Doing Something

America, get a grip! There is something each one of us can do, every day. You do not have to stand in front of tanks (yet) or face down a hater alone. You can strategically and consistently take a stand.
There are people creating action lists. Find one, or two or three. The actions are usually writing or calling someone. If you take the 15-minute assignment, every day, it makes a difference. If you also can be showing up, both for marches and in public conversation, that’s even better.
There are people who make it a full-time job to stop the more egregious violations of the current Republican administration. They need our support, both in the form of doing the writing and the calling, and with funding.
We make the difference
It’s only been a couple of weeks. In that time, some bad things have been stopped. The people doing the work — on the front lines — gain credibility to pressure the powers-that-be to do the right thing when the public is behind them. You are the public!
- Unconstitutional plans to stop Congress from funding legal programs were stopped in the courts. (It took less than a day).
- Some very poor choices for Cabinet positions have been avoided (more to come, perhaps!)
- Lies about the terrorist attack in New Orleans (the one where Fox News said the terrorist came from Mexico) was publicly called out as wrong and, somewhat, retracted.
When one person stands up and says things are wrong, it empowers anyone else in the room who agrees that it is wrong. When possible, be that first person. Or at least be part of “everyone else.”
Bad things happen when people agree with something that is obviously wrong — even when they can see that it is wrong with their own eyes. This is something proven in sociological studies by Solomon Asch. Young men were asked to say which line is the same length as the sample line – simple, right? Only 25% of people in the Asch study never wavered in their conviction of what they saw, when faced with others in the room supporting the wrong answer. Be in that 25%!
Being part of public action — whether that is writing or calling elected officials, public administrators, or the principal of your child’s school – can change the perception of the mood of the community. That can undermine some of the harm coming our way.
Please throw away the notion that the so-called bystander effect means no one will help others. When a group of people see something wrong, they hesitate to act until someone comes forward. Therefore, the first person to act has a liberating effect on the whole group; giving them social permission to act.
People also act alone. Be that person, too. No one needs to pat you on the back for writing to your Senator. Do it because it is right.
And, if you are only motivated by self-preservation, realize that the economic and social upheavals that are headed down the Pike will affect you:
First They Came, By Pastor Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.
First, they came for the transgender community
And I spoke out
Even though I am straight and cis
Because I have read
The rest of the f-ing poem.