For a push towards societal reform to be victorious, activists must change their behavior to make themselves more vulnerable to their oppressors.  Charles Duhigg explains a successful example of this: the aftermath of Martin Luther King’s speech to the members of the bus boycott on how they shouldn’t fight back against their enemies.  In “From Civil Rights to Megachurches,” Duhigg writes “Embedded within King’s philosophy was a set of new behaviors that converted participants from followers to self-directing leaders…the protest became a movement fueled by people who were acting because they had taken ownership of a historic event” (102).  King’s disciples had been inspired by his faith in this tactic of constant kindness, and wanting to follow his lead, regrouped to protest peacefully despite danger of attack.  Others seeing their apparent fearlessness garnered support, strengthened their fight, and spread it around the country. Psychiatrist Anne Hallward, in her TEDx Talk “How telling our silent stories can change the world,” also believes that facing fears and making ourselves vulnerable can bring about change, though she looks at its use in the medium of sharing personal stories rather than direct protests.  She agrees with the concept when she states “…[S]hame is at the heart of our suffering, and if we go to it, it’s at the heart of our healing, especially if we bring it out…where we can share it with other people.  And it becomes ultimately a force for social change” (9:53), and later elaborates on how it creates change by asserting “acts of courage are contagious” (10:24).  Hallward is essentially saying rendering ourselves defenseless through telling our uncomfortable truths is awe-inspiring to others in similar situations, getting them to be more open, band together, and push harder for reform.  Thus, both Duhigg and Hallward support my thesis, albeit in different contexts, that intentionally becoming vulnerable is courageous, and this bravery motivates others to do the same, making the group more powerful.

Citations

Duhigg, Charles. “From Civil Rights to Megachurches.” The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. “Emerging.” Edited by Barclay Barrios, 3rd ed., Balford/ St. Martin’s 2016, pg.85-106

Hallward, Anne. “How Telling Our Silenced Stories Can Change the World.” TedxDirigo. 8 December 2014. Web. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dMlsnrLN9U Accessed 8 October 2017.