--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is it we don’t intervene in the…" description: "\"“Why is it we don’t intervene in the bureaucracy?” asks Chris Bobel, the gender studies scholar, who has noted that many young activists prefer “DIY ac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cf/emily-matchar-24473_cynicism_why-is-it-we-don-t-intervene-in-the-bure_716446.jpg" --- # Why is it we don’t intervene in the bureaucracy?” asks… ![“Why is it we don’t intervene in the bureaucracy?” asks Chris Bobel, the gender studies scholar, who has noted that many young activists prefer “DIY activism” – making art, changing their own consumer habits, making their own products rather than buying corporate ones. They tell her, “We don’t want…” quote by Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cf/emily-matchar-24473_cynicism_why-is-it-we-don-t-intervene-in-the-bure_716446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cf/emily-matchar-24473_cynicism_why-is-it-we-don-t-intervene-in-the-bure_716446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cf/emily-matchar-24473_cynicism_why-is-it-we-don-t-intervene-in-the-bure_716446.jpg) > ““Why is it we don’t intervene in the bureaucracy?” asks Chris Bobel, the gender studies scholar, who has noted that many young activists prefer “DIY activism” – making art, changing their own consumer habits, making their own products rather than buying corporate ones. They tell her, “We don’t want to be in bed with the enemy,” she says. “That’s not where change happens. That’s old-school activism. We’re all about DIY’”. Bobel sighs. “A lot of these activists weren’t even registered voters.”” [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Activists favor personal, creative actions over institutional change, viewing bureaucracy as ineffective for immediate impact. **In simple terms:** DIY activism avoids bureaucracy and focuses on personal change. Key Takeaway Embrace personal agency over systemic reliance. Themes activism DIY bureaucracy personal change political engagement Mood critical reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - college campuses - online communities - art projects - consumer habits - voting initiatives Key Concepts individualism grassroots consumerism political efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How can personal actions influence larger structures? - What are the limits of DIY activism? A Different Perspective Systemic change may still be necessary for lasting impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Making Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-art/) [Narcissism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissism/) ## Related quotes > [“A privileging of individual rights over group goods can lead to serious problems, as we’ve seen with the antivaccination movement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/a-privileging-of-individual-rights-over-group-goods-can-lead-to/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [ “\[Judith Warner:\] Our neurotic quest to perfect the mechanics of mothering can be interpreted as an effort to do on an individual level what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/judith-warner-our-neurotic-quest-to-perfect-the-mechanics-of/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Golden sees parental uninterest in collective solutions as part of a larger “decline in the social contract”… "As a scholar, I'm very disturbed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/golden-sees-parental-uninterest-in-collective-solutions-as-part-of-a/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) ## More by Emily Matchar > [“For women with children, the new handmade economy offers the tantalizing possibility of flexible, part-time, at home work--the "egg money" of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/for-women-with-children-the-new-handmade-economy-offers-the/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“A privileging of individual rights over group goods can lead to serious problems, as we’ve seen with the antivaccination movement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/a-privileging-of-individual-rights-over-group-goods-can-lead-to/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“But she realized that modern homemaking could be creatively fulfilling in a way she'd never imagined. Unlike previous generations of housewives, who Erika imagines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/but-she-realized-that-modern-homemaking-could-be-creatively/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“There’s no evidence that women are actually happier at home. In fact numerous studies show that working moms are happier and more fulfilled than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/there-s-no-evidence-that-women-are-actually-happier-at-home-in-fact/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [ “\[Judith Warner:\] Our neurotic quest to perfect the mechanics of mothering can be interpreted as an effort to do on an individual level what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/judith-warner-our-neurotic-quest-to-perfect-the-mechanics-of/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Dozens of my own friends and acquaintances--ambitious, educated women who might have turned up their noses at anything domestic had they been born a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/dozens-of-my-own-friends-and-acquaintances-ambitious-educated-women/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Does the burden of “do it yourself” fall harder on women than men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/does-the-burden-of-do-it-yourself-fall-harder-on-women-than-men/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Golden sees parental uninterest in collective solutions as part of a larger “decline in the social contract”… "As a scholar, I'm very disturbed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/golden-sees-parental-uninterest-in-collective-solutions-as-part-of-a/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [American culture at large has failed working mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/american-culture-at-large-has-failed-working-mothers/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Choosing a simpler life does not offer me a paycheck, a pat on the back from the parents who paid for a “wasted” education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/choosing-a-simpler-life-does-not-offer-me-a-paycheck-a-pat-on-the/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“I was in need of some community," she said. "I think that's the reason so many women bloggers start blogging, just to find someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/i-was-in-need-of-some-community-she-said-i-think-that-s-the-reason-so/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“If women cut back on their ambitions en masse, institutional change will never happen and the glass ceiling will lower. We need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/if-women-cut-back-on-their-ambitions-en-masse-institutional-change/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“My grandfather so throughly considered cooking to be "women's work" that he wouldn't even enter the kitchen to get his own glass of water.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/my-grandfather-so-throughly-considered-cooking-to-be-women-s-work/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Sweden had paternity-leave policies in place for years but found that few men were taking advantage of the benefit. While women felt comfortable taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/sweden-had-paternity-leave-policies-in-place-for-years-but-found-that/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) > [“Jean Railla puts it even more bluntly: "Workplaces are still very sexist--it's hard to be a woman in the workplace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-matchar/jean-railla-puts-it-even-more-bluntly-workplaces-are-still-very/) [Emily Matchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) [Explore all 24 Emily Matchar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-matchar/) ## More Activism quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. 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