Fear rarely brings out the best in others.

A short reflection from Let This Radicalize You around how we inspire others to action. Using fear as a motivator works if you want to bring out the worst in people—panic, division, reaction, hatred, violence—but it's less successful if your goal is to try and get people to work together.

Instead of fear, they suggest there are other emotions we can reach for. Emotions like admiration, nostalgia, love, sadness, excitement, or even outrage. The trick is that these require a slower, deeper form of storytelling; one that cuts against the reactive immediacy of online culture. And we probably need to explore different channels of communication to really tell these stories effectively. I think of increasing opportunities for presence and sharing, spaces where people can ask questions and explore deeper into whatever movement you're trying to build. Spaces that invite curiosity and next steps in a very human way.

“Narrative power analysis starts with the recognition that the currency of story is not necessarily truth, but rather meaning. In other words, we often believe in a story not necessarily because it is factually true; we accept a story as true because it connects with our values, or is relevant to our experiences in a way that is compelling.” — Patrick Reinsborough and Doyle Canning

I'm working on a bit of a reading and study project for myself over the next few months related to community organizing and mutual aid. I haven't fully defined the topic yet; though I have picked a handful of books. The first one I've started is Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba's Let This Radicalize You. I picked this up a couple years ago and never got to it. This study project gives me a good excuse.

They start with an important reminder: facts rarely move people to action. Rather, they suggest, you reach people with stories.

This isn't an earth shattering idea—it's something advertisers have known for decades. People think in stories. It's the dominant way we communicate with others. We use them to make sense of our lives. One of my favourite things I ever wrote was what began as an intro to the final writing project in my masters but became a sort of mini essay that took on its own life. It's a short exploration on how we use stories to make meaning out of things that we would otherwise struggle to put into words. It's also about Godzilla.

This is what drew me to this quote that Hayes and Kaba reference in this section I was reading. The currency of storytelling is not truth, but meaning. This is why story is stronger than facts. It speaks a deeper sort of truth, one that is true not because of an accurate description of events but because we find meaning in it.