by Carie Moore
Advocate or activist? Cause or agenda?
Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. Do those words sound familiar? It seems these days everyone is promoting something.
Before you jump on any band wagon, do you do your research or just go with what gives you warm, fuzzy feelings? My guess is if it gives you a fuzzy feeling, it’s a “too good to be true” cause.
Being an advocate and having a cause is not the same as being an activist and having an agenda. I personally tend to lump them that way. Definition wise, activist and advocate aren’t that different. You have to dig deeper to find out if they have a cause or an agenda.
ac·tiv·ist
A person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.
• "police arrested three activists"
• "a committed animal rights activist"
Campaigning to bring about political or social change.
• "activist groups around the world are organizing solidarity events"
ad·vo·cate
A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
A person who pleads on someone else's behalf.
Publicly recommend or support.
cause
A principle, aim, or movement that, because of a deep commitment, one is prepared to defend or advocate.
a·gen·da
The underlying intentions or motives of a particular person or group.
• "Miller has his own agenda and it has nothing to do with football."
I know what the committees I’m on and the organizations I support stand for and what other organizations back them. Their beliefs and values align very tightly with mine.
A group of agriculture advocates attend a legislative hearing.
I am skeptical of “movements.” They tend to come with funding, move swiftly, and go out as fast as they came in.
In the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the activists left the site they were “advocating” for in worse shape than they found it, but they were heavily and swiftly backed with money and publicity. GMO activists are advocating for better health and environment when there is no concrete evidence for any of their claims. Truths from advocates are met with more lies and backlash that play on people’s emotions not on the real situation.
I am an activist and an advocate for faith, family, and farming. They are a true cause I have confidence in and stand behind. God, a family, and agriculture have been together since the creation.
Sure, our faith and our families, and farming gets messy sometimes, let’s be real, A LOT of the time. But because of a deep commitment in all, I am prepared to defend or advocate for that cause.
If you have followed me at all on OYT, you will know I am also a huge supporter of finding a group, stepping up for what you believe, and making a change. You also need to be careful before jumping into any group.
As an example, I had joined a group on Facebook that was something like backyard chicken farming. For about a year, I learned a lot about chicken diseases and tips and tricks for coops. Then one day out of nowhere, there is this huge discussion about organic feed and eggs, vaccines, and a bunch of other stuff that made me step up and say hold the show! I answered some questions in the thread and asked a few of my own and quickly realized I needed to leave that group. Apparently, I hadn’t read their description and they had some pretty harsh things to say about feeding plain ol’ 50 lb. bags of feed from the farm store.
This gets important when it comes to dues and fees and “donations.” Be sure you do your homework and don’t fall for “love at first sight” type campaigns. Don’t feel pressured into joining anything. Go with your gut and ask other members what they think.
We need great leaders and volunteers; just be sure you are on the side of a cause not an agenda!