I say this as a blogger — obviously someone well aware of the power of words — that articles will not save Israelis and Palestinians from death. Even as someone who finds something new and cogent to say about the Middle East frequently, I find most articles about the region repetitive. Yet why is one of the most common forms of activism (let me say “slack-tivism”) is the forwarding of articles?
Don’t get me wrong, I also appreciate the insights of the many, many liberal thinkers out there. I could notify my co-conspirators about interesting screeds all through the work day without touching a single work-related email! Somedays I would love to do nothing but bombard the Twitterverse with interesting tidbits. Or fisk the idiocy of coverage I despise.
Except ultimately, I know that does nothing to hasten the peace process itself. It’s not that sharing articles isn’t modestly helpful. Or that really good articles deserve attention. It’s just not the most helpful action you. Especially if you’re sending them to me — I already read it, I assure you.
Thus my new proposal: for each article you forward, I will require you to make 5 phone calls to untapped progressive leaders in NYC who would make great activists.