Leftist Saviorism Needs To Die

We need comrades, not heroes

Photo by Joylynn Goh on Unsplash

Something that I have noticed after being involved in a lot of activist organizations is many comrades doing “a lot”: people whose efforts are spread amongst two, three, or even four main activities. Whenever they are brought up in conversation, their working so hard becomes the narrative. “So and so” works so hard, the refrain goes.

Now, you might be confused as to why I am framing this as a problem. Isn’t it a good thing that people are doing a lot of work, especially activism, where people are working on positive change for the world? And there are, of course, moments where such rushes to the finish line make sense: flashpoints or crises where you are putting in more hours than you can sustain in the long term. But as a matter of routine, such a work ethic is detrimental to both yourself and the people around you.

It burns you out, & harms others

The first major problem is about capacity. I have yet to meet an activist who has a large, consistent workload, year in and year out, who is not fraying at the seams. These people, although committed to positive change, do not always have the best boundaries with “the work,” and most are on a one-way trip to burnout. And this, of course, leads to sleepless nights and poor emotional regulation —…