The Case for Hope Pt. 3: How Sparks Become a Beacon

“To protest against injustice is the foundation of all our American democracy.” – Thurgood Marshall

I think everyone can feel that we’re sitting on a powder keg. Something is going to have to give, because this constant cycle of threats, ICE raids, economic disasters, cuts to services we’ve paid for through our taxes, and funneling of money to billionaires is not sustainable. I think Putin, Trump, Musk and their allies are hoping we’ll get tired and give up, which will then give them free license to expand their extrajudicial round-ups of people they deem undesirable. Which will eventually include pretty much everyone, because tyrants always need a scapegoat. Or they might prefer that we become violent to justify martial law, although I fear the martial law will come anyway.

What I hope for, and what we are working towards (I hope that “we” includes you) is a peaceful but disruptive movement where enough people can come together that we can reach a critical mass, a group of enough Americans and allies that it can’t be ignored or waved away. We need our politicians to fear that if they betray the people who voted for them, they’ll never be elected to office again. We need our businesses to fear that they will lose their customer bases if they support traitors like Trump and Speaker of the House Johnson. We need to remain orderly, but it needs to cross their mind what would happen if that many people were pushed beyond the brink.

Trump is increasingly tightening his grip on the nation and trying to grow his power. His allies in the House and Senate are practically throwing more power at him, while those who oppose him are outnumbered. We need to grow quickly to avoid losing everything we’ve built, and to avoid as many casualties as we can. There have already been too many casualties, and many of our neighbors don’t have long to wait.

One of the challenges with movements like this is that they tend to take time, especially in a country as spread out as we are, and with the work culture and childcare limitations that we have in the U.S.A. We also didn’t reach this level of disconnect or political divisiveness overnight, and finding ways to cooperate won’t happen overnight either. But you and I can do our part to grow this movement. We can be a part of history. This movement has a lot of opportunities to get involved, and the more of them you take part in, the better our chance of success.

Here are some thoughts on how to make the most impact in this difficult time. If there are enough sparks, if there is enough visibility, if we can draw in enough people, we can turn those little sparks into a beacon.

Protests

Protests can be intimidating, but protests can also be fun and social and energizing. They can allow you to meet other people who are seeing what you’re seeing. They are often full of witty, amusing, or thought-provoking signs and shirts. You can join together with others to chant, to sing, to listen, and to cheer. You’ll get a chance to see the helpers, the supporters, the good people who are looking to protect others. You’ll see people who bring snacks or drinks or medical supplies to share. You’ll see people group together to protect the vulnerable among the group.

I often hear people question what good protests can do, because it’s not like Trump will roll back destructive policies just because we asked nicely. But protests still do a lot. Seriously.

Protests are big and visible. They bring everyone together in the same physical space. They force people to see that things are not business as usual. They show solidarity. They broadcast to the world just how many people are unhappy with the status quo. And not just unhappy, upset enough to give up their limited free time and stand around, sometimes for hours, in a public place. Even though protests can be fun, people don’t do them just for recreation, they do them because they are worked up enough to overcome their own fear or discomfort.

If you have found yourself feeling alone in these difficult times, protests are the antidote to that. I have loved ones who aren’t able to participate in protests because they could lose their jobs and livelihoods, or because their family situation would suffer if they were seen speaking out against Trump, or because they are unsafe due to minority status or residency status. When I protest, I am there to be a voice for those people, and to show them that they are not alone.

Sometimes protests are disruptive. Disruptive is not the same as violent. But if they take up enough space, draw enough attention, make enough noise, or inconvenience enough people, sometimes it can make a change.

That said, if you choose to go to a protest, and I strongly, strongly encourage you to if you are able, do it safely. There are a lot of guides on protesting safely, so I’m not going to create one here, but I’ll link to the guide by the Human Rights Campaign: HRC Resources. There is always the possibility of instigators trying to incite violence, or of attackers committing violence of their own. There is never a guarantee of safety. However, if and when this movement turns into mainstream, it becomes a lot safer.

Boycotts

I’ll be the first to admit that boycotts are tricky and come with a lot of layers. Your economic status, your mobility, your location, and your purchasing needs can strongly influence the way you participate in a boycott. There can also be a complicated layer of morality to it, especially in a small town. If your small town is largely employed by a Wal-Mart, and the Wal-mart closing would leave your small town without options or jobs, then a Wal-Mart boycott may not be practical or beneficial.

However, I’d like to propose a new way to think about things. This may come across as privileged, because I admit that I am privileged, so I want to acknowledge that what I’m sharing here is geared more towards those of us with disposable income and the means to make some spending choices. If you are not in that position, then please continue to do what you need to do.

