Thoughts on the Role of the Individual in Affecting Change

Listening to filmmaker and humanitarian Sama Wareh tell her story at last week's GIP event, it was abundantly clear that she is an extraordinary individual. Her talk was nothing short of remarkable, and her work has clearly changed the lives of countless Syrian refugees. Yet listening to her speak, I couldn't help but consider the dilemma I've struggled with for the past few as I've watched countless extraordinary individuals give advice on mass media platforms telling me how I can be extraordinary, too. In Anand Giridharadas' book Winners Take All, which examines how private sector organizations have been able to maintain a favorable status quo over the last half-century by co-opting the role of "changing the world," he draws a stark difference between critics and "thought leaders:" critics—the Gore Vidals and William F. Buckleys of old—point out what is wrong with the system as a whole and call for collective action to achieve reform, while "thought leaders"—the Noah Yuval Hararis and Amy Cuddys of today—put the burden on the individual to make change. If you're a business leader or a profiter from today's society, the thought leader is a far more favorable type of intellectual. Rather than implicating you in the massive inequalities of our current global order and calling for a profound paradigm shift, thought leaders merely posit that if only there were more empowered individuals, they could use their innovation to make the world a better place (without taking anything away from the super-rich).

So this brings me back to Sama Wareh. While she is herself an undeniably inspirational force for change and empowerment in the world, her emphasis on the individual as the agent of change fits perfectly into the thought leader paradigm. Rather than focusing on the powerful global entities and persistent geopolitical factors perpetrating the Syrian Civil War, one of which is American private sector commitments in the Middle East, she focuses on what we as individuals can do to contribute. In this context, her TED Talk at UC Irvine can be read through a different lens. TED is sponsored by the global elites who profit from thought leaders and thought leadership culture, and their funding gives thought leaders a broad and powerful platform.

None of this is meant as a critique of Ms. Wareh. Her work is incredible and I have the utmost respect for her because of it. However, as we listen to the voices of the thought leader generation, it's important to consider who is promoting them and what system their ideas might unwittingly be promoting.