How many times in the past week alone has someone you know posted something political through their social media account?
The term “Social Justice Warrior,” as defined by Merriam-Webster, means someone who is seen as overly progressive.
When growing up as a chronically online teenager, I saw several of “Why I Left Buzzfeed” style “SJW” videos, people who were letting go of the fact they were a Social Justice Warrior.
Millennials admitting they were no longer attending protests, regretting their missionary trips and grieving their steadfast social activism work seemed to run rampant as digestible, longform YouTube content.
The definition is now often used as a mocking term, to tease at the idea of someone being overly enthusiastic about political or social issues.
Our generation, as a generalization, is defeating this mindset of being online “too much.” People advocate for animal rights, Palestine, LGBTQIA+ existence, environmentalism, banishing hunger, access to education, disability access and many other causes.
I believe the difference is the quality and quantity of how much you care. If you care about a social cause and advocate, only to let go and never go back to it, that seems performative.
Burn out is extraordinarily real in the activism community, especially in times of constant bombardment.
We find it important to share resources or other peoples stories because we are, with social activism at least, not contributing to the problem of widespread apathy in all circles.
As part of her SAG Awards Acceptance Speech, Jane Fonda said, “And make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.”
In the United States, we are facing an excruciating time where admitting you care about others lives is taken as a negative and people can be seen as too “caring” or “sensitive.”
Although being a generation too-late, the “Social Justice Warrior” role can result in strong community connections, career opportunities or personal growth.
If you are serving a cause right now but it’s not serving you, I actually encourage you to step away. The people who really want to make a difference will understand why and won’t judge you if you get less attention on social media.
