I love your example of facing down the LTC and no one having your back. By and large, most people are not brave and cannot be counted on to do the right thing when their incentives push them in the other direction. That's just human nature. I don't quite know what to do with that, but we're about to see some very fucking strong incentives to do truly terrible shit.
My priors tell me to build community. That feels right and wholly inadequate. I think we have to prepare to lose a lot of fights in the coming years and know that there will be harm that we can't prevent, no matter how hard we fight. That's going to hurt and it's going to be exhausting and demoralizing and just terrible in all sorts of ways, but we have to fight, and we have to take care of each other as we do so.
Oh shit, that is incredibly cool of them and really, really timely. Good on them for doing it, gonna go free-shopping
I think this is exactly right. We have to build community to minimize damages and keep ourselves and whoever we can safe, but also let go of the idea that if we can't stop all harm we've failed. We're not going to be able to stop all harm. We can only do what we can do
This is a WOW of a post--here's the part I need to reflect on--not because it didn't hit home--but because I need to figure out (for me) the "how" behind it: "To establish our new mental map we must learn to see beyond both our desires and our fears, getting as close as humanly possible to the reality we find ourselves in." Thank you, Laura
Laura I continue to be amazed, happily so, that your terrific writing gets even better. Absolutely well said. I'm now entered into my 80s so I may not live long enough to see the end, or at the very least a radical change in what is the World's longest experiment in democracy. But I grieve for the children and grandchildren of friends who will be around to experience that. Particularly those who are minorities, or gay, trans, intersex or just "look different" (Yes, I know quite a few). Their lives should have been better than mine but I fear that will not be the case.
(Can I talk you into a Thanksgiving visit? Would love that. (And you'd not even have to salute Captain Taylor... I'd be the one saluting you.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7cKOaBdFWo . You should absolutely watch this, You and Heather Cox Richardson are neck and neck as my favorite people. If you are not familiar with her intelligence and perception , consider this a nod to your own excellence.
This is so fucking painful to read - mostly because I know it is spot on. The one comfort your post offers me is that it is not weak or stupid of me to feel lost and terrified, and have no idea how to move forward. That will have to wait. I'm not confident that I'll survive what's coming next. I do think, though, that community building and mutual aid networks will be a necessary part of it. Thank you for speaking the truth.
Fortunately "making a plan to vote in 4 years" isn't an action that takes any effort or has any tangible costs right now.
One of the more...disturbing exercises I have just done is take an inventory of the personal risks to myself and my family. I am a white cisgender US citizen man who is married to a white cisgender citizen woman, a homeowner, living in Massachusetts. While there are many horrible things about the state government of Massachusetts, one thing I can count on our governor to do is to be even a little bit overzealous in pushing back against the federal government.
It's disturbing to do this exercise, but I couldn't stop myself. There are tons of people out there who I expect to be very much Not Fine. Undocumented people, the poor endless Indian tech workers grasping for visas, pregnant people, the list just goes on and is only limited by my creativity. My heart is breaking for them, and I guess I'm simply in a powerful position where I am hoping Trump does not follow through on the worst things he promised.
The distinction between red and blue states might work the other way. I live in a red state, and we've been buckled up since Tea Party times. Not to say that it can't get worse; it can and no doubt will get worse. It's just that we've already read the prequel to what's coming. For blue states, it'll be a brave new world. Good luck and solidarity to Americans of good will everywhere.
I love your example of facing down the LTC and no one having your back. By and large, most people are not brave and cannot be counted on to do the right thing when their incentives push them in the other direction. That's just human nature. I don't quite know what to do with that, but we're about to see some very fucking strong incentives to do truly terrible shit.
My priors tell me to build community. That feels right and wholly inadequate. I think we have to prepare to lose a lot of fights in the coming years and know that there will be harm that we can't prevent, no matter how hard we fight. That's going to hurt and it's going to be exhausting and demoralizing and just terrible in all sorts of ways, but we have to fight, and we have to take care of each other as we do so.
On a side note, both AK Press and Haymarket have a bunch of really good ebooks for free right now: https://www.akpress.org/featured-products/featured-topic-free-ebook.html and https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/517-ten-free-ebooks-for-getting-free
Oh shit, that is incredibly cool of them and really, really timely. Good on them for doing it, gonna go free-shopping
I think this is exactly right. We have to build community to minimize damages and keep ourselves and whoever we can safe, but also let go of the idea that if we can't stop all harm we've failed. We're not going to be able to stop all harm. We can only do what we can do
"All of us have the capacity for immense evil."
This, I very much believe.
We have capacity for goodness too, but when incentives are wrong that other thing comes out hard
This is a WOW of a post--here's the part I need to reflect on--not because it didn't hit home--but because I need to figure out (for me) the "how" behind it: "To establish our new mental map we must learn to see beyond both our desires and our fears, getting as close as humanly possible to the reality we find ourselves in." Thank you, Laura
Fantastic. I will work on this, aiming for inauguration day.
Laura I continue to be amazed, happily so, that your terrific writing gets even better. Absolutely well said. I'm now entered into my 80s so I may not live long enough to see the end, or at the very least a radical change in what is the World's longest experiment in democracy. But I grieve for the children and grandchildren of friends who will be around to experience that. Particularly those who are minorities, or gay, trans, intersex or just "look different" (Yes, I know quite a few). Their lives should have been better than mine but I fear that will not be the case.
(Can I talk you into a Thanksgiving visit? Would love that. (And you'd not even have to salute Captain Taylor... I'd be the one saluting you.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7cKOaBdFWo . You should absolutely watch this, You and Heather Cox Richardson are neck and neck as my favorite people. If you are not familiar with her intelligence and perception , consider this a nod to your own excellence.
Thanks for the link. I read HCR every day, but this interview is next level.
This is so fucking painful to read - mostly because I know it is spot on. The one comfort your post offers me is that it is not weak or stupid of me to feel lost and terrified, and have no idea how to move forward. That will have to wait. I'm not confident that I'll survive what's coming next. I do think, though, that community building and mutual aid networks will be a necessary part of it. Thank you for speaking the truth.
Excellent perspective, Laura.
You and Wonkette probably going to be my reality anchors going forward, stay safe and good luck out there.
Thank you Laura
Fortunately "making a plan to vote in 4 years" isn't an action that takes any effort or has any tangible costs right now.
One of the more...disturbing exercises I have just done is take an inventory of the personal risks to myself and my family. I am a white cisgender US citizen man who is married to a white cisgender citizen woman, a homeowner, living in Massachusetts. While there are many horrible things about the state government of Massachusetts, one thing I can count on our governor to do is to be even a little bit overzealous in pushing back against the federal government.
It's disturbing to do this exercise, but I couldn't stop myself. There are tons of people out there who I expect to be very much Not Fine. Undocumented people, the poor endless Indian tech workers grasping for visas, pregnant people, the list just goes on and is only limited by my creativity. My heart is breaking for them, and I guess I'm simply in a powerful position where I am hoping Trump does not follow through on the worst things he promised.
Living in a blue state vs a red state is something I expect to be hugely important as a distinction. Red state residents ... buckle up
The distinction between red and blue states might work the other way. I live in a red state, and we've been buckled up since Tea Party times. Not to say that it can't get worse; it can and no doubt will get worse. It's just that we've already read the prequel to what's coming. For blue states, it'll be a brave new world. Good luck and solidarity to Americans of good will everywhere.