The Benefits of Online Activism

                   This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published with the title above at  https://storify.com/Amberlin23/the-benefits-of-online-activism. The second article was published in January of 2017 at  http://www.unpan.org/Regions/AsiaPacific/PublicAdministrationNews/tabid/115/mctl/ArticleView/ModuleId/1467/articleId/53060

           In the past decade, the merits and faults of online activism have been debated among digital media scholars. Some of these scholars believe that net-activism is making it easier than ever to make your voice heard, and therefore increases democracy. Others claim that the internet decreases what they consider to be real-world activism. Essentially, some people believe that online activism will lead to a more active and complete democracy.  This essay will focus on the progressive activist site MoveOn.org to argue that the internet provides an opportunity for increased participation in the democratic process and complements rather than replaces traditional means of political activism.In his article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not Be Tweeted," Malcolm Gladwell claims that, as a society, we have forgotten what it means to be an activist. Gladwell does not appear to buy the assertion that online activists are activists. Gladwell seems to think that social media activism rarely leads to high-risk activism and that only high-risk activism can lead to meaningful change. There are two powerful critiques of Gladwell's argument. Depending on the situation, internet activists can be high-risk activists. For example, in an authoritarian state, an internet activist can be involved in high-risk activism. Even in the U.S. internet activists can be considered high-risk activists. Take the case of Aaron Swartz, at just 26 years old Aaron was being made an example of by federal prosecutors after his conviction that information should be free led him to release scholarly articles from JSTOR's database. Facing up to 35 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines, Aaron hanged himself in his apartment in Brooklyn. Certainly online activism can be considered high-risk activism. The second critique to Gladwell's article is the fact that low-risk activism can in fact lead to meaningful change. In his argument, Gladwell calims that the members of the Facebook page for the Save Darfur Coalition have donated, on average, nine cents each. However with over a million members, they have raised over $115,000 which should be considered meaningful. Furthermore, after Aaron Swartz's death, people were empathetic to the cause of free information and online activists redoubled their efforts. Many people express high hope for future of online activism, but people are deeply divided about whether the online activism will bring about positive change. Most everyone can agree that online activism have effect on political future but disagree about what that change will entail. Palfrey and Gassey are clearly optimistic in their article "Activists." They believe that online activism can lead to a better represented citizenry, at least in the media. Despite some concerns, most scholars have settled on the theory that online activism will enhance democracy. Furthermore, the internet has mobilized average citizens into action. Even with people like Siegel expressing the dangers of increased online participation, hopes are running high about the democratizing of online activism. One common assumption, made by those both for and against online activism, is that the internet is a motivation machine, taking previously disengaged people and turning them into political activists. However, a study conducted by Jennifer Orser, Marc Hooghe, and Sophie Marien found that those people who were active online were likely to be active offline as well. For instance, someone who floods your Facebook wall with political comments and reminders to vote correctly is likely to volunteer, contribute to a campaign, or otherwise participate in the political process outside of the internet. Orser, Hooghe and Marien, in their published report of the study, conclude that the internet works more as a reinforcement tool than a mobilization technique. MoveOn.org recognized early that online activity comes along with offline activity and now this webpage works by harnessing the power of over 8 million progressives activits from across the country. Besides providing an opportunity for individuals to be more active in their government, the internet has also helped to level the playing field between activist groups and well-funded organizations. In the article "Activism, information subsidies, and the internet," author Erich Sommerfeldt claims that the internet have helped activist groups gain professionalism and garner more attention with needing the resources they needed in the past. Palfrey and Gasser's article "Activists" expresses a belief that the internet has given activist groups power enough to compete with resource-rich organizations. They even take it a step further, claiming that because of new highly interactive, easy-to-use applications, professional journalists are not the only people who can determine what the nation talks about. Rather, they say, our social agenda is increasingly determined by our own "observations, experiences and concerns." The fact that social policy can be changed by one person starting a petition is demonstrative of Palfrey and Gasser's claims. I think this essay has demonstrated that despite the naysayers, internet activism goes hand-in-hand with traditional activism, increases participatory democracy, and create real social and political change. Though there were always be those who will doubt and those who will pin their hopes too high, activists will continue on, using all the tools at our disposal in order to make changes in the world we live in.

