Social Activism: C or D?

From OP:

I just wish somebody would explain to me the psychology of somebody who acts out of anything besides self-interest.

Humans are social animals and we have an extremely difficult time surviving without a social structure, or without using tools or materials that we did not personally make, gather or grow. Without the knowledge of how to live in the world that was passed on to us through culture we'd all be like those rare children raised by wolves.

Therefore it is in our self-interest to have strong social relationships built on mutual aid and trust. It is not a coincidence that ostracism is one of the strongest social penalties extant, or that solitary confinement can lead to severe mental breakdowns. The minority who embrace criminal and anti-social behavior as a way of life are almost invariably people who've been socialized to believe that trust leads to pain or loss.

Social activism is just a logical extension of this process.

those benefits are still there, in the main, if you decide to grab he money and run and get away with it

I feel like grabbing the money and running quite a lot, but every time I've done something in that line the results have been piss-poor – although there's a caveat here which is that I've only ever stolen a Transformer when I was 7, and haven't got a long career behind me making millions as a con-artist (say)

not everyone's cut out for it kid, don't feel too bad. now grab a brush and start sweepin.

Self-interest is not a bad thing at the species level. At the individual level it is punishable by death.

I'd be surprised if you had tested your theory in any rigorous way, dmac.

i run a bit tbf

Something that FFF article made me think about, as a step toward answering the question this thread raises: doesn't the existence of 'political activists' imply that that's a special role, split off from society at large? Is it a lifestyle option and does that impact on its ability to succeed

I went to my first meeting with a congressperson today, a friend organized a group of about ten of us from the neighborhood to arrange a meeting with an agenda and everything. Our congresswoman is awesome and totally on our side so it was more of a "what can we do, how can we stay in touch" kind of thing.

It was interesting talking to all the other urban professional types at the meeting both the good and the bad -- on one hand we have this really sharp, organized group of people ready to roll up their sleeves and do something. On the other hand I feel like there is so much focus on social media, "messaging," advertisements, etc. because that's our world. After the meeting in a discussion with a few of them I was talking about really building up the local parties with people on the ground even in deep red areas and I felt like I got blank stares.

Oh wrong thread bumped, damnit, meant to do the Trump one.