The body of this essay consists of a response to my own questioning, which I phrased as such:

Has guilt tripping ever worked? Genuine question. Have there been believeable studies about the effects of guilt tripping on activism - if it works, how much it works, etc.? Or if on the contrary, it can harm a movement?

Whenever I see guilt tripping be used, I honestly fear that it's going to have the opposite effect to what it intended. I have difficulties imagining someone, except maybe a child/young teen, joining a cause because of a post that said "btw you're evil and bad if you don't donate" "btw those war crimes are your fault because you didn't talk about them enough". Since it's a common tactic, though, I genuinely wonder if I'm possibly wrong and there is a part of a population for whom it works.

Follows:

I decided to look into it and stumbled into this interesting article:



It cites pieces from Psyche and Open Democracy, which explored the matter. I recommend reading Psyche's piece, which provides links to the studies themselves. Open Democracy's piece is also worth a read, as it lists examples of what not to do, which aren't cited by The Alternative.



The gist of it all is:

• Positive affirmations have a better tendency to push people to take action than negative affirmations, or than nothing at all. People who feel good about themselves and their actions are in a better place to take further action.
• Antagonising, with practices such as name-calling or judging, make people less receptive to your message. Refusing to understand why the opposite party behaves the way it does limits your ability to bring upon change and to convince them to join your side. On the contrary, empathising with the individual or group's concerns and confusion makes it easier to discuss the matter in depth.
• Open Democracy recommends against hashtags specifically, which are described as polarising. Quote: "A hashtag is like a neon sign announcing, “This is a highly controversial topic, and you must pick a side. If you pick the wrong side, I will hate you. If you pick the right side, then fellow members of your stupid backwards tribe will hate you.” It’s lose-lose."
• Clear information is a must: if your argument can be proved with straightforward facts and numbers, being presented with them is likely to convince your readers or listeners. For that, you will need to use credible messengers - people the individual or group can view as trustworthy. You may need for messengers or examples that belong to the same group as them, or to groups they respect.

The above can be repeated from group to group, country to country, as demonstrated by a study cited by Psyche which compares results in Nigeria and the US; they conclude: "Obtaining these findings in two studies and two different countries suggests that these effects can be generalised. The fact that a positive self-image can enhance prosociality doesn’t seem to depend on a particular culture but could be an intrinsic part of human behaviour more generally."

Open Democracy, which uses COVID-19 and wearing a mask as an example, concludes with a call to extend yourself empathy too. Quote: "If you don’t have the energy right now to engage constructively with COVID-19 rebels, you can sit this one out and take care of yourself. If you do choose to engage, keep in mind these wise words from Malcolm X: “Don’t be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn’t do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today.”"

On top of that, a quick Google search demonstrates that guilt activism is likely to elicit a negative reaction. Online specifically, it reminds people of chain mail. I have seen the term "slack activism" used to describe it as well - in this publication which focuses on the guilt-tripping "I can see who skips" type of Instagram story, writer Fatima Jahan Era mentions: "Furthermore, the guilt is quite misdirected in this trend. The text shines the antagonising spotlight on the people who choose to skip resharing. This redirects attention from the important issue in question. Instead of focusing the guilt on the perpetrators or sharing important information about the problem, the non-sharers are made to stand under public trial." A sentiment I agree with, and that is especially egregious in the examples she describes.

There is evidence that presenting believeable information and putting people in positive mindsets is efficient, and that shaming tactics can makes things worse.

At the end of the day, guilt tactics seem to be a way for the speaker or writer to vent their personal frustrations rather than an efficient tool for communication and activism. When presented as activism, they present a risk of causing the opposite effect. I think "that conversation with a few friends in a café or that vent in a Discord server with fellow activists" can co-exist with "effective, neutral and/or positive public messaging". I think it's okay to tell people you feel safe around that you feel like other people are being stupid and it frustrates you - but if you try to present that complaint as factual, as activism, it will not work. It might very well make things worse. Time and place. When activism relies on communication, you have to know how to communicate.

It is very important that leftists be informed that guilt-tripping, whilst common, may not be the best choice. While the right congratulates itself and empathises with its voters' struggles, oftentimes going as far as giving them a scapegoat to point the finger at in order to comfort themselves, leftist spaces often try to rely on forceful tactics and making their voters feel like they're not doing enough. I'm not even sure I can use the cloth mother or wire mother comparison - because at times, in some places, it can feel as though the wire mother isn't doing enough, or isn't accessible enough. If you believe in the leftist movement, like I do, even if you're understandably driven by feelings of frustration and fear, it is important that you learn, when you can, how to support your movement in the long term and on a large scale.

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