             Online activism emerged in the early 1990s in the USA and later spread very quickly to all countries. It initially consisted of mass email and E-bulletin board campaigns. Later, organizations such as Avaaz, Change.org, MoveOn.org and other brought civic engagement to a new level and put online activism at the center of political and business decisions. Online activism via petitions and campaigns has become an effective way to raise awareness about important political, economic, cultural and social problems and challenges society is facing. Some governments and parliaments are also creating online petition sites. Thanks to them, citizens have a more direct way to influence policy-making. Wikileaks and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists can be considered different examples of online activism. By revealing thousands of classified documents, these sites are contributing to transparency. Moreover, online political activism is helping to tip the balance in contested electoral campaigns. While online activism is growing in popularity, the rejection this type of activism generates among people also increases. Those people think that online activism is simply encouraging people to passively click in support of a cause rather than take concrete action, which may have a greater impact in bringing about change. We have summarized some of the main advantages and limitations of internet activism. Pros of online activism : 1) Online activism is cost efficient. It requires low effort from the organizers and supporters of a cause. 2) Digital activism is democratizing activism. 3) Online activism is demonstrating the transformational impact of internet on society. There are many examples of online petitions that have worked. 4) As many viral campaigns can attest to, it is an extremely effective means to raise funds if social media campaigns become viral. 5) It generates significant debate and awareness amongst people. "clicktivists" who are simply sharing a link or a post or clicking to endorse a petition, often learn about problems through this process. Some of them will later on find out more about that issue or cause and may end up becoming "fully-fledged activists." The limitations of online activism are: 1) Clicktivists are usually passive activists, they usually get involved because of the hype on social media. 2) Online activism can become hypocritical way of getting peace of mind when we know that we are not doing anything substantial to solve the problems. 3) Although the potential to transform society is real, sometimes the impact of online activism is negative for society. For instance, terrorist groups and xenophobic parties are also using online activism to achieve their goals. 

Human Rights Day 2017

                        Two weeks ago, precisely on Sunday 10th of December all the world celebrated the day of human rights. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published with the title above at http://www.unesco.org/new/human-rights-day. The second was published at  https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/human-rights-day/. The third was published at  http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/sgmessage.shtml. The fourth was published at              https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/what-are-human-rights-

                In the wake of the Second World War, humanity, together, resolved to uphold human dignity everywhere and always. In this spirit, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. The Universal Declaration embodies common human aspirations, rooted in different cultures, put clearly in its first words: "the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." Today, the Universal Declaration emters its 70th year of existence at a time of rising challenge. Hundreds of millions of women and men are destitute, deprived of basic livehoods and opportunities. Human rights must be the bedrock for all progress moving forward. This must start as early as possible, on the benches of schools. UNESCO is leading human rights education today and is launching its Global Education Monitoring Report on Youth and a campaign encouraging youth to hold governments accountable for ensuring everyone's right to education.

               Every often a thing comes to pass that is of such astounding importance that we must stand up and recognize it. We must place this thing on the pedestal it deserves, and ensure that policies put in place by it are adhered to, appreciated, and spread as far as the human voice will carry. Such is the sort of message sent by Human Rights Day. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a shout across the world, stating loud and clear that no matter where we live, what we believe, or how we love, we are each individually deserving of the basic fundamentals of human needs. Every year Human Rights Day marks conferences around the world dedicated to ensuring that these ideals are pursued. The first and foremost way to celebrate Human Rights Day is to take some time to appreciate the effect that this resolution has had on your life. The next step is to get out and make a difference, whether it is simply making a donation or you own help those organizations or people fighting the good fight.

