[Hear Me Out] Keep Reading and Carry On–But Also Take Action

Fellow American readers! I just…*gestures broadly around*.

I mean, have you seen the *points wildly*.

And don’t even get me started on the *enraged wall slide facing the general direction of everything*.

Y’all. In case you’re not sure why I’m crashing out in lieu of writing a proper introduction, let me help you out. On Monday, Donald J Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America, to the extreme chagrin of slightly over half of the country. In the three days since, chaos has ensued as Trump has done…exactly what he promised he’d do. While I personally resent having to FO without having actually FA’d, I’m very aware that Trump’s actions so far are unprecedentedly hateful and destructive, expertly manipulating the ignorance of a neglected constituency of Americans and providing pathways to satisfy the greed of others.

(Before we go on, I’m also very aware that this blog might get me put on a list at some point. That’s mostly a joke, but um…have you seen what’s happened to whitehouse.gov? I’m not even going to link to it, I’m so disturbed. This is also my way of saying y’all. Let’s speak up and start moving NOW. This is not the country we agreed to, right? Are we a democracy or not? RUN THOSE MOUTHS. Wear your typing fingers down to nubs! And have an exit strategy, if you must?)

This is a site about books, the joy of reading, and finding the normal, meaningful human diversity many of us experience and are a part of in our own lives in literature. It would be a bit redundant to tell you all to go and read a handy list of books about the revolution right now because, well–you probably already do that. That’s why you’re here, I think. Most of you don’t come here to be put to work, but to relax for once and not have to explain who you are unless you feel like it. You’re already doing the assigned reading, and then some.

All I can really tell you is to keep doing that. Black Americans have a saying–don’t let nobody steal your joy. If you are an American of difference and diversity, and you feel attacked right now, I understand. Feel those feelings. But don’t let it diminish your sense of self, and your human right to see and be seen in literature, in media, in life.

Actually, there’s one other thing I can tell you, too. You are already doing a good job. None of what’s happening now–the bigotry, the marginalization, the ignorance, the injustice–none of that is your fault. None of that is our fault. That doesn’t mean any of us are perfect, it simply means that if you and I have been doing our best–and I think we have been, mostly–we are not to blame for what is happening.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to do something, starting now. As the peerless and prophetic Octavia E. Butler once said, “There is no end/To what a living world/Will demand of you.” I guess that’s part of doing our best.

If you’re exhausted, I get it. If you’re part of the 92% — and I am — we’re certainly justified in letting everybody else deal with the hell they’ve unleashed while we concentrate on bunkering up and fortifying for when this is finally, hopefully, thankfully over in 4 years.

But if you’re like me and became an activist because the thought of the world being unfair on purpose rankles so deeply, because you grew up being called all kinds of inaccurate slurs because nobody was quite sure what you were, because you cannot stand by while others are cruel to those you love, because you know that you do not deserve cruelty, and because you believe that purpose of a government and all other systems should be to make the world better for every living being and not just a lost, aggressive, and selfish subset–we can’t really sit back and do nothing, can we?

So to us, I say–sit back. Read your books. There is nothing useful in rushing ahead in a burst of fear and dread and rage and burning yourself out.

Once the desire to burn has subsided, I challenge you to be smart. Every time you hear of something scary, horrifying, infuriating, injust, or just plain stupid–I want you to take a small and meaningful action.

Whitehouse.gov has been turned into a fascist propaganda farm? Share some accurate political information, somewhere.

News story about another (probably) illegal executive order and its dreadful consequences? Sign a petition. (MoveOn has lots, if you don’t know where to start. Your local community organizers can also help.)

ICE raids in your neighborhood, refugees being denied asylum? Donate to the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Federal funding shenanigans stopping your employment, grants, education, and other means of professional well-being? Look into employee assistance funds, and squad up with your colleagues to file lawsuits, as quickly and as numerously as you can. If you don’t know or can’t afford a lawyer, start with your local ACLU, Legal Aid At Work(CA residents only), or Legal Aid DC.

Don’t know what to do? Write a letter to your local legislators. Find info for your House representatives here and your Senators, here. There are email templates and easy-to-click-through interfaces on nearly every national lawmaker’s site.

Hair on fire because all of this is just too much? Check on your people. Talk a little, cry a little, tell some jokes, pull out the good tea or liquor or chocolate. Chances are their hair is on fire too, and it’s easier to put it out for each other than struggle on our own.

And so on…

Another thing Octavia Butler wrote was to “First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” While she was talking about writing in that quote, I find this attitude helpful for justice and activism, too. This is going to feel very bad for a lot of us for a while. Inspiration will ebb and flow, but the tide of suck will probably be relentless. In the face of this, I challenge myself–and you as well, fellow readers–to develop a habit of doing a small, positive, real thing every time you are confronted with that tide. It doesn’t have to be immense, it just has to be something. If you can do bigger things, by all means, do them. But if you can’t, or don’t know how–start small. Resistance is a muscle. Persistence is its protein.

If enough of us do this, we may be able to keep the rushing waters of evil from destroying everything we’ve carefully tended to in our lives.

And then, go read some more. Peace, fellow readers. Love and light, also. Hang in there.

(I’m not doing an ad on THIS post, of all posts. If you hang around here enough to be reading this page and you want to help keep the lights on, you know how to do it already, and I thank you in advance. Now peace, for real this time.)