“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”
― Helen Keller
It’s hard to be an advocate. You put yourself and your passion on display every day. But you don’t have to go it alone.
Tip #3: You’re a unicorn. ?
You’re special. Really, you are. You’ve dedicated some significant portion of your life to advocating on an issue that’s important to you. It’s commendable. And also highly unusual.
In 2018, 14% of Americans identified as currently active in community groups or neighborhood associations. In polls conducted in 2003 and again in 2017, Gallup found that around 15% of the American public consider themselves environmental activists. Professional advocates and dedicated volunteers are even a smaller fraction of the population.
When you are looking for people who can be your allies, keep in mind that they are going to have a lot of other things on their mind.
‘You have to have a lot less problems to worry about politics,’ said Ali Ahmed, 26, sitting on his porch talking with his girlfriend about how to pay rent for September.
Sabrina Tavernise and Nate Cohn. “The America That Isn’t Polarized.” The New York Times. September 24, 2019.
You spend a lot more time thinking about your issue than most people. So you’ll need to take a step back and understand what other people believe.
Tip #4: Most Americans agree with you. Probably.
The focus on partisan division hides the fact that most Americans AGREE on a lot of issues. And for the most part, this agreement is consistent across many years.
Here’s a look at American’s view on some supposedly contentious issues:
Ballew, M. T., Leiserowitz, A., Roser-Renouf, C., Rosenthal, S. A., Kotcher, J. E., Marlon, J. R., Lyon, E., Goldberg, M. H., & Maibach, E. W. (2019). Climate Change in the American Mind: Data, tools, and trends. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 61(3), 4-18. doi: 10.1080/00139157.2019.1589300
This isn’t to say that there aren’t partisan, demographic, geographic and regional divides on social and political issues.
Even on issues that have partisan divides, there are opportunities to find agreement. Most Americans don’t adhere to one rigid political ideology and many are just not engaged.
While a lot of headlines focus on the divide in public opinion, let’s focus on where you can find agreement. And the people who already inclined to agree with you.
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