Alienor Rougeot: Climate striking as an introvert
Photo Credit: Dina Dong
Written by: Alienor Rougeot
Activism is often portrayed as being loud, ‘making your voice be heard’, ‘reclaiming’ space and even ‘speaking for the voiceless’. Yet, in this (Western) portrayal of activism, many people just don’t fit… From those who are shy and would rather disappear then be given a mic, to those who are introverts and struggle with long meetings full of overly enthusiastic people, where do the non-loud activists fit?
I asked myself this question as I started taking leadership in the youth climate strikes. I had always been energetic and enthusiastic, but I was once a very shy person. And at that time, if anyone had told me I would become your typical megaphone-and-radio-interview activist, I would have laughed – nervously, of course. It made me wonder how many people the movement had lost because of its tendency to be for those who were loud. And how many of them are in our group, forcing themselves through the discomfort because they believe in the cause? I decided to ask in the various groups I organize with, and share with you some key insights.
Introversion does not mean shy, nor does it mean someone who doesn’t like to socialise. Without getting into the physiological explanation on dopamine-levels that explain the differences between the two, a simple definition could be that introverts feel more rewarded by calmer, minimally stimulating situations like reading a book, having a one-on-one conversation with a friend or simply being alone.
Extroverts can also enjoy those activities, but they tend to feel more rewarded when they are in environments with more external stimuli such as parties, conversations with larger groups, etc… See introvertdear.com). This is different from being shy, which relates more to an apprehension of situations such as large groups, speaking in front of a crowd, etc… One means that being social wears you out, while the other means that social settings are intimidating to you. I for example have always been an extrovert but was very shy for many years as a teenager.
It would make sense that both shy and introverted people would not feel at ease in some activism spaces. Going to a large protest is extremely demanding, but so is going a series of meetings where decisions often have to be taken too fast for some to muster up the strength to speak out. And the media doesn’t help: how are you supposed to even feel invited to activism spaces if all the people you see on TV are the loud ones? I asked members of our organizing groups what introversion meant to them and how it had affected their experience in organizing.
Eden, who identified as both an introvert and shy, shared that she “was definitely nervous about how much (she) could add in large group meetings and situations”. M told me “being at big strikes, although empowering, is also extremely tiring and overstimulating”. Hannah expressed similar feelings, confessing that it took her a lot of courage to go from supporting the movement online to actually attending in person events, even though she was convinced it was an important part of activism. In short, introverts and shy folks might struggle with the concept of protests, despite their personal conviction that these protests are valid.
But it goes beyond that, as another member shared with me: “In organizations and clubs where I'm not extremely close to the people in it or haven't spent a lot of time in yet, I just tend to not speak as much. In a similar vein, in clubs in the past and even now, I tend to take on roles that involve typing rather than speaking. For example, research for presentations, or outreach emails, which are still stressful but fine because you can edit what you type.
However, things like emails, even though I can do them, still take a surprisingly long time because I kind of agonize over every small detail.”. The nature of the work we do can be incredibly exhausting for some. So is the very label of being an “activist”, as Juliette told me “I didn’t want to stand out as the “climate activist,” especially in my small school. I thought that that better suited those who are more outgoing than I am.”.
Yet, introverts and shy people are both instrumental to our movement. Apart from the fact that thousands of writers, artists, scientists and historical figures were either or both, our movements would collapse if we were all constantly determined to be social for the sake of being social. One could even argue that while extroverts might be tempted to join movements for the social aspect, the presence of introverts in our movements is a testimony of the sheer commitment to the cause they have.
Eden explained for example that “as an introvert, I tend to listen to everyone’s thoughts and opinions, process them, and only speak if I have something important to add. Because I tend to think about everyone’s points before I speak, any contributions I make tend to meaningful”. I have organized with her for over a year and couldn’t agree more. Extroverts represent a larger share of the human population, and are by definition more heard. But that doesn't mean they are doing this whole ‘activism’ thing right.
There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. We should not try to change them, although we should try to change our organizing ways to make sure we use the full potential of our teams. Organizing using a mix of in person/ remote work might help, as well allowing feedback to occur in various manners. Moreover, making sure tasks are actually open to everyone, even those who don’t jump on the occasion or have past experience, is crucial.
But more than anything, and just like with questions of race in activism spaces, we need to commit to seeing those differences and addressing them. Introverts will not flag by defaults that their opinion wasn’t taken into account, but that is extremely difficult for them. So team leaders, coordinators, or others in the group have to make the conscious effort to seek that opinion, even if it might undermine their own opinion.
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