Is The Trump Resistance Movement…Exhausted?
Is the Resistance in a funk, or is it just me? Meetings packed in months past have thinned out. I heard a rumor that call volume to our California District 1 representative, Doug LaMalfa, is back down to