Hi folks and welcome to my blog!
I never thought I’d be the kind of person to start a blog. Not sure why. Anyone who’s met me will tell you that I certainly have no qualms about sharing my opinions in real life.
A blog, however, is fairly permanent. A time stamped record with searchable information about me. I’d better make this good then.
I’ll start by explaining the name. It is from one of my favourite Martin Luther King Jr quotes
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”
I love this quote and its unwavering optimism, but it’s comforting nonsense. Even MLK himself didn’t act like it was true.
It paraphrases the words of 19th century US reforming minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker*1:
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”
I could take on the tone of an Oscar bait biopic, fade to black and give you some post credit historical facts like “Parker did not live to see the Emancipation Proclamation or the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution … however, in 2008, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African American president of the United States of America”. I could sell you the reassuring narrative that there was a bumpy yet inevitable path between Parker's world and the post-Obama, post-racial utopia2 we live in now.
Reality is more complex:
The last slave in the US (as defined by the 13th amendment, excluding slavery as a punishment for a crime) was freed in 1942 during WW2.
Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation well into the 20th century
The reason this quote is well-known is that Martin Luther King Jr. used it as a deliberate tactic to inspire hope and rally a political movement comprised of the descendants of former slaves who were still fighting for basic civil rights under the law, 100 years after Parker
The default state of the world is not one of justice - it is not a place free from suffering, torture, poverty, discrimination, and unjust imprisonment. It is a chaotic place driven by complex incentives and goals. The notion that the moral arc of the universe will passively bend towards justice is a comforting falsehood.
To steal phrasing from one of my favourite blog posts, pretending that there is an inherent bend towards justice makes our decisions worse.
In reality, the arc is forged, not just by activists - but by scientists, politicians, philanthropists, technologists, lawyers, businesspeople, managers, organisers, artists, journalists and healthcare workers. To be clear, people.
Complex people with hobbies, family, friends and flaws. Those that didn’t necessarily want to devote their lives to do-gooding but recognised that we are all active agents with some degree of influence over the direction of the world. Those that decided to bash the arc in the direction of justice.
Continuing my clunky metalworking metaphor, it's clear that some people have more powerful hammers than others. The top 5% have the resources, connections, and future potential to make much bigger dents in the moral arc than the remaining 95%. What may be less obvious is that you, dear reader, are likely part of that top 5%. If you live in the UK and your post-tax income is higher than £20,000 per year, then congratulations, you are the global top 5% of earners3. To make it into the 1% then you just need to increase that to £40,000 per year.
So … my blog. Yeah, I can’t promise to fix everything through this personal blog. But I’m planning on sharing things that I think might be helpful to other aspiring arc bashers who want to think strategically about making a bigger dent.
Agency will be a key theme throughout my writing and I recommend this post if you are unfamiliar. Having an internal sense of control is predictive of better mental health and success in life and on a personal note, most of my best decisions, relationships and achievements have come from this kind of intentional engagement.
I think just about sums it up. Agency, Strategy, Optimism and Justice! Aren’t I clever and important?
Just to balance it out, I’ll also throw in my thoughts on movies, event organising and how to work out your colour season. I’ve got opinions on lots of things. Please subscribe if you’d like to come along for the ride.
Parker was pretty based for a white dude of this period. In 1853, he also wrote the following epigraph which was used by Betty Friedan in her influential best seller, The Feminine Mystique, which arguably sparked the 1960s and 70s women's movement:
“The domestic function of the woman does not exhaust her powers... To make one half of the human race consume its energies in the functions of housekeeper, wife and mother is a monstrous waste of the most precious material God ever made.”
To be clear I am joking
“But Gemma!” I hear you cry, “I’m in that 5%! I care! But I have no idea how to take action that would have an impact!”
Luckily for you, a bunch of people (including me) have spent a lot of time trying to work that out so I can give you a head start:
How do you work out how to do the most good you can while reducing the risks that you do active harm?
That’s a tough one but the effective altruism movement is trying to work this out, if you think they are wrong then they’d love to hear it.
Think strategically about your career and skills
Consider donating a % of your income to high impact charities.
I have pledged to give 10% of my lifetime income to charities that I think will do the most good with it. I still live a great life, save a good amount, go on nice holidays and manage to afford London life. I’ll probably write a full post on why this is one of the best commitments I ever made and my selfish reasons for doing it.
I recommend checking out:
Some other blog posts I recommend on the topic (urgh yes they are all Julian Hazell but he’s just that good):
It's perfectly okay to be an imperfect effective altruist · Giving What We Can
Why we're in the best position to do good in history · Giving What We Can
Donating anonymously: Should we be private or public about giving to charity? · Giving What We Can
Measuring global inequality: Median income, GDP per capita, and the Gini Index · Giving What We Can