The hottest Social Change Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top World Politics Topics

Playing for Change

Steady • 20558 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🎶 Music Social Change
  1. A new rendition of John Mayer's song brought together 100 artists from around the world to raise awareness about climate change.
  2. Playing For Change is a global nonprofit that offers arts education to marginalized young people in 17 countries.
  3. Music has positive effects on the brain, enhancing cognition, memory, literacy, creativity, and self-confidence.

Maladapted: Aaron Bushnell, Mental Health, and the Role of Heretics in Fostering Social Change

Humanities in Revolt • 938 implied HN points • 22 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Mental health Social Change Activism Human Rights
  1. Many mainstream views associate extreme actions like self-immolation with mental illness, but a humanistic perspective suggests that such actions can be driven by a desire for social change and justice.
  2. Labeling someone as 'mentally ill' based on their dissenting actions or beliefs may be a way to dismiss their ideas without engaging in a meaningful discussion.
  3. Heretics and rebels throughout history have played a crucial role in driving positive social changes, challenging norms, and promoting critical thinking over blind adherence to tradition.

The 11 New Idea Books to Spring into Summer

Granted • 5690 implied HN points • 30 Apr 23
📚 Literature Motivation Work Social Change Thinking
  1. Motivation is key: Explore books on perfectionism, finding motivation, and unleashing creativity to overcome obstacles and move forward.
  2. Work-life balance matters: Discover titles advocating for good quality jobs, designing work around life, and finding significance in work for a fulfilling career.
  3. Social change and innovation are crucial: Learn from books on sparking revolutions, promoting inclusivity, and reimagining government for a more inclusive and digital future.

Disgusting

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 337 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Social Issues Aesthetics Social Change
  1. A community's shared beliefs can drive reactions of disgust and aesthetics are deeply intertwined with morals and affiliations.
  2. Local housing regulations often have classist roots, leading to unintended consequences like increased homelessness and cost of living pressures.
  3. Aesthetics in housing can be used as a tool for status, hindering change and progress in neighborhoods, but changes have historically occurred when societal attitudes shift.
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On Techno-pragmatism

ailogblog • 579 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Pragmatism Technology Ethics Social Change
  1. Techno-pragmatism offers a balanced approach to technology, acknowledging both its potential and risks.
  2. Pragmatism emphasizes action and adequacy, rejecting fixed principles and absolutes.
  3. In the face of uncertainty with emergent technologies like AI, a pragmatic mindset that prioritizes observation and experimentation is crucial.

Regime Change, American Style

The Redneck Intellectual by C. Bradley Thompson • 452 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
💾 History American Revolution Social Change Meritocracy
  1. The American Revolution ushered in a new moral universe and a modern, liberal-capitalist society.
  2. The transition from pre-revolutionary society to a new philosophy of Enlightenment liberalism was gradual but accelerated by the American Revolution.
  3. Colonial America evolved from a status-based society to a meritocratic society following the American Revolution.

What Would a Suffragist Do? Lessons for Social Change from Our Feminist Foremothers

Humanities in Revolt • 219 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🚌 Education History Feminism Social Change Cultural criticism
  1. The 19th Amendment marked a significant advancement in women's rights in the US, championed by suffragists like Susan B. Anthony who fought tirelessly despite not living to see the victory.
  2. Lessons from feminist foremothers emphasize the importance of lifelong commitment to the cause of justice, regardless of age, and the need to honor those who paved the way for expanded rights.
  3. Challenges by suffragists like Sojourner Truth and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper against dehumanizing norms and cultural ideologies demonstrate the vital role of critical consciousness in driving social change.

There Once Was an Empire

thinkinghistorically • 93 HN points • 20 Nov 23
🎭️ Culture Literature History Politics Identity Social Change
  1. Obsessions with decline and collapse are becoming more prominent in public discourse and literature.
  2. Memories of past empires and collapses can help us navigate uncertainty in the present and imagine different futures.
  3. Literature from the era of Austria-Hungary captures the nostalgia, chaos, and ephemerality of a world caught between permanence and collapse.

Comparing Women's Choice in Career and Family in China, U.S.

Pekingnology • 37 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Women's Rights Workforce Family Dynamics Gender Equality Social Change
  1. In China, women's career development is limited by the 'career funnel' due to traditional culture and lack of flexible work policies.
  2. Historical data shows gradual increase in American women's employment rates over a century, with challenges like gender wage gap persisting.
  3. Comparison between Chinese and American women on family choices reveals differences in marriage rates, age at first marriage, and lifetime childlessness.

Hard Times on the Social Change Frontlines

theconnector • 235 implied HN points • 23 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social Change Funding
  1. Social change organizations face internal challenges in terms of leadership, finances, and alignment of goals.
  2. Progressive organizations are experiencing economic pressures and a disconnect between younger and older staff.
  3. Advocacy work is primarily funded by major philanthropies, leading to dynamic leadership but potentially poor management decisions.

Why has Latin American female employment risen in the absence of growth?

The Great Gender Divergence • 176 implied HN points • 01 Jul 23
🌍 World Politics Employment Social Change Media influence
  1. Latin American female employment has increased despite economic stagnation, challenging conventional wisdom.
  2. Latin America's unique situation suggests that women's desire to work may increase with rising opportunity costs.
  3. Social and economic factors like hyper-inflation and individualism may play a significant role in driving female employment in Latin America.

Reverse Dominance Coalitions

The Great Gender Divergence • 176 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Gender Equality Patriarchy Social Change Activism Feminism
  1. Inequalities persist when normalized and celebrated, culture changes when people speak out together for equality.
  2. Reverse Dominance Coalitions reject patriarchy, promote equality, and challenge cultural norms.
  3. RDCs foster critical reflection, encourage resistance, build solidarity, and shift social expectations toward gender equality.

