Neck deep in mud: how we move forward

“There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

No time to read? Here's the summary: We need to act as a collective to battle authoritarianism and climate change. We need to act now. White people, especially, have a responsibility to act. This is a clumsy, chaotic, stupid coup - there is still a chance our democracy will live another day. I have to hope that a lotus will grow from the mud. See the bullet points at the end calling for action. And continue to exercise your First Amendment right whenever you can.

The lotus emerging from the Mekong Delta.

How are you holding up, my friends? I think we can all agree things are rough here in the good ol' USA. If you are thinking things are rosy and you're feeling excited for the future, I'm sorry, but you've landed on the wrong blog page. Kindly take yourself elsewhere.

The fact is, we are deep in the mud of an authoritarian administrative coup and most of us here, I'm guessing, are oscillating between rage and terror (while we also try to go about our daily lives pretending everything is normal). We are overwhelmed and exhausted - if we're paying attention. If you're not paying attention, and thinking it's better just to keep to your bubble of the world and do your thing, I'll post some resources at the end of this, in case your bubble reaches the bursting point.

The incessant barrage of attacks on our civil liberties and human rights, the direct threats to immigrants, People of Color, the LGBTQ+ community, scientists, and women in general, not to mention threats to our court system and rule of law, an economy that has gone from robust to teetering on the edge, and the tides of hate, misinformation, and white supremist ideology crashing from shore to shore are a lot to deal with. I forgot to mention bird flu and the dismantling of health systems designed to protect us from it, but there are other places keeping track of such things, so I don't feel the need to list them all.

I'm writing today because I'm trying to figure out a way through this mud, as we all are. I've talked to people who feel so overwhelmed and frustrated by it all that they're ready to throw up their hands and hide in a cave. I feel that, too, some days.

But I have also learned something from all my years studying the climate crisis that is quite handy for me now. What's happening is a complex, systemic problem that has been growing for a long time, much like climate change. The seeds of fascism have been embedded in our lives over a very long time, and in many different ways, just as the seeds of human-induced global climate change were first planted in the agricultural revolution, nearly 10,000 years ago. These complex global challenges (or 'wicked' problems) that embed themselves in our lives do not have a single solution.

Our response cannot focus on one action. And no one individual can alter the course we're on.

We need to move ourselves away from the mindset of individualism. This work in fighting authoritarianism, as with climate change, is something we must do as a collective. Every action by an individual is part of a collective, and on a grand scale, that's what will make a difference.

A couple of weeks ago there was a protest in Serbia that drew nearly 325,000 people. The protest was held because 15 people died in a railway station collapse. The collapse was a trigger for a protest against a government that is dominating the media and state institutions to the point that free elections are not possible. One outcome of of a government in various stages of dismantlement is poor infrastructure. A protest cannot change the government in one day. But it sends a message.

Pay attention. We are on this path. The US is now on a human rights watchlist, ranking near Serbia and Congo. (For more about the current state of human rights in the US, see the Human Rights Watch.)

We need to act now. While the climate crisis is urgent, this is more so. What happens here in the USA will not stay in the USA. It also impacts everything we are working toward to mitigate the imminent impacts of climate change and build a socially just and sustainable world. In case you missed it: hundreds of Venezuelans were sent to a gulag in El Salvador, without due process and against a court order. Nationwide, there are attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is cutting funding for mRNA vaccine research. This research made the COVID vaccines possible. And they were on their way to figuring out how to use these vaccines to treat cancer. In fact, cuts to the NIH are canceling treatments for cancer patients in clinical trials right now.

Foreign nationals are arrested and 'disappeared' without a clear reason (Mahmoud Khalil was the first, but there are now many others). European tourists are being detained by ICE in horrifying conditions (like this British woman - but the absolute worst part about this is that non-Europeans have been enduring this for much much longer. They just don't have the voice the Europeans have).

We need to do something NOW.

You've heard the poem First They Came.

By 'we' I specifically mean those of us who are straight, cisgender and white. It's our time to step up to the plate. Our privilege gives us some protection and it's incumbent on us to stand up for the people who are targeted first: immigrants, foreign nationals, queer and trans folk. I know it is frickin' terrifying. I'm terrified. I've studied history. I know what happens next - authoritarianism, mass incarceration, civil war, or revolution. I don't want any part of this.

My privilege has granted me education, a job, the ability to own property, and the ability to make decisions about my own health for entirety of my reproductive life. Sure, I worked hard. But my privilege made it way easier for me than for others. And now I feel like I have an obligation to do what I can - to use that privilege to make a stand. Because if it's not people like me, then who? If not now, when?

