What You Can Do

This NYT op-ed by Jamelle Bouie is a great and clear summary of what’s happening to us right now. But shaping the narrative isn’t your only form of power to push back.

I, like everyone, hope Congress rediscovers and wields its power. That the court cases will win and be enforced. But I’m not counting on it.

There is a spectrum of power between what’s granted to you (laws, rights) and violence. Extrajudicial forms of agency that can’t be taken from you by anyone, ever, and are effective in these moments.

Labor. Where you direct your effort. Where you withhold it. Organized labor–unions–and their nearly singular ability to create strength and advance working and middle class interests regardless of the laws or power structure in place. (Join a union!)

Sabotage and subterfuge. Malicious compliance. You can stay in place as long as possible, throwing sand in the gears and slowing them down, making it hard for them at every turn. Seeding frustration and infighting.

Mutual aid. Helping out your neighbor. Feeding a striker. Sheltering an activist on your couch. Sending money for rent. Taking someone to the doctor. Visiting and sitting around a table in physical solidarity. Creating a small network that can be activated to other things when the time comes.

Ridicule and satire. Denying them their desired status, pride, and self-image. Pointing out their weaknesses. Making them the focus of laughter and scorn. Reducing their ability to instill fear. Piercing the veil of their bluster. Highlighting their idiocy and mistakes.

Documenting and bearing witness. Fighting for truth. Asserting reality. Creating the historical record we can present at their public trials when we–inevitably and always–win.

And, yes, storytelling and shaping the narrative. Ensuring folks have a cohesive framework to understand what’s actually happening.

None of these work on their own. We have no way of knowing which one is best suited to this moment. We have no time to debate, weigh our options, or set up a plan. Pick one and start. Cheer for the folks wielding the others. Coordinate. And remember that we always, always win.