You are about to start college in Seattle, one of the most aggressively liberal cities in America. Social activism is a way of life here, and the city is packed with attractive, engaged people carrying clipboards who are going to try to make you believe that it’s your duty to get involved and change the world.
Counterpoint: It’s not.
Yes, rolling up your sleeves to stop gentrification/save the glaciers/curb tuition hikes looks like the righteous path, the way to be a Good Person™. And when everyone around you is changing their social-media avatars every five days to “raise awareness” for a new cause, activism can seem like an imperative for social acceptance.