Running head: single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

Single-issue Movements: Shortcomings Exposed

Michelle Howton
BS Interdisciplinary Studies - APA
Liberty University

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

Abstract
This essay will explain why Wendell Barry was correct in his views of the ineffectiveness of
single-issue movements. It will discuss specific cases of single-issue movements on the
environment and attempt to explain why they failed as single-issue movements.
Keywords: Single-issue movement, Wendell Barry, Social movements, Environment,
Politics

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

Single-issue Movements: Shortcomings Exposed

The ultimate goal of a human economy should be to create a symbiotic relationship
between humans and their surroundings. For more than a century humans have worked on the
assumption that we can subdivide our present great failure into a thousand separate problems
that can be fixed by a thousand task forces of academic and bureaucratic specialists (Muller &
Wiener, 2009, p. 335). These subdivisions often result in a single-issue movement that fails to
address the root of a problem.
In 1999 Wendell Berry wrote an essay titled In Distrust of Movements to address his
views on the lack of success of single-issue movements. His argument was persuasive because he
summarized reasons why he saw these movements as ineffective, and he provided several
methods for improving their effectiveness. Single-issue movements are not successful because
they are too specialized, are not radical enough, and are not comprehensive enough.
As a single-issue movement, the Audubon Society was able to raise some awareness
about a conservation issue with a certain breed if bird, but was easily dismissed as too
specialized. According to Kingsnorth, Single-issue movements and NGOs often present a
disconnected response to a series of interconnected issuesthis means that energy is often
dissipated, and that individual campaigns fail to broaden their political bases (2005, p. 397). In
order for a movement to become successful, it needs to broaden its political base far beyond the
single-issue frame of mind. To receive the most support for their cause, movements need to
encompass as many actions as they can while still maintaining their original goal.
The movement started by the Audubon Society in 1886 was too specialized. The original
goal was to save Plume birds from the ladies hatters of the time (PBS, 2014). The movement
was not a complete failure because they were able to broaden their base over the years to grow

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

support for their causes. Today the National Audubon Societys mission is To conserve and
restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of
humanity and the earth's biological diversity (National Audubon Society, 2014). Although the
Audubon Society has been around for many years, and they have some admirable
accomplishments, they are again struggling with their place in the environmental movement.
Some members believe they are too old fashioned and others believe they have lost their identity
(Price, 2010).
One of the keys to success for a movement is the ability to bring about radical change on
behalf of a cause. Single-issue movements often lack that ability. A radical change would need to
occur through extreme and unusual methods. In Get Intersectional! (Or, Why Your Movement
Can't Go It Alone) Kristen Moe quotes Brooke Anderson of the Movement Generation Justice
and Ecology Project. Anderson suggests that creating intersections between multiple causes is a
good method to gain attention and support for a cause (Moe, 2014). She goes on to say, it has to
go beyond the transactional and become deeply transformative (Moe, 2014). Greenpeace is a
good example of a single-issue movement that was doomed to fail, but realized they needed to
have a radical approach in order to achieve success.
Greenpeace initially began to prevent underground nuclear bomb testing by protesting
without interfering at a testing site off the coast of Alaska (PBS, 2014). They were unable to
prevent that testing, but refused to give up. Instead of the traditional lobbying tactics used by
most organizations, Greenpeace decided to take a radical approach and take direct action for their
cause to encourage change (McSpadden, 2002). Not only does Greenpeace support nuclear
disarmament, they also campaign to save whales and other animal species, among other things.

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

Another key element that single-issue movements are missing is a comprehensive plan of
action. They are not comprehensive enough to elicit permanent and meaningful change. The
World Watch Institute said, Many campaigns focus on treating environmental problems rather
than addressing their roots, and they typically do so in ways that fail to build an alternative vision
for a species not in a permanent state of conflict with the planet (2013, p. 293). The clean water
campaign is an example of a single-issue movement that lacked a comprehensive plan for
change.
The fight for clean water goes as far back as 1948 when the federal government adopted
an act that gave very little regulatory power, but was intended to encourage states to help control
water pollution. The movement was not comprehensive enough to encourage any real action or
prevention, so it went through several revisions and additions to clarify its goals. In fact, the
clean water act today is still being revised to provide a comprehensive definition and plan of
action to make drinking water clean (O'Connor, 2012).
Disbelievers of Berrys position will suggest that there are many successful single-issue
movements still in effect today. As an example, Greenpeace, which is one of the most successful
non-government organizations today, started as a single-issue movement. While they are
successful today as an organization, they were not successful in their initial goals as a singleissue movement. They had to drastically change their original mission to gain support and
increase their success. The original Greenpeace failed their first attempt to protest the testing of
nuclear bombs off the coast of Alaska (PBS, 2014).
Critics of Berrys view will say being specialized allows the group to focus on one task
and a specific goal. Take The Audubon Society for example, it was too specialized and without a
specific action plan; people who did not care for conservation easily dismissed them. The

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

Audubon Society broadened its focus and added other forms of conservation to their focus in
order to gain the support they needed to be successful (Price, 2010).
Wendell Berrys In Distrust of Movements is correct in his views of single-issue
movements. Even though a single-issue movement may be a worthy cause, it lacks essential
elements for success. For a movement to be successful, it must be able to peek the interest of
enough people to support it and be able to take action against a cause. A single-issue is too
specialized to gain that kind of attention. A successful movement must bring about radical
change on behalf of its cause. One way to do that is to take direct action against offenders, but
that is hard for single-issue movements to do since they lack the support needed in funding and
manpower to accomplish that. Finally, movements must be comprehensive to be successful. They
must outline a clear and defined goal, the actions necessary to achieve that goal, and the final
result expected in order to call the movement successful.

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

References
Kingsnorth, P. (2005). Beyond NGOs: an integrated approach to social justice. European
Business Review , 17 (4), 379-382.
McSpadden, L. (2002). Greenpeace | International Encyclopedia of Environmental Politics.
Retrieved August 12, 2014, from Literati by Credo:
http://literati.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/entry/routenvpol/green
peace/0?searchId=b813b6ec-23e5-11e4-bfa6-12c1d36507ee&result=0
Moe, K. (2014). Get Intersectional (Or, Why Your Movement Can't Go It Alone). Retrieved
August 12, 2014, from Yes!: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/get-intersectional-whyyour-movement-can-t-go-it-alone
Muller, G. H., & Wiener, H. S. (2009). To The Point : Reading and Writing Short Arguments
(2nd ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
National Audubon Society. (2014). About Us | National Audubon Society. Retrieved August 12,
2014, from Audubon: http://www.audubon.org/about-us
O'Connor, R. (2012). Clean Water Timeline. Retrieved August 12, 2014, from DC Bureau:
http://www.dcbureau.org/201209127580/bulldog-blog/clean-water-time-line.html
PBS. (2014). Timeline of Environmental Movement and History | American Masters. Retrieved
August 12, 2014, from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/a-fiercegreen-fire/timeline-of-environmental-movement-and-history/2988/
Price, J. (2010). Audubon Society | Encyclopedia of American Studies. Retrieved August 12,
2014, from Literati by Credo:
http://literati.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/entry/jhueas/audubon_
society/0?searchId=d6ff4ff8-213f-11e4-8910-0aea1e3b2a47&result=0

single-issue movements: Shortcomings exposed

The Worldwatch Institute. (2013). State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?
Washington, DC: Island Press.