Our economy has been built on commodifying everything and convincing people that they should constantly be shopping to fulfill our every want. I’ve struggled with shopping addiction and creating “needs” to justify spending money just to get a dopamine hit. However, we also have landfills full of junk, and corporations have decided that our only value as people is in the money we spend. So the first step in the current boycott is to rethink the idea of spending entirely. Do you really need that item? Does that item have to be new, or can it come from a friend, a yard sale, or a buy nothing group?

I’m actually trying to ditch the “boycott” mentality and viewing it similar to a lifestyle change rather than a diet. This is not a short-term solution but a change in how I shop. If there’s something I identify as a need, my first move is to consider whether I actually need it, and whether I’ll actually benefit from having it. Am I investing in something that will better my life, or am I just going for that sweet little burst of happy brain chemicals that will be gone the moment I have it in my hands?

If I decide it is something I am going to get, then I check to see if anyone has anything second-hand available. If it’s something I want but don’t need to have right away, I add it to a list to keep an eye out for at garage sales or online marketplaces. If second-hand is not feasible for whatever reason, then I consider if there are small and/or local vendors I can buy it from. Bonus points if these vendors make a point of doing good or supporting positive causes.

Finally, if none of these options are available, I can consider breaking my boycott to buy from one of the larger vendors, or I can decide I didn’t really need it that badly after all. I’m going to try to sustain this practice long-term, and I’m going to try to raise my kiddo with these kinds of habits. And because I can currently afford to, my family is going to track how much money we save when we buy something second-hand versus new, and donate the difference to a good cause. I hope this will allow us to be more conscientious shoppers, and also enable more good in the world.

With all that said, I don’t judge anyone for needing to buy a little happiness, especially in these trying times. But if retail therapy is your drug of choice (and it can definitely be for me), check out a small store or an artisan if at all possible. Your purchase there will have a better impact on the economy, and less of your purchase will go into the pockets of billionaires.

Also, things like art and hobbies are absolutely fair things to purchase. They’re not frivolous if they are meaningful to you. Art and books are some of the things that make us human and connect us to other human experiences.

Speak and Write Out Loud

Speak out against injustice. Speak out for the victims. Fight disinformation and lies with your voice. This is especially vital in person, but still valuable online.

I was going to quit most social media at the beginning of the Trump era. I left what was supposed to be one final Facebook post, and then I was planning to be done with it. But the reaction my post got helped me to realize I had more allies than I had previously believed. My blog and my social media posts don’t get many followers, but the ones I get are often passionate and glad that there are other like-minded people out there. I’ve also realized that I have allies who I didn’t expect. People who I thought would support Trump because their family is full of Trump supporters have expressed support for my posts or posts similar to mine. I’ve also had people I love come to me in person and thank me for speaking out. They aren’t able to publicly interact with my posts for a number of reasons, but they still appreciate them. I’m not saying any of this to toot my own horn. You can share your own words and stories and receive the same feedback. There’s nothing special about my blog or social media presence, but people want to connect and feel heard. If you share your story and make someone else feel heard, you may experience the same things I have.

Share your stories! Have you been personally affected by one of Trump’s policies or illegal acts? Tell the world, or at least anyone who will listen. This cruelty cannot be normalized, and cannot remain hidden. The very real impact he is having on the vulnerable needs to be shared. If only a couple people share their story, it can be rationalized as an anomaly. If everyone has a story, it’s a lot harder to ignore.

Get Involved in Something Organized

Join your local 50501. Or Indivisible. Or a local political party. Or an advocacy organization. Anything, especially if you can get involved in person. Meet the people who are already involved. Join them in their activities and organization. The hope is that these groups will all work together to build something greater than the sum of their parts. But these organizations need their own momentum to really grow. The sooner you get involved, the better.

And they’re full of great people. People who really care about something. People who want to support you, and who hope you’ll support them back. They’ll also help you find opportunities to get more involved and make a bigger impact. They’ll connect you and they’ll enable you. You can carpool together to protests. You can pool money together for donations. You can take shifts at events to allow the group to be represented longer. You can work together to build community. Spontaneous friend groups are fantastic, but organized groups have their place as well.

Wrap-Up

I hope this inspires some hope or some encouragement to step out of your comfort zone and do something for the cause. We need everyone who is able to get involved. Maybe it’s protests, maybe it’s sharing your story, maybe it’s volunteering with an organization. If enough of us can band together, we can become unstoppable.