if you want to "make a difference" take a cue from Gandhi, Mandela, Martin Luther king Jr. etc
To elaborate the examples/options:
1) Become a lawyer -- Real change can be enacted through legislation and litigation. Knowing how the law works is power in this context.
2) Be involved in politics -- Again, real change can be enacted through legislation. This doesn't just mean running for office. One of my ex-girlfriends' step-fathers worked at a juvenile halfway house, and he regularly acted as an unpaid lobbyist. I have another friend who has also acted as an unpaid lobbyist for environmental causes. Anyone can do it. It's just a matter of being articulate, preparing, and having the time. (Also, everyone knows that lots of paid lobbyists are basically like mercenaries, so if your sincerity comes through and you know your stuff, there will be people open to your alternative take.)
3) Public speaking and writing -- All of the above did that.
Also, with regards to 2 and 3, do this in the larger community, outside of your workplace. This makes your activism a pull for people, instead of a push. Just imagine if people of _political_party_you_dont_like_ started to get involved in committees at your job and started to foist their particular beliefs on you there in the form of policies. It's not a big stretch to see how that could be interpreted as a subtle form of political attack, through the sensitive area of one's livelihood. It's easy to see how that can close minds, where otherwise there might have been a chance to convince, instead of coerce.
This brings me to number 4:
4) Convince. Don't coerce. -- In particular, in the startup community, we should know that getting people to pull can work much better than a push, which can even elicit a backlash.
As an aside, I came to Gandhi's views on nationalism while living in Indonesia. Gandhi was a genius there and his views on the rightful place of nationalism have shaped a continent for the better.
To elaborate the examples/options:
1) Become a lawyer -- Real change can be enacted through legislation and litigation. Knowing how the law works is power in this context.
2) Be involved in politics -- Again, real change can be enacted through legislation. This doesn't just mean running for office. One of my ex-girlfriends' step-fathers worked at a juvenile halfway house, and he regularly acted as an unpaid lobbyist. I have another friend who has also acted as an unpaid lobbyist for environmental causes. Anyone can do it. It's just a matter of being articulate, preparing, and having the time. (Also, everyone knows that lots of paid lobbyists are basically like mercenaries, so if your sincerity comes through and you know your stuff, there will be people open to your alternative take.)
3) Public speaking and writing -- All of the above did that.
Also, with regards to 2 and 3, do this in the larger community, outside of your workplace. This makes your activism a pull for people, instead of a push. Just imagine if people of _political_party_you_dont_like_ started to get involved in committees at your job and started to foist their particular beliefs on you there in the form of policies. It's not a big stretch to see how that could be interpreted as a subtle form of political attack, through the sensitive area of one's livelihood. It's easy to see how that can close minds, where otherwise there might have been a chance to convince, instead of coerce.
This brings me to number 4:
4) Convince. Don't coerce. -- In particular, in the startup community, we should know that getting people to pull can work much better than a push, which can even elicit a backlash.