               This year's commemoration of Human Rights Day marks the beginning of a year-long celebration of seven decades since the adoption of one of the world's most far-reaching international agreements. The UDHR establishes the dignity of every human being and stipulates that every government has a core duty to enable all people to enjoy all their inalienable rights and freedoms. We all have a right to live free from all forms of discrimination. We have a right to education, health care, and economic opportunities. We have rights to privacy and justice. These rights are relevant to all of us, every day. Since the proclamation of the UDHR in 1948, human rights have been one of the three pillars of the UN, along with peace and development. While human rights abuses did not end when the UDHR was adopted, the UDHR has helped countless people to gain greater freedom and security. Despite these advances, the UDHR is being tested in all regions. We see rising hostility towards human rights and those who defend them by people who want to profit from exploitation and division. On this Human Rights Day, I, the UN Secretary-General want to acknowledge the brave human rights defenders, who work every day, sometimes in grave peril, to uphold human rights around the world. I urge people and leaders everywhere to stand up for all human rights, civil, political,  and social rights and for the values that underpin our hopes for a fairer, safer and better world for all.

               Human rights are like armour: they protect you; they are like rules, because they tell you how you can behave; and they are like judges, because you can appeal to them. They belong to everyone and they exist no matter what happens. They are like nature because they can be violated; and like the spirit because they can not be destroyed. They offer us respect, and they charge us to treat others with respect. Like goodness, truth and justice, we may sometimes disagree about their definition, but we recognise them when we see them. An acceptance of human rights means accepting that everyone is entitled to make certain claims: I have these rights, no matter what you say or do, because I am a human being, just like you.Human rights are inherent to all human beings as a birthright. Two of the key values that lie at the core of the idea of human rights are human dignity and equality. Human rights can be understood as defining those basic standards which are necessary for a life of dignity. Human rights receive support from every culture in the world, every civilised government and every major religion. It is recognised almost universally that state power can not be unlimited or arbitrary. We shall look at the legal mechanisms that exist for protecting the different areas of people's interests. In Europe, but also and the Americas, there is a court to deal with complaints about violations. One important role in exerting pressure on states is played by associations, NGOs, and other civic initiative groups. Realising rights means facing a range of obstacles. Firstly, some governments, political parties or candidates, social and economic players use the language of human rights without a commitment to human rights objectives. Secondly, governments, political parties or candidates may criticise human rights violations by others but fail to uphold human rights standards themselves. Thirdly, there are cases when human rights are restricted in the name of protecting the rights of others. Exerting your rights should not impinge on other's enjoyment of their rights. An active civil society and an independent judiciary is important in monitoring such cases. 

350th Birthday of Jonathan Swift - Part II

                    The tribute to Swift carries on this week, his novel "Gulliver Travels can be considered as the first dystopian novel written in the world literature. He already was concerned with the injustices and abuse of power in the beginning of the XVIII century. We must work every day to improve democracy, human rights and justice.  This post is a summary of a dissertation, This paper was published  at   http://www.academia.edu/31811384/GULLIVERS_TRAVEL_AS_A_DYSTOPIAN_NOVEL

          Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver Travels" is one of the most famous satires written in the history of English Literature. Unlike utopias, dystopias often refer to totalitarian societies and restricted personal freedom. They appeared in the 19th century and their number increased strongly during the last hundred years. Dystopias critically reflect social imbalances and the lack of essential and personal liberty. This novel contains utopian and dystopian elements within with the broader scope of satire. Jonathan Swift with the use of irony and sarcasm talks about both of an ideal society which is a utopia and of the real world which is dystopia in all the four parts of the novel, through various aspects. Swift generates "parallel universes", inhabited by weird beings and illogical realities, yet this can not be done without the characteristics traits of a world outlined with powerful objectivity. Eventough the novel contains utopian elements, still we find dystopian elements as well, beautifully portrayed by Swift through the images of the Houyhnhms and the Yahoos respectively. The utopian and dystopian outlook has been clearly conveyed in this novel. "Gulliver Travels" is a dystopian novel because Gulliver faces the same ups and downs, witnesses certain human follies as Swift had endured in England. Swift's sufferings and struggles, his wrath against the Queen of England and the English society made him write this great satirical novel. Swift like many others of his age, contributed a great deal to the development of what is called the "modern" prose style. Swift's writing is clear, pointed and precise. Swift's satire is pre-eminently intellectual. He has an incisive power of logic. Even those who have criticised his works, have not denied the "sheer force of his mind." Dystopian novel refers to a society that is dysfunctional and characterized by general suffering of the people, an opposite of utopia. The dystopian stories are often stories of survival, their primary theme is oppression and rebellion. The environment plays an important role in dystopian depiction. Dystopian stories take place in the large cities devastated by pollution. In every dystopian story, there is a back story of war, revolutions, and even some disaster. Dystopian novels consist in few common traits: 1) A hierarchical society where divisions between upper, middle and lower classses are definitive and unbending.  2) A nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals. 3) Propaganda controlling people's minds. 4) Free thinking and independent thought is banned.  Many works combine utopias and dystopias. Typically, an observer will travel to another place or time and see one society the author considers ideal, an another representing the worst possible outcome. Dystopias are frequently written as warnings or satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion. Dystopian fiction is the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Swift's dramatic satire led to the creation of his dystopias which is essentially fruitful, and thus capable of generating an undeniable curative function. Gulliver's Travels is considered one of the most important works in the history of world literature. The general theme is a satirical examination of human nature, man's potential for depravity, and the dangers of the misuse of reason. In this novel, the notion of estrangement can be traced in all four books. in book 1, Gulliver's Travel to Lilliput inhabited by small humans, resembles the world of similar social and political systems of monarchy and hierarchies. This place sounds like a miniature and more absurd England, as the description of the land and government continues it becomes clear that the Lilliputian suffer from the same flaws inherent in English society ( pompous government, rebellions over relatively minor issues, and a tendency to over-regulate the more mundane aspects of life ). By emphasising the short height of the Lilliputians, he graphically diminishes the stature of all human nature. And using the fire in Queen's chamber, the rope dancers, and the inventory of Gulliver's pockets, he presents a series of illusions that were identifiable to his contemporaries as critical of Whig politics. The legal codes in Lilliput are based on European models, but they all have an added clause that differentiates them from England. The Lilliputian decree in one of the important quotes, "All crimes against the state are punished with the utmost severity; but if the person accused make his innocence plainly to appear on his trial, the accuser is put to death, and the person that was accused is compensated for his trouble." The Lilliputians have a well-established class system that is similar to that of England. Gulliver remarks on the fact, "Whoever there can bring sufficient proof that he hath strictly observed the laws of his country for seventy-three moons, hath a claim to certain privileges. This eliminates class privileges." In the second book, Swift reverses the size relationship used in book 1. Now in Brobdingnag, Gulliver is a midget. Swift uses this difference to express a difference in morality. The Brobdingnagians are not perfect but are moral. Only the immature and the psycological deformed are intentionally evil. After relating the details of English society and politics to ttheir king, The king was perfectly astonished with the historical accounts given by conspiracy, murders, massacres, revolutions, the very worst efects that avarice, hypocrisy, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, lust, envy, mallice and other evil could produce. The king calls the English as "odious vermin." In book 3, the "Floating Island" of Laputa itself contains all science fictional elements. Laputan systematizing is a manifestation of proud rationalism. Swift shows that philology and scholarship betray the best interests of the Luggnaggians; pragmatic scientism fails in Balnibardii; and accumulated experience does not make the Struldbruggs either happy or wise. In his topical political references, Swift demonstrates the viciousness and cruelty, as well as the folly, that arise from abstract political theory imposed by selfish politicians. the common people, Swift says, suffer. In book 4, Gulliver's crew abandons him on an island where he is plunged into a world governed by the Houyhnhnms who live in accordance with pure reason and nature, that is also populated by a race of savage human beings called Yahoos, who live only for vice and squalor. The Houyhnhnms represent utopia and the Yahoos represent dystopia. The Houyhnhnms embody prefection, they have not word in their language to express lying or falsehood. Friendship and benevolence are the two principle virtues among them. Yahoos seem to represent the filth, greed, hatred and selfishness of human nature. These speechless humans and exemplify human flaws in primitive ways. The Yahoos were known to hate one another. They are dual charactered humans. Man is an infinitely complex animal; he is a mixture of intellect and reason, charity and emotion. But few people see Man as the grey matter of varying qualities. Gulliver's Travels represents a "double-edged" satire which simultaneously shows that humanity does not measure up to its own standard. The societies experienced by Gulliver during his voyage have certain flaws more or less similar to the English society. This novel shares some aspects of science fiction genre in its use of the estrangement technique and the use of utopia and dystopia in its context. The questions raised in this book are, our realization of social faults and the depiction of man in several conditions with its strengths and weakness both in body and mind.

