Outrage Is Not a Personality, Even If It Gets Applause

Somewhere along the way, activism stopped being something you did and became something you were. Not a cause, not a conviction — a full-time identity. Bios read like protest signs, opinions arrive preloaded with fury, and silence is treated as a moral failure. If you’re not constantly outraged, people assume you’re either ignorant or secretly evil. There’s no third option, because nuance doesn’t trend.

What’s strange is how little any of it seems to accomplish. The louder the outrage, the less actual work gets done. It’s mostly declarations, hashtags, and carefully curated anger designed to let everyone know where you stand without requiring you to move. Real change is messy and slow, so it’s been replaced with public performances that feel productive but cost nothing except a few friendships.

The real tell is the shock when reality doesn’t cooperate. When the chant doesn’t work, the post doesn’t fix it, and the world refuses to behave according to the script. Activism as a personality works great online, where applause is instant and accountability is optional. Out here, it mostly just looks like a lot of noise from people who confuse being loud with being useful.