I didn't go to the anti-gun march organized by the kids from Parkland High school. I feel kind of guilty – like I’m not really a good enough activist, or maybe I don’t really care enough about the issue. But really, I think I’m so overwhelmed by the awful things that are happening that I’m starting to feel numb and like there’s nothing I can do. Why is that happening to me? I don’t really feel powerless. I've put lots of personal energy into the fight. It’s just not as visible as a march or rally. Perhaps it’s that many things feel so awful right now that most of the normal things seem insignificant. But, no, it’s not that. Is it that our leaders (and so much of the population) are so blind – or that we are so polarized – that none of the normal things are likely to bring about any real change? Maybe what I’m searching for instead is a way to change myself, a way to be, do, think, speak, that clarifies my own intention (because I believe that clearer and more focused is more effective.) It’s kind of like what I was feeling about the women’s march this year. Without a clear focus, the energy has little impact – no matter how many people show up. I think it’s important that those kids are out there, learning about political activism and being seen and heard, even if they don’t have a clear, unified demand. In this case, I think it’s okay. What they’re doing is getting their feet wet, feeling their way into themselves and exploring how to harness the energy of their passion. That’s a good thing, a really good thing.
But my personal goals around resisting the tide that feels like it could overwhelm us are very different. For me, it’s about exploring my own personal power. For so much of my activist career I have been involved in protests against a particular position – the war in Iraq, the first gulf war, the marginalization of queers, the oppression of women, racism, environmental degradation... So, what is different now? Maybe it’s that things are more complex. Trump’s treatment of women is terrible and sets a terrible example but the hard clear lines have mostly been broken. Discrimination against women, in pretty much any context, is illegal in this country, though the #metoo movement makes it clear that there is still a problem with how women are treated. Queer people are still stigmatized, discriminated against, and even assaulted, but all of that is illegal and most government entities at least try to enforce the law in those areas. Racism still has a huge impact on people of color but now it is mostly due to persistent implicit biases that are difficult to identify and address. We have enacted many laws to address environmental issues, though many of them now are at risk in this current administration. I guess the thing is, we’ve already taken most of the straightforward, obvious steps that can be assigned to the government and our leaders. The issues we have to address now are much more subtle and require the population – the individual citizens of this country – to make some changes. I doubt that more laws restricting guns are really going to help – it’s the culture of guns and violence in this country that is the problem. There are already laws against discrimination and sexual assault of women – it’s the culture, particularly the culture of men who still believe that they have some right to women’s bodies, that is the problem. It is illegal in this country to discriminate against people based on their religion and yet we have leaders who demonize Muslims and tacitly encourage regular citizens to do the same. It is illegal to discriminate against people based on their ethnic background or the color of their skin but we have a president who refers to Latinx immigrants as rapists and murderers.
Well, I guess you get the point. I think it’s the culture, and the culture is us.
At some point we need to begin taking responsibility for our own actions. We need to examine our own role in upholding the status quo that allows the political leaders and big corporations to put profits over people. We need to examine our own behaviors, those that value convenience over environmental responsibility. We need to examine our tacit complicity with a legal system that puts black and brown men in prison at an alarmingly disproportionate rate and that leaves the continuing murder of black men by police unpunished. Women need to examine the ways in which we buy into (literally) the ideas of fashion, body type, hair, speech, etc. that are driven by our need to conform to a male dominated culture. We need to examine our willingness to support sports and leisure activities that glorify violence, speed, and dominance that only feed into (both physically and psychologically) the macho blustering of a culture and a nation that sees aggression, and even war, as the only way to resolve conflicts on our streets and in our world. We need to examine our unwillingness to even see the thousands of people who live on the streets in our cities, much less to reach out and help in any meaningful way. We need to look to ourselves.
And while I say "we", what I really mean is "I". I will continue to examine my own behavior and hope that I will be an example to some; that I will provoke others to find even small ways that they can resist the tide in their own lives. And I'll probably continue to use this forum to preach a little.
But my personal goals around resisting the tide that feels like it could overwhelm us are very different. For me, it’s about exploring my own personal power. For so much of my activist career I have been involved in protests against a particular position – the war in Iraq, the first gulf war, the marginalization of queers, the oppression of women, racism, environmental degradation... So, what is different now? Maybe it’s that things are more complex. Trump’s treatment of women is terrible and sets a terrible example but the hard clear lines have mostly been broken. Discrimination against women, in pretty much any context, is illegal in this country, though the #metoo movement makes it clear that there is still a problem with how women are treated. Queer people are still stigmatized, discriminated against, and even assaulted, but all of that is illegal and most government entities at least try to enforce the law in those areas. Racism still has a huge impact on people of color but now it is mostly due to persistent implicit biases that are difficult to identify and address. We have enacted many laws to address environmental issues, though many of them now are at risk in this current administration. I guess the thing is, we’ve already taken most of the straightforward, obvious steps that can be assigned to the government and our leaders. The issues we have to address now are much more subtle and require the population – the individual citizens of this country – to make some changes. I doubt that more laws restricting guns are really going to help – it’s the culture of guns and violence in this country that is the problem. There are already laws against discrimination and sexual assault of women – it’s the culture, particularly the culture of men who still believe that they have some right to women’s bodies, that is the problem. It is illegal in this country to discriminate against people based on their religion and yet we have leaders who demonize Muslims and tacitly encourage regular citizens to do the same. It is illegal to discriminate against people based on their ethnic background or the color of their skin but we have a president who refers to Latinx immigrants as rapists and murderers.
Well, I guess you get the point. I think it’s the culture, and the culture is us.
At some point we need to begin taking responsibility for our own actions. We need to examine our own role in upholding the status quo that allows the political leaders and big corporations to put profits over people. We need to examine our own behaviors, those that value convenience over environmental responsibility. We need to examine our tacit complicity with a legal system that puts black and brown men in prison at an alarmingly disproportionate rate and that leaves the continuing murder of black men by police unpunished. Women need to examine the ways in which we buy into (literally) the ideas of fashion, body type, hair, speech, etc. that are driven by our need to conform to a male dominated culture. We need to examine our willingness to support sports and leisure activities that glorify violence, speed, and dominance that only feed into (both physically and psychologically) the macho blustering of a culture and a nation that sees aggression, and even war, as the only way to resolve conflicts on our streets and in our world. We need to examine our unwillingness to even see the thousands of people who live on the streets in our cities, much less to reach out and help in any meaningful way. We need to look to ourselves.
And while I say "we", what I really mean is "I". I will continue to examine my own behavior and hope that I will be an example to some; that I will provoke others to find even small ways that they can resist the tide in their own lives. And I'll probably continue to use this forum to preach a little.