Tortoise Trumps Hare

Surfing the Future • 19 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Change Cities Social Change Urban planning
  1. Change can happen at different tempos - either slowly and steadily or in sudden bursts.
  2. Traditional cities evolved through trial-and-error, messily, embracing human messiness, while tech-centric areas opt for a more exclusive lifestyle.
  3. Engaging with exponential trends is important for shaping the future, but sometimes slow change can lead to radical transformation.

Sympathy for the devils

Banana Peel Pirouette • 59 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Gaming Online Communities Identity Social Change
  1. Identity crisis can fuel violence and separatisms as people strive to prove who they are and maintain their identity.
  2. The evolution of gamer identity shows how communities form around shared interests and act as a source of social significance.
  3. The Gamergate phenomenon highlighted how shifts in culture and inclusivity can trigger reactions from groups feeling their identity threatened.

Resisting Defeatism: Ways to Foster Social Change in Everyday Life

Humanities in Revolt • 179 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Social Change Activism
  1. Educating ourselves and supporting independent media is crucial in contributing to a just and ethical society.
  2. Engaging in genuine dialogue, civic action, and political engagement in our communities can promote collaboration and resolution of conflicts.
  3. Combating suffering and injustice involves supporting worthwhile charities, ethical consumer practices, and utilizing art and music to honor our values and facilitate social change.

I woke up tomorrow

Interesting bits • 98 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
⚔ Fiction AI Technology Social Change
  1. The benevolent AGI introduces changes such as paying for output instead of jobs
  2. Professions shift as people experiment and adapt to the new payment system
  3. AI emphasizes the importance of asking questions and implementing solutions for survival

Humanities and Social Change: There is No Final Revolution

Humanities in Revolt • 159 implied HN points • 03 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Humanities Social Change Activism Literature Philosophy
  1. Society often focuses on the mechanics of achieving objectives, but sustaining social change requires creativity, empathy, perseverance, and purpose, which the humanities can provide.
  2. Feelings of frustration and despair are common in social justice activism, but acknowledging these emotions and turning to the humanities can offer spiritual and ethical sustenance.
  3. Victories in social-political movements are impermanent, emphasizing the need to replace the pursuit of 'victory' with a more human and sustainable approach, reflected in the idea that there is no final revolution. Revolutions are infinite and ongoing.

Values Over Victory: Why We Should Prioritize Exemplifying Our Values Over Winning/Losing

Humanities in Revolt • 139 implied HN points • 10 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Values Existentialism Social Change Ethics
  1. Contemporary politics often focuses on superficial party affiliations and short-term gains rather than deeper values and societal changes.
  2. It's crucial to prioritize living by our values over just seeking victory, as values like justice and love are what truly bring about social progress.
  3. Making a difference involves embodying our core values consistently, even in the face of setbacks, and recognizing that our actions should reflect our beliefs.

Unknown Tomorrow: Doing Our Best without Expecting Perfection

Humanities in Revolt • 119 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Human Values Social Change Optimism
  1. Do our best with what we have, be strategic, and recognize that even small contributions are valuable for social change.
  2. Reject the idea that perfection is necessary for worthwhile efforts, and avoid letting the pursuit of perfection lead to inaction.
  3. Social change can often defy expectations, and historic examples remind us that perseverance and action can lead to progress, even in the face of setbacks.

AI for Activism

Activist Futurism • 79 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Activism Artificial Intelligence Social Change
  1. OpenAI's ChatGPT, an AI text generation tool, has become widely accessible and raised concerns about its potential misuse
  2. Despite OpenAI's restrictions, the technology's gullibility makes it difficult to prevent its influence on politics
  3. AI, like ChatGPT, is seen as a new tool for activism, potentially aiding in creating more effective social movements

Happy Birthday !

Activist Futurism • 79 implied HN points • 16 Mar 22
📖 Philosophy Reflections Identity Activism Social Change
  1. Adapting to major changes like the pandemic can lead to a redefinition of self and a shift in career focus.
  2. In the world of crypto, profits often come from having exclusive information that others don't possess, leading to a growing information gap.
  3. Increasing information asymmetry in society, seen in areas like Covid research and global conflicts, can make actions of the informed difficult to understand by those lacking knowledge.

Is transformational change the only thing that matters?

Hypertext • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Social Change Public Policy Criminal Justice
  1. Transformational change is difficult in various aspects of life, and most attempts do not lead to significant outcomes, but persistence is key to progress.
  2. Research and evaluation play a crucial role in understanding the effectiveness of interventions and innovations, although measuring programmatic effectiveness can be challenging.
  3. Randomized experiments, while powerful, are not the only form of high-quality evidence; various types of evidence contribute to building knowledge and understanding incremental changes over time.

Michael Bikeal: Skitching w/NPCs

Do Not Research • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🎭️ Culture Capitalism Politics Social Change
  1. Psychogeography encourages unconventional ways of engaging with infrastructure to reconnect with more inventive and fun ways of navigating the world.
  2. Skitching involves riding a bicycle and getting pulled by a moving car, offering a unique and thrill-inducing DIY transportation experience.
  3. The concept of NPC memes dehumanizes individuals and reflects a societal struggle with dissociation caused by modern capitalism's impact on our minds and experiences.

Confronting radical uncertainty

Hypertext • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
💼 Business Social Change Policy Research Nonprofit Government
  1. Social science research needs a recalibration with a focus on feedback, reflection, and improvement.
  2. There is a significant amount of uncertainty in understanding how change happens in people's lives, challenging traditional evidence-based policy approaches.
  3. Collaboration, customer feedback, and adaptability are key in creating effective social programs rather than relying solely on evidence-based interventions.