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Jun 1, 2022Liked by Charles Ekokotu

This was a pleasure to read. You've thoughtfully articulated a concept here I've seen time and time again...once a necessary social movement as indeed achieved "escape velocity" and the necessary societal changes have been embedded (voting rights for women, minorities, etc.) then that tent should be folded up and the improvements celebrated. But this puts the activist class out of a job, so their intense energy is instead directed toward "fanning the embers" of whatever problems remain - often this perpetually energizes misgivings which would (I'd argue) have naturally otherwise have diminished to a negligible level. It is a sort of U-shaped curve where they begin doing societal damage because they can't let go, or derive their paychecks and life meaning from "the cause". There are these outfits like Color of Change which are the other side of this - they oscillate from outrage to outrage every few days and ask for donations, etc. all the time (I am on their mailing list out of curiosity). What "change" is ever secured? Unclear. Never is there any appreciation or context for how much better many aspects of life are over the past 10 years, 20 years, etc. It is just a persistent drum beat of rage, and suspicion pumped into your mind daily.

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