11/05/2024
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There is a thin line between helping someone learn and encouraging weaponized incompetence, which is a type of deliberate passivity in which someone acts as though they don't "get it" in order to escape responsibility. It can be equally difficult to find this line when it is your own friends and family. Upheaval triggers intense emotions like fear, anger, or the urge to advocate for change, people with strong core beliefs and opinions polarize those without them. Sometimes, people change in response to the upheaval itself, re-evaluating what matters most to them. If friends can’t evolve together or support each other’s growth, the friendship might no longer feel as fulfilling.
No amount of dialogue, debate, or tolerance can instill empathy in someone unwilling to examine their own worldview. This is why creating healthy boundaries within activist spaces is crucial for our collective well-beingIt is important to take the time to grieve fractured relationships during times of social upheaval, it’s equally vital to invest time and energy in cultivating new relationships with people whose values and goals align with your own.
This process is at the heart of building solidarity, as real change requires networks of people who not only understand each other but are willing to grow, learn, and support one another.
These new connections are essential to movement-building. When we surround ourselves with people who share similar principles, we create spaces where mutual respect and accountability can flourish.
It becomes easier to have the hard conversations and do the personal work that genuine activism demands—self-reflection, and collective growth when you have support. In turn, this fortifies the foundation for meaningful solidarity.