Decreasing World Suck!
Decreasing World Suck revolves mostly around two culture groups, their fandoms, and their activism. They are the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and the Nerdfighters (or Nerdfighteria). Both of these groups build on young people's passions for their fandoms as an entry point for creating civic identities, encouraging political expression, and supporting political action.
So, how exactly do they do that?
The Harry Potter Alliance is a coalition of fandom leaders and members who feel passionate about the power of story to inspire and affect social change. Just as Harry and his friends fought the Dark Arts in JK Rowling’s fictional universe, we strive to destroy real-world horcruxes like inequality, illiteracy, and human rights violations. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” – JK Rowling.
The HPA's strategy includes:
You can find more information on the HPA here
One of the HPA's more recent campaigns centered around the Hunger Games, bringing attention to the fact that the Hunger Games are in fact real. More information on this campaign can be found here
So, how exactly do they do that?
The Harry Potter Alliance is a coalition of fandom leaders and members who feel passionate about the power of story to inspire and affect social change. Just as Harry and his friends fought the Dark Arts in JK Rowling’s fictional universe, we strive to destroy real-world horcruxes like inequality, illiteracy, and human rights violations. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” – JK Rowling.
The HPA's strategy includes:
- Utilizing elements of our favorite fictional universes as metaphors for making sense of complex, contemporary issues.
- Inspiring our members to take action in their local communities and all across the planet, using the power of their creativity, intelligence, and compassion to change the world.
- Creating a worldwide network of enthusiastic fan activists who are connected via the internet and social media as well as local, community-based chapters.
- Harnessing the media cycle to bring attention and action to issues of equality, human rights, and literacy.
- Bringing a diverse range of inspiration and imagination to the front lines of social change by forging partnerships between multiple fan communities
You can find more information on the HPA here
One of the HPA's more recent campaigns centered around the Hunger Games, bringing attention to the fact that the Hunger Games are in fact real. More information on this campaign can be found here
The Nerdfighters are admittedly less structured than the HPA - they operate more in the ethos of social justice. However, they do sponsor an annual fundraiser, Project for Awesome, which raises money for different charities. For more information on the Nerdfighters, I suggest you start here