The hierarchy of activism: what does that mean? Let’s break it down in an example. At the bottom, you have that friend who talked about voting in the primaries but didn’t. The friend who actually voted comes next. Then, the friend who voted and shared countless articles on how Bernie can win the nomination. Finally, the friend who voted, volunteered, and phone banked. And then sometimes criticized all of the lower levels. If it wasn't already obvious, this hierarchy needs to end.

The hierarchy of activism creates a place to build ego. In a sense, it takes away who activism is for. The action becomes about the self rather than the social movement. Activism is taken upon the self to comment on what is inherently wrong with society. White people make comments such as “jazz is whitewashed” in what seems to be good nature, but it really only perpetuates a stereotype. Jazz isn’t whitewashed, and saying it is takes away from everything that is unique and genuine about it. It takes away from its culture, history, and every relevant black jazz artist today.

Suddenly, the activist becomes the problem. Activism becomes a contest to see who is doing more for society. A person should not have to carry the burden of every social movement. Different interests and passions fuel different change in society. If we’re shouting about everything all at once, what is the energy being put towards? Sometimes, yelling at others who don’t support their cause. All the yelling accomplishes is pushing others away from wanting to support you. We’re all ignorant in some way. Next time that person says, “I don’t think I’m a feminist,” explain why feminism is important without criticism and see how differently that person might react. And in the end, if they still don’t agree, what should be said is this: “I respect your opinion as long as your opinion doesn’t disrespect the existence of anyone else.”

But what makes this generation's activism different than previous generations? Social media. A pretty common attack relies in sharing information and articles on social media platforms. The question from the top of the hierarchy goes along the lines of: “What is sharing an article going to do? You need to be out there doing something.” So when CNN doesn’t properly cover the riots in Ferguson, how is the rest of America supposed to get that information? Oh yeah. By sharing articles on social media. You can’t be in the depths of those riots, but you can surely show your support for them.

And don’t get me wrong -- I am not criticizing what activism is and stands for. In many cases, I am an activist myself. You can only ever do something from your heart, and that’s not a problem; it’s not a fault. However, we need to find the middle ground in activism to break the hierarchy. If we don't, a competition is always set up on who’s doing more, and productivity is lost.