markets in the Global Economy last Spring with Professor David Brady. The class was interesting and thought provoking and I encourage everyone to take it. Although capitalism might be the American way, Professor Brady’s class made me keenly aware of its imperfections. Capitalism perpetuates inequality and wide income gaps, issues that should concern everyone in our society. I must admit, however, that after a semester of hearing arguments both for and against various market structures, I came to the conclusion that capitalism, when regulated appropriately to counteract its undesirable effects, is better than its alternatives.

This doesn’t exactly constitute an epiphany of epic proportions when compared to the beliefs I held prior to this class. Nevertheless, I like to think that Sociology 166 made me more aware of my place in the global landscape and more realistic about how I can change that landscape. Social activism can be very effective if properly executed. The social media initiatives that sparked ongoing revolutions in Egypt and Libya are perfect examples of how collective action can lead to real, meaningful change. When executed poorly, social activism tends to result in chuckles rather than real revolution. I’m looking at you, Occupy Duke.

Let us pretend for a second that the Occupy Wall Street movement had concrete, attainable goals and ignore that it is extremely unlikely for corporations to pay taxes and relax their political muscle. Even under these other worldly circumstances, the Occupy Duke demonstration would still be pointless. The point of participating in a social movement is to actively bring about the change you seek instead of passing off the burden of change to someone else. If you are participating in the Occupy Duke demonstrations, you fall into one of two categories: You are either the penitent 1 percent or the frustrated 99 percent. Either way, your time could be better spent elsewhere.

To the 1 percent: Some people might tell you that you have no place fighting against capitalism. I disagree. If you recognize your level of privilege and think it’s unfair to those who have less, kudos to you. That being said, you’d probably be more productive by calling your wealthy parents and convincing them to donate more to charity than by sitting in a lawn chair and drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. Maybe while you’re at it, you could ask them to get you an internship with an NGO in South America over the summer. If you have connections to the enfranchised and are pretending to be disenfranchised, you’re being counterproductive.

To the 99 percent: You most likely are one of the students whose education is being paid for by donors who made their money through, you guessed it, capitalism. Sitting around and complaining is counterproductive for you as well, especially when you are biting the hand that feeds you. Every student at Duke has been given an amazing educational gift and boundless resources. Use these resources to actually advance your cause. Every second spent sitting on the Main Quad is a second that could be put towards more fruitful ends, which would probably be much less frustrating to the white collar folks that endow this institution.

To put it bluntly, thinking that poverty is bad does not make you special. Everyone else does too. The difference is most of us aren’t craving attention by sleeping in a $300 tent on the Main Quad. The idea that Duke students can claim solace with the poorest of society by sleeping outside is about as patronizing and hypocritical as it gets. I can’t help smiling when I walk by the Occupy Duke camp and see James Buchanan Duke’s statue in the background. The irony is deafening.

Here’s how I see it: you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Scott Briggs is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Wednesday.