Joint action toward material change builds solidarity that words alone cannot

Evidence

Most tasks are easier said than done. In the case of coming together across seemingly intractable barriers, however, the reverse may be true: this one is easier done than said. Stuck in the realm of words, we will never run out of reasons to fracture. But when we take action to change material circumstances—whether trying to unionize our workplaces, or halt evictions, or free political prisoners, or build alternatives to policing, or stop a pipeline, or get an insurgent candidate elected—those tensions do not disappear, but they are often balanced by the recognition of shared interests, the pleasures of camaraderie, and, occasionally, the thrill of victory. — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 1085

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘easier done than said’ claim about solidarity through action parallels her broader Mirror World frame, where the right builds identity through praxis (marches, blockades) rather than dialogue; also connects to organizing literature like Jane McAlevey’s ‘No Shortcuts.’ — connects to: Environmental justice unites material and postmaterial demands within one political movement. — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice:…, 272; Speaking words in collective struggle is itself a form of action; Solidarity arises in action as protests define distinct symbolic boundaries — Donatella della Porta et al., Mobilizing Against the Odds: Solidarity…, 121 (+1 more)