Maybe We Don't Totally Suck as a Species After All

Riding the rollercoaster of collapse (I mean, change).

Dear friends,

I dunno about you, but it feels like my emotional rollercoaster hit that really wild spot this past week. You know how these rides start off pretty tame, but quickly become terrifying as you are precariously raced up steep inclines and then dramatically plummeted great depths, all while whizzing around sharp corners at speeds that turn your stomach inside out? Typically, you reach your destination (the end of the ride), legs shaking, adrenaline through the roof, but otherwise, intact. Every now and then, something goes wrong with the mechanics, and the riders pay more than just the entry price for the thrill turned disaster. Fortunately, these unfortunate mishaps are very rare. Personally, I hate rollercoasters and have always tried to avoid them, both literally and metaphorically.

Riding the wave of mass resistance.

This week's rollercoaster ride started on Saturday, October 18th. I felt high as a kite all day, scrolling through stills and videos of the thousands of NO KINGS protests that took place all across the nation. I felt euphoric seeing 7+ million of America's finest rise up against this fascist regime, supported by caring and concerned humans in many other countries, from neighbouring Canada to South Korea (who know what to do with a wannabe dictator!). These protests were peaceful. They were joyful. They were powerful. They were a sight to behold! Saturday's events definitely refreshed my faith in my fellow human and reminded me that maybe we don't totally suck as a species after all, and just how powerful we actually are.

Going down, down, down.

But how do we hold on to that confidence in human decency in the face of fascism and genocide, and all forms of human-caused shittiness? Around the same time as the NO KINGS day of protest, my friend Anne shared this NYT article about Francesca Albanese where the journalist casually muses about whether Netanyahu is committing genocide or 'merely' crimes against humanity as if either of these is even remotely okay, when we all know they're fucking not okay. Since the horrific October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas, Israel has literally obliterated 25% of the population of Gaza, most of whom were children who had nothing to do with Hamas. Reading this shit, makes me want to weep at the inhumanity of humans who have normalized war and all the related brutality that goes with it. Over and over again, we have seen that it is never the leaders, the perpetrators of war who suffer the worst consequences. It is always the children, the women, the men, the animals, the environment.

From the uplifting joy of unified anti-fascist resistance to the hellish heartbreak of normalized genocide, these contrasting realities made for quite the emotional roller coaster ride this week.

Literally, be noisy!

And then my love for my fellow human soared again. I love the hashtag #BeNoisy and add it to every FB post I make. I like to think I'm being noisy with my incessant barrage of emails that I send to Republican senators (and other politicians) letting them know that we're watching them and will hold them accountable. But there's a new movement that's really getting loud, and I absolutely love how simple, compassionate, and effective it is. I first heard about how whistles are being used as ICE alerts recently when I was chatting with my step-brother in San Jose, California about the horror show and how we are both showing up in our own ways to fight it. He mentioned that he and his husband are distributing whistles, and it blew me away. When I did a little search on this noisy phenomenon, my belief in the better nature of humans was, yet again, restored.

We are forever being asked what we would have done had we been around during the Holocaust. These whistlers are showing us who they are and how they would have stepped up for their Jewish neighbours. This quote from one whistle blower really hit home for me:

“I'm Jewish, and I feel very personally tied to what's going on here because of our history as a Jewish people. I feel like if we're not out here supporting our neighbors, nobody else is going to be doing it.”

For every cruel move this regime adopts, our communities are rapidly finding creative and effective ways to combat them. And now communities everywhere across the US are literally blowing the whistle on ICE raids in a growing effort to keep their neighbours safe. We are definitely seeing the best of humanity in this noisy new whistle-blowing movement - more proof that we humans don't totally suck.

We are the many, they are the few.

I know it feels like the world is full of awful people doing awful things everywhere and all the time. It feels hard and terrifying and impossible. But, the truth is that there are so many more good people doing good things everywhere and all the time, but these things aren't as shocking and debilitating. They are not destructive and heartbreaking, so we don't notice them as much. One of our jobs in this battle is to constantly remind each other that there are more of us and our numbers are growing, and we are all working together to keep each other safe.

Though I am happy to say that I have not become desensitized by the daily barrage of horror, the price I pay for this is to feel gut-punched with each new atrocity. Perhaps you feel this too? In order to maintain any sense of perspective, I rely on reminders like this one from the always astute Jess Craven:

"Friends, it does us no good to pretend this is all OK. It’s not. It’s healthy to acknowledge that. What we can also do, however, is remind ourselves of the vast numbers of beautiful, feisty, patriotic Americans who showed up for No Kings this weekend—plus the many millions who wished they could be there but had other obligations—and imagine them standing on either side of us, literally propping us up. We are not alone. We are fighting a formidable opponent, but it is he and his cronies who are outnumbered—not us. It is they who will eventually be routed—not us. It is they who should worry about losing this battle—not us. In fact, our victory is inevitable. Not because tyrants always fall, but because we will make sure this one does so. 

Trump will be brought to justice. So will his enablers. There will be an end to this."

This too shall pass

As a mother, I've always tried to refrain from telling my kids that things will be okay, because I know things don't always turn out okay. I've often wondered if my grandmother tried to reassure her little boy (my father) that things would be okay as the Nazis made life more impossible for them. Things definitely did NOT turn out okay for them, but, ultimately, the fascists lost, my father survived, and I am here to tell you that the fascists always lose. The orange menace and his Nazi regime are doing a million things that should never be done by anyone, and most decent humans are in shock and grief and all kinds of outrage about their horrific, hateful actions. Our job is to take our shock and grief and outrage and turn that into action.

Nobody knows what the future holds, but something that we absolutely do know is that nothing ever stays the same. We absolutely know that this regime will end. The Felon-in-Chief is old and seriously unwell, both mentally and physically, so the chances of him being around to run for president in 2028 are extremely slim. What happens with the rest of the idiots in charge is really up to us. It may not feel like any of our personal actions are having the desired effect, but can you imagine what they'd get away with if we weren't all stepping up to each new atrocity? In fact, every day, we are seeing neighbours saving neighbours as they successfully chase off ICE. We are seeing our relentless pressure creating cracks in Republican unity and helping the Democratic party find their collective spines. We are seeing our communities growing stronger, and individuals becoming empowered. We are seeing so many of us working together to create a fascist-free future.

Better times are coming (because we're making them happen).

I wonder if enough of us humans will finally figure out that electing liars and grifters and convicted criminals is actually a really bad idea, and instead elect leaders who will work to reshape our current political systems into something less corrupt and more equitable. I love this scenario where Americans, en masse, are so disgusted by the current regime that they wake up and elect AOC for president, but instead of turning the ballroom into a soup kitchen ('cuz in this new scenario, there are no hungry masses), maybe it can become a solar-powered greenhouse that grows free food, or something equally opposite of the current designs.

Friends, I know that things are really, really hard right now, and my guess is that they're going to get harder for more and more people before they start to get better. But things will get better because we are going to make this happen. In fact, we are making this happen. It is in times like these that we pool our resources, look out for each other, get creative, and dive deep into ourselves to see what we have to offer. And, for all the painful news stories, there are as many stories of people stepping up to protect what we love. Every one of us has a role to play as we fight those who are wreaking havoc on our humanity. Last week over 7 million fine humans turned out to say that we do not accept leadership that is based on cruelty, hatred, criminality, and violence. We will keep showing up whether with whistles, lawsuits, placards, mutual aid, or any other form of resistance because, for the most part, we don't totally suck as a species, and those who do totally suck need people like us to remove them from power.

Onward!

Jessica (she/her)