Surf fishing and pond fishing are not the same. If the fish are running off the beach you are likely to catch them. It takes patience, sometimes months until the fish show up, but once they do you just cast out something shiny and silver and they will bite hard. (In answer to my question, “what’s the best lure to catch bluefish?” the guy behind the counter in my local tackle shop, in taciturn New Englandese, replied, “a tin can.”) Pond fishing takes more finesse, and a different type of patience. The fish are always there but they may not be interested in what you have to offer. And even if they are, and they bite, they may just nibble, or take a few passes, or even swallow and spit out your bait before you get time to set your hook. As an inexperienced fisherman, I picked up saltwater fishing pretty easily once I knew when and where the fish were, but I’m still learning how to slowly entice the fish in my local pond and when to set the hook at the exact right moment so they won’t get away. I like fishing in both fresh and saltwater equally, and I appreciate that they are different.
There’s a difference between activism and organizing. Activism is all about attention grabbing tactics: the protest march, the die-in, or the media prank. If the historical moment is right, these tactics can generate a lot of attention and your issue can move quickly from the margins to the center of public political concern. Organizing, on the other hand, is slow and sly. It entails going to community meetings week after week to get to know local residents and gain their trust, patiently building networks of support and solidarity. While an activist is often front and center, getting their picture in the paper, a good organizer works behind the scenes, barely noticeable. Both are necessary for social change. An activist draws attention to issues that might otherwise be overlooked or ignored. The organizer sets the stage for the activist by creating an environment receptive to their actions and then follows up by turning attention into concrete political gains. It’s not an either/or sort of thing, you need both activism and organizing, but you also need to approach each differently.