The Individual vs The Collective
Who comes out on top?
"Individual action is non-existent. It is a concept developed by the collective powers to satisfy the individual into thinking their actions are enough for the issue at hand. It is not real." - Audience Member
Recently, I was honoured to appear on the panel for Manchester's Climate Cafe hosted by the non-profit Force of Nature at Patagonia. We had the usual discussions around the climate crisis and what it meant to us. One question asked to the panel was about the relationship between the individual and collective. An audience member decided to speak out and state that in his opinion, individual action was non-existent. Now, as a person whose activism has stemmed from individual change, this was very surprising to hear.
I was very invested in their statement because it brought another perspective to the topic; the idea that individual action acts as a compromise, it is not the concrete action necessary for issues such as the climate crisis. They elaborated that reusing bags and closing windows would not solve the crisis because the real action needed to come from the government and authorities.
I can understand his perspective and to an extent, it is true, as another person from the cafe shared the creation of the carbon footprint. All of this blame apportioned to individuals who are forced to re-evaluate their practices and not the actual perpetrators that are companies and governments generating the worst effects.
Now, I am biased in my view of this question because a lot of my work as an activist stemmed from individual action. I believe that in the battle between individual vs collective action, neither wins; they must work hand in hand because they are inextricably linked. When I think about how change is effected, in a legal/societal sense, how do we get to that point? Individuals must feel strongly about the issue, and when enough people do, they can form collectives and apply pressure on the legislature, leading to laws on big issues such as women attaining the vote and equality for all races. The individual needs the collective to have backing and implement national/international change, but the collective needs the individual to remain in power and for overall stability in society.
I have to wholeheartedly refute the argument that individuals make no difference. You may think that closing a window or reusing a bag does not help the environment, and in a large scale way, it might not, but if you are able to talk to your spheres of influence, friends, family, colleagues, many individuals will then be making a difference. Collective action does not appear out of thin air. As I said at the cafe, it can seem frustrating to be constantly talking about issues such as climate change when nothing seems to be happening. But if by me appearing on the panel and saying something that inspired someone to change their behaviour or way of thinking, I've made a difference in my tiny corner of the world. It may not exactly be equal to the Prime Minister implementing a new carbon-neutral target of 2030, but my words and actions as an activist can influence, no matter how limited it may be considered.
The stat I used was this: 10 million people voted for the Conservative Party in 2019 but 12 million people did not vote at all. All these people are composed of individuals who think their vote does not count. And yet they could have created their own political party and entered Parliament, changing the course of history.
The point is, the individual does matter, so much more than you think. That is why I love these events; one individual challenged my way of thinking and therefore provided opportunity for thought, which led to this blog. I think it is very important to be open-minded to other views that could help make sense of questions you have about the world. My first reaction was shock, because if the individual has no place, what have I been doing? But I see the point, and hearing points like this help me comprehend what other people in the population could be thinking too. This is how we grapple with voter mindsets, as someone keenly watching the General Election campaigns for 2024.
I think we all have the capacity to enact change, it is just a matter of unlocking it for the issue you are passionate about.
*Header photo shows the panel and organisers from the event in Patagonia, Manchester 
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