All Posts
The Politics of Contempt: When Belonging Becomes Blindness
"The sorting we do to ourselves and to one another is, at best, unintentional and reflexive. At worst, it is stereotyping that dehumanizes. The paradox is that we all love the readymade filing system. It’s so handy when we want to quickly characterize people. But, yet we resent it when we’re the ones getting filed away." — Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness Over the past 15 years, American political life has become increasingly shaped by insulation, caricature, and contempt
Don Schweitzer
20 hours ago4 min read
Integrity-Based Advocacy Requires the Courage to Rethink
"If knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom." — Adam Grant Advocacy often loves certainty. In many advocacy spaces, the people who appear confident, unwavering, and convinced of their moral position are the ones who gain attention and influence. They speak with conviction, they move quickly, and they push for action. In movements built around justice and urgency, certainty can easily feel like strength. Yet, certainty has a shadow that is rarely discussed. Wh
Don Schweitzer
May 226 min read
When Disagreement Feels Like Threat:
A Shift in the Temperature of Disagreement "The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness. We must see that every end we seek must be joined with a means that is as pure as the end itself." — Martin Luther King Jr. A quiet but significant shift has taken place in American social life. A trend that began in the 1980s and dramatically accelerated after 2000 is that Americans started prioritizing poli
Don Schweitzer
Apr 157 min read
Rethinking Isn’t Enough: What Modern Advocacy Still Gets Wrong
" To cheat oneself out of love is the most terrible deception; it is an eternal loss for which there is no reparation, either in time or in eternity. " — Søren Kierkegaard We are living in an age of extraordinary certainty. Across sectors—nonprofits, universities, corporations, faith communities, and political movements—people are more informed, passionate, and morally serious than ever. Mission statements are sharper. Language is more precise. Convictions run deep. Yet, many
Don Schweitzer
Apr 46 min read
Coalitions Are How Values Become Outcomes
Stop settling for the comfort of affirmation. True advocacy isn't a popularity contest; it’s the gritty, integrity-based discipline of building coalitions with the "other" to turn shared values into systemic outcomes.
Don Schweitzer
Mar 258 min read
Certainty Under Pressure:
How Moral Closure Undermines Justice Work "If a movement is to have an impact, it must belong to those who join it—not those who lead it." — Simon Sinek Today, advocacy is often marked by urgency, moral clarity, and a sense that the stakes could not be higher. In many cases, urgency is warranted: The harm is active and real, while delaying has consequences. At the same time, something else has been quietly taking hold in justice work: a growing reliance on certainty where pos
Don Schweitzer
Mar 129 min read
How Principles Keep Our Advocacy from Becoming Toxic
Advocacy rooted in justice and dignity can still become harmful when values aren’t anchored in principles. This article explores how integrity, self-awareness, and principled engagement protect movements from drifting into toxic advocacy.
Don Schweitzer
Feb 256 min read
Martin Luther King Jr. Knew How Justice Movements Win. We’re Forgetting That Lesson.
MLK taught disciplined, strategic nonviolence: a roadmap for integrity-based advocates to choose persuasion, timing, and outcomes over moral certainty and spectacle.
Don Schweitzer
Jan 298 min read
The Permission Structure: Toxic Advocacy and Integrity
How We Learned to Be Cruel & Feel Righteous About It At some point, we built a permission structure that made cruelty feel like courage. What once would have been unthinkable (mocking, shaming, or dehumanizing others in the name of “ justice ” or “ truth ”) has become a kind of moral performance. It didn’t happen overnight. Slowly, through politics, social media, and cultural reinforcement, we constructed a system of cues and stories that made it not only acceptable to act w
Don Schweitzer
Dec 29, 20258 min read
Beyond the March: Rethinking Peaceful Protest for a Divided Age
The streets fill with chants. The air hums with conviction. Signs wave, slogans rise, and cameras capture the spectacle. For a moment, it feels like something powerful is happening. But by the next morning, the streets are empty again. News cycles move on. Nothing has changed . Once, a march could shake the conscience of a nation. Today, it too often feels like a ritual – predictable, performative, and quickly forgotten. Martin Luther King Jr. once remarked that a march in th
Don Schweitzer
Dec 29, 20257 min read
