The Future of Activism

Personal note - I'm currently in New Orleans both to plan my wedding ('m getting married here in March), and to have Thanksgiving with my fiance and future in-laws. It's going to be hectic and I don't know how often I'll be able to post. I'll try to get at least one thing up per day, but if not pardon the lack of content. I'll be back in New York on Saturday. - Mike

Here's some interesting data. Mother Jones conducted a survey of recent and former students, asking them about the future of activism. It's an interesting look on how students - who receive the bulk of the attention - view the current political landscape and their most effective means of engagement vs. their non-college and often neglected counterparts. Some of the findings:

Looking at the first chart, it's interesting to see so many non-college students viewing the marketplace as a locus of activism. I wonder if that refers to the creation of green jobs and "doing well by doing good," protesting with the purse, or some other concept of activism. In the wake of massive youth participation in the last election, I think no one is surprised to see that a majority of both students and non-students view Congress as a locus of activism.

Clicking through to the full report, there are some interesting contradictions that become apparent when you compare these charts to more specific questions about how students and non students want to engage. For instance, many students say that the future of activism is on campus, but many of them also believe that it's more important to act off campus. A large portion of students also claim to want to spend more time protesting, yet common definitions of "protest" are also declared to be "the lamest forms of activism.

All very interesting, if not as comprehensive as I would like.