We have an obligation to throw cogs into the wheel of the machine that is moving against us. This gives lawyers time to do their work. This gives vulnerable people time to find avenues of escape or shelter from the storm.

And if you are a cisgender straight white MAN, the burden of obligation on you is even greater. We expect you to pick up more cogs to throw in those wheels. While I wasn't always aware of it, and often didn't want to admit it, my privilege has always been limited by the fact that I am a woman. This US government does not want women to have power, and it is working rapidly to remove women from positions of power and restrict civil rights (e.g., SAVE act; national abortion ban; firing of women military leaders; the declaration that Trump has the power to fire all female agency heads.)

So, what do we do?

First, for my dear friends, colleagues, and family abroad:

• Do not come to the USA right now, for any reason. Stay where you are. You will not be safe here.

• You can help us resist by boycotting ALL American goods and products (includes digital platforms. Amazon. Meta. X. If you use Facebook or Instagram, do not click or engage with any advertisements).

• Please welcome Americans or others seeking shelter in your country.

• Work to help your own country disentangle itself from US interests - in whatever way you can.

• And above all, if you presently live in a democratic country, do everything you can to stop this from happening to you (especially looking at you, Canada!)

For the rest of us:

I know it's hard to know where to start. I'm struggling too. Here's what I'm trying to do. Pick one thing - from this or from someone else's list. Remember: it's collective action that sits at the heart of resistance on a grand scale.

• Build community. Do you know your neighbors? Do you know what's happening in your own town? I'm trying to learn more myself. I know this is where my voice is strongest.

• Stay informed and do what you can to counter misinformation. How can you verify the things you hear? What is propaganda, what isn't? Learn. Question. Verify. Amplify others. (I highly recommend following historian Heather Cox Richardson.)

• Talk to friends, neighbors, family about what is happening. It will help you feel like you're not crazy. And chances are high that there are a few people in your life who don't yet know what's happening. We're all really good at pretending things are normal.

• Boycott the oligarchy. Tesla. Amazon. Walmart. Target. Many others. Buy local for everything you can. Or stick to companies that are showing a spine in the face of illegal Executive Orders (e.g., Costco).

• Super important: Call your senators and house representatives. Congress can put the breaks on all this, but the Republicans have crawled into their hidey-holes, and Democrats just seem to be spinning (note: Senator Cory Booker has been speaking on the Senate floor for more than 24 hours as I'm about to publish this...Kudos to him!). Use 5calls.org to help you know what to say. This has been super helpful for me - someone who really doesn't like talking on the phone.

• Attend marches, if that's your thing. I admit, I'm reluctant here. I feel claustrophobic in crowds. But if hundreds of thousands of people are needed on the street to make a difference, then I'll lace up my walking shoes to join. If you've read this far, you probably already know about April 5th.

• White people: Know what to do if you witness an ICE raid. This is a really helpful article about what white privileged people can do if they see ICE approaching immigrants. Learn how to shout in Spanish. For that matter, learn how to speak Spanish if you're white - and use it publicly. (I admit that you may not know that ICE is approaching, as they now seem to wear plain clothes and face masks.)

• Support litigation. There are an army of lawyers on the front line. If you are financially able, support them: ACLU, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Also: help keep Planned Parenthood going.

• There are hundreds of issues you could champion right now. Which one is yours? Where will you put your energy? Diversity, equity and inclusion? Climate change? Reproductive rights? Voting rights? Protecting Medicare and Social Security? Protecting science? Protecting the writ of Habeas Corpus? Protecting the Constitution? Choose one and do something, no matter how small.

We know it's possible to build a world that is socially inclusive and where economic well-being is shared, a society that is prosperous, environmentally sustainable and well-governed with transparency and accountability. We need to hold on to that vision and share it. My hope is that this is the lotus that will eventually arise from all this mud.

But we need action to keep it moving in that direction. Action to help us survive this burst of patriotism, colonialism, authoritarianism, deep hate and greed.

And let's face it, things are bad - but it's a pretty clumsy and chaotic authoritarian coup. Writer Rebecca Solnit calls it the 'stupid coup'. (Seriously, they're using Signal to plan military operations?) I don't know what's going to happen. We can hope that their stupidity of those controlling the US government will lead them to collapse in on themselves. And if you're thinking 'but then won't our country be broken?' It's already broken. We can rebuild.

That's my pep talk. I admit that I don't feel pep every day. But it helps to keep coming back to those small actions we can all do that make a difference on a grand scale. If we can succeed in preventing our country from falling into a dark oblivion, maybe we also have a chance to make progress toward mitigating climate change.