Just because an issue is systemic doesn’t mean you are absolved of taking any personal responsibility
How to change big systems.
“Companies are actually responsible for carbon emissions so I’m just going to use plastic straws and bags because my impact doesn’t actually make a difference
“First-past-the-post is broken and my vote doesn’t actually matter.”
“The prison/non-profit/political/whatever industrial complex exists so there’s nothing we can do that won’t just perpetuate the system.”
Okay, true. Yes, 100 companies are responsible for 71% of historic GHG emissions and we have been insidiously socially trained to individualize responsibility. Yes, our governments and political systems are responsible and need to be more proactive. Yes, capitalism is a shitty system plagued by inequity and perpetuates mistrust and disconnection.
So you’re just gonna give up?
When I was younger, I was passionate about creating change and changing systems. And I think a lot of people are pretty aware of the Big Social Challenges of today and the complexities around them. Then I actually learned about the effort it would actually require to change those systems (a lot). So I blamed the systems, and gave up. I see a lot of my peers stopping here. We put the onus on corporations and governments to step it up (as is their duty) and then conveniently use our powerlessness as justification for not doing anything. If my impact is actually negligible, what does it matter if I use a reusable container vs. takeout?
It’s taken me some time to actually connect the dots and realize that your impact is more than what can be measured.
Your impact is more than what can be measured. Your impact is not just grams of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, dollars, votes, minutes or any quantifiable unit of measure. When you tell your friend that you’re thinking of trying plant-based meat this week, or share salaries, or bring a reusable bag, it’s not just that at face value. You are sharing information. You are disseminating personal values. You are signalling to the wider community what your priorities are, and what you have assessed to be the right choice. We are social creatures. People will compare lawns, cars, phones, you name it. And you’re trying to tell me you don’t think your personal decisions will have any impact whatsoever because you’re not a policymaker?
For systems to change, people need to support change. Politicians and companies don’t just make decisions out of thin air. Decisions are made because they are politically, economically, and socially viable. You can look at any unpopular decision or failed corporate venture (Sonic the Hedgehog's eyes, Metaverse World Baby, etc.) to understand this. And what dictates political, economic, and social viability? You guessed it: the current social attitudes and values of the day, which are influenced by individuals engaging in virtue signalling, discourse, and performativity. I can’t believe I just said that performativity has a place in social change, but yes: surface-level shallow change is necessary in order for deep change to be possible. Most policy changes in the public and private sector happen because the public will and support already exists. The social signals that we give to one another, whether through voting (even for a minority party), what we buy, or through our lifestyles are powerful tools of example. We are all living embodiements of values, hopes, and dreams. The catch is that there's no way of knowing these things unless they are materialized and made salient through our personal action.
So how do we change systems and hold systems accountable? Systems exist because a large amount of people agree with it and buy into it (for example, most of us benefit from capitalism). If we want to change systems, we not only need awareness of the issues (education) but we also need enough people to support a systemic change (viability via democracy). A problem that arises is actually determining how many people support something. As a society we don't really have good and accurate measures of gauging public opinion, because oftentimes our personal opinions and values aren't congruent with what we say and do, whether that is by choice or circumstance. So maybe it's our individual responsibility to be authentic to our larger communities.
It’s great that so many of us are critical about these bigger systems that are so huge, incomprehensible, and complex. But to give away our personal power to corporations and governments is literally learned helplessness. In psychology this is when someone believes they are completely unable to change their situation and give up, even when opportunities are presented. Do we realise how dangerous this is when we practice this as a collective community? To give up our personal agency is, in my opinion, an even more insidious form of compliance and perpetuation of the systems we so seek to change. We desperately need to reclaim our collective agency. We need to keep having healthy and curious conversations that challenge our thoughts and ideas, and give people the grace and the space to learn and grow. So stop thinking about just the stuff you can count. What’s the bigger message we’re trying to convey here? Are there really easy behavioural changes we can make will slowly shift our societal perspectives? Systems are created by people, and people problems require people solutions. Awareness, motivation, and collective power are the ingredients required for systemic change. That’s how we hold people and systems accountable. Not apathy.
Shout-out to my friend Sigbrit who helped me incubate this feeling I’ve been chewing on!
More stuff:
- The Mute Button by Tim Urban
- You Won't Vote by Johnny Harris
