On Wednesday, November 9, the worst day in American history of my lifetime (100x worse than 9/11), I flew to Hawaii for a week of vacation and Hopu Ka Lewa. To call it surreal falls far short of capturing four hours of delays, a five-hour flight, and two bonus hours (thanks to flying west) on the day in which America entered purgatory. For better or worse, while in Oahu, we tried to forget the real world (mention the election, take a shot). We didn't need to commiserate, we all knew we were hurting. We used our time on the beach and on the field to strengthen our bonds and remind each other of our capacity for love. It was one of the best vacations I've ever had. And we came up a few points short of winning the tournament.
Upon returning to Oakland the usual post-tourney depression was barely perceptible beyond the overwhelming sense of shock and the flood of emotions that came with my first 10-minute dose of NPR, my first trip to a public place. I was having a hard time making eye contact with people at Trader Joe's where I know almost every employee. I've never been more ashamed to be a white man.
Having fallen behind on my beloved podcasts I found I had to skip ahead a few weeks. Anything from the pre-Nov 8 world is just too hopeful to handle. I'm still going to recommend podcasts and try to communicate a positive vision for the future. But it's hard right now. Emotion is clouding my mind. I have a million thoughts and an urge to shout them into the internet but a little sanity from somewhere says I might regret it.
This is what my intuition is telling me. This year the whole world has been experiencing the devastating combined death-throes of three anachronisms: the nation-state (Brexit, Russia in Ukraine, Syria, Trump v Clinton), white supremacy (Brexit, alt-right neo-Nazis, police brutality), and patriarchy (fucking everything). The idea of the United States is dead, not the beautiful ideas on which it was founded but the idea of it as a nation. We have culturally speciated. It will go on for many more years but it is no longer a vital idea serving us towards a future in which we thrive as a species. The same goes for these other ideas, they will continue to inflict harm and will probably intensify before finally gasping their fated, final breaths.
Also, I don't want to hear how I need to sit down with the enemy. In this fight the enemy is not a nation, a race, or any static group of people bound to their side by birth; the enemy is an idea. Namely, the idea that sets humanity opposed to nature, that we are separate. Anyone at any time is able and welcome to join the fight for justice (and survival). But do not let anyone convince you to compromise or meet in the middle. Yes, we must understand the enemy in order to defeat it, but we can not ingest even one drop of this toxic idea.
Politically, the only way the Democratic Party will get another national vote from me is if they fire everyone who participated in the recent national campaign. It was their shit leadership that allowed this to happen. They actively opposed their own best hope of winning in favor of putting forward one of the (extremely qualified by the standards of yesterday yet still) worst candidates in history. They are completely blind to the reality of the people. We need a new party and it should probably be led by Bernie Sanders.
What to do? What to do? If you really can’t force yourself to stand up, go outside, and organize, there are things you can do from the comfort of your laptop. GIVE MONEY, as much as you can. Give to groups that support marginalized communities whose jobs just became much more difficult. The ACLU, NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Planned Parenthood, Natural Resource Defense Council, and many other organizations will do good work with your money.
SUPPORT PUBLIC MEDIA. A free press is essential to freedom and will be under constant attack for the next four years. Become a member of your local PBS or NPR station. You might even get a tote bag.
But if you only give to one cause please please please give to support the Standing Rock water protectors putting their lives on the line to defend native lands from federal-corporate exploitation. This is the active front in the war and the protestors are fighting for all of us. They need to winterize their camp immediately and you can help by sending money. Not only am I hopeful for a victory in North Dakota, I am excited to learn about the new generation of leaders that will emerge from this battle. If you have withstood a water cannon or chained yourself to a bulldozer, there’s one vote (and some campaign cash) for you right here.
Most importantly, don’t just think nationally. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed imagining yourself as one of three-hundred million. There are actions you can take right now in your own community to prepare us for what’s to come. These actions have the additional benefits of no dollar cost, increasing your own sense of security, and carrying the distinct possibility of fun and/or happiness.
MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS. Get up, go outside, knock on a door, and say hello to whoever answers. It’s a little scary at first, and the person behind the door will likely meet you with suspicion but smile, tell them your name, where you live, and maybe offer them something you have in abundance (time, lemons, well-wishes, etc). You will be amazed at how many people are gasping for connection, even if they are initially resentful you pulled them off the couch. What if you’re already a Level 2 Neighbor?
GET ORGANIZED. Google “(INSERT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD) neighborhood association” and contact them. Attend a meeting, volunteer at an event, pick up trash, take a walk without earbuds, do anything that makes your neighborhood a better place to live. It doesn’t matter if you’re renting or don’t think you’ll be there long. When we feel connected we are not fearful, when we are constructive we can not despair.
The United States government is not going to save us. If you’re my age (31), you are going to live through more tumult and upheaval than you can probably imagine. Science help you if you’re younger. The skills and attitudes that got us to this point no longer serve you, purge yourself of the poisons of greed, racism, misogyny, and nationalism. Your new skill set awaits right there between you and your neighbors. Go get it.
Sacramento activist-poet Niki Jones said something last week that is still resonating in my brain.
“More of us than them, more of us than them.
Take up arms, mostly pens.
If this is a war then we’ll wage it,
it’s not what we’ve made it.
...Take up arms, sharpen your friends.”
I'll just leave this here for fun. But don't laugh.
