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Breaking Social: how to find your own form of activism
How hope, anger and collective action can drive change
Our societies are founded on the idea of a social contract. We are led to believe that if we work hard and follow the rules, we will succeed. And yet the truly ‘successful’ — the mega-wealthy and powerful — have become so by shattering the social contract. They break the rules and don’t work hard. And they have teams of lawyers and accountants to ensure they get away with abusing systems (and the people within them) for their own ceaseless gain. Meanwhile, the myth of meritocracy keeps most of us on a treadmill to nowhere. Frustrated, cynical and cusping on burnout.
Especially when we’re already chronically exhausted, paying attention to injustice and corruption can feel overwhelming. The new documentary film by Fredrik Gertten Breaking Social informs and inspires those of us who feel this sense of overwhelm to do something about it.
The film walks a careful line between exposing abuses, suffering and dehumanizing practices by governments and corporations, and offering inspiring examples of how creativity and collaboration can drive change. I saw it yesterday and it’ll be living rent-free in my head for a long time.