350th Birthday of Jonathan Swift

                Almost two weeks ago, precisely on 30th November, the Irish writer Jonathan Swift would complete 350 years old, so this post is a tribute to him. He tried to improve politics and a fairer democracy with respect for human rights. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift. The second was published at  http://enlightenment-revolution.org/index.php/Swift%2C_Jonathan. The third was published at  https://freebooksummary.com/pride-and-arrogance-in-gullivers-travels-41488. The fourth was published  http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/downlofunc=downloadFile&recordOId=8926056&fileOId=89260

               Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was the second child and only son of Jonathan Swift. His father joined his older brother, Godwin, in the practice of law and he died about seven months before his son was born. His mother returned to England after his birth, leaving him in the care of his Uncle Godwin, a close friend of Sir John Temple whose son later employed Swift as his secretary. he attended Dublin University in 1682, financed by Godwin's son Willoughby. The four year course followed a curriculum largely set in the Middle Ages for the priesthood. The lectures were dominated by Aristotelian logic and philosophy. Swift was studying for his master's degree when political troubles in Ireland surrounding the Glorious Revolution forced him to leave for England in 1688, where his mother helped him get a position as secretary and personal assistant of Sir William Temple. Temple was an English diplomat who arranged the Triple Alliance of 1688. During his visits to England in these years, Swift published A Tale of a Tub and The Battle of the Books (1704), and began to gain a reputation as a writer. This led to close, lifelong friendship with Alexander Pope, John Gay, and John Arbuthnot, forming the core of the Scriblerus Club (1713). Swift became increasingly active politically in these years. In 1711, Swift published the political pamphlet The Conduct of the Allies, attacking the Whig government for its inability to end the prolonged war with france. Swift was part of the inner circle of the Tory government, and often acted as mediator between Henry St John, the secretary of state for foreign affairs, and Robert Harley prime minister. Swift recorded his experiences and thoughts during this difficult time in a long series of letters to Esther Johnson, collected and published after his death as A Journal to Stella.  Once in Ireland, Swift began to turn his pamphleteering skills in support of Irish causes, producing some of his most memorable works: Proposal for Universal Use of Irish Manufacture (1720), Drapier's Letters (1724), and A Modest Proposal (1729), earning him the status of an Irish patriot. This new role was unwelcome to the government, which made clumsy attempts to silence him. Also during these years, he began writing his masterpiece, Travels into Several Nations of the World, in Four Parts, by Lemuel Gulliver, better known as Gulliver's Travels. Much of the material reflects his political experiences of the preceding decade. For instance, the episode in which the giant Gulliver puts out the Lilliputian palace fire by urinating on it can be seen as a metaphor for the Tories's illegal peace treaty; having done a good thing in an unfortunate manner.  First published in November 1726, it was an immediate hit, with a total of three printings that year. French, German, and Dutch translations appeared in 1727. As with his other writings, this was published under a pseudonym, the fictional Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon and later a sea captain. Though it has often mistakenly thought of as a children's book, it is a great and sophisticated satire of human nature based on Swift's experience of his times. Each of the four books, recounting four voyages to mostly fictional exotic lands, has a different theme, but all are attempts to deflate human pride. Critics hail the work as a satiric reflection on the shortcomings of Enlightenment thought.

              Jonathan Swift was one of the eighteenth century's great writers. Alert to all manner of phoniness, endowed with remarkable talents for parody, and skeptical of modern trends, Swift was satirist who exposed the moral failings of his age. Though disappointed he received noecclesiastic appointment in England, he emerged as a major figure in English political and literary life. He advised the leaders of the Tory Party, wrote influential political articles in The Examiner and pamphlets, and helped formed the Scriblerous Club, a literary society. Swift published in 1704 A Tale of a Tub, considered his finest satire by many. The book presents an alegory of religious history through the lives of three brothers, Peter. Martin, and Jack, who respectively represent the catholic church, the Church of England, and Non-Conformism. The story of the quarrelsome brothers illuminates the troubled history of organized Christianity. Swift single out Peter and Jack as satiric targets for their tendency to go to extremes of self-glorification and self-abasement. In 1726 Swift published his masterpiece, Gulliver's Travels. Divided into four parts, each recounting one of Gulliver's voyages, the book offers different analytic perspective on England, history, and humanity.  Part I narrates Gulliver's shipwreck on Lilliput, a land of tiny people that symbolize contemporary English. The Lilliputians's diminutive stature speaks volumes about Swift's assessment of his contemporaries: like the English, they have an inflated sense of themselves, a morally debased political culture, and a limitless lust for power, all of which makes them contemptible and dangerous. Part IV, in which Gulliver discovers a land inhabited by animal-like humans (Yahoos) and rational horses (Houyhnhyms), deepens Swift's critique of his contemporaries. The savage Yahoo represent what humans can become, but Swift also suggest that Europeans are worse, for they have all the Yahoo vices but have institutionalized and magnified them, (e.g., whereas the Yahoos squabble, Europeans wage wars). The ultra-rational Houyhnhyms seem to represent an ideal, but their passionless lives and readiness to exterminate the noxious Yahoos suggest otherwise. That Gulliver's decision to emulate them leads to profound alienation, from his family and all humanity. At the heart of Swift's major writings, which are unmatched in imaginative ingenuity, lies a profound anxiety over Enlightenment. Swift subject to devastating satiric treatment the central tenets of thought, that man is innately good, that guided by modern science human beings will progress, and that progress depend upon deliverance from old beliefs that do not meet the test of reason. Swift believed such thinking was leading humankind terribly astray and constituted a monstrous act of hubris in which man attempted to usurp God's role.

             In Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's adventures and experiences satirize many aspects of human nature. Pride and arrogance are reoccurring themes that make up the most of Swift's satire. Pride and arrogance is shown by the characters in Gulliver's travels. Politics earn Swift's greatest critical disapprobation. Through his supposed characters's observation, Swift levels an indifferent screed against the pettiness of politics and its degrading nature on the human spirit.He does this by focusing on the monarchy and parliaments of the nations he has created. During the voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, Swift devotes whole passages explicating their political and social customs. These passages serve a satirical purpose by pointing out how petty and ridiculous politics can be. The reader, for who the narrator acts as eyes and ears to the universe he encopunters, is meant to find these social and political customs silly. But there is serious business involved in these passages. Here Swift is satirizing political values and the arrogance with which Europeans regard their form of authority and beliefs. 

              Gulliver's Travels contain satiric examination of the human condition within fantastic or unnatural settings. Swift became known for his loquacious antiestablishmentarian, in the sense that Swift frequently directed his criticism at the upper echelons of English's authoritarian, class-divided and colonial society. As this study will demonstrate, there are separate breaks in the narrative while simultaneously urging the reader's attention to compare the situation with matters of society.  That Swift is criticizing oppression is clear enough. What may not come through without the prerequisite knowledge is that the original criticism was directed at the British colonial rule and its treatment to the Irish population. It is interesting to note that much of Swift's contemporaneous satirical criticism is still applicable to modern society, albeit in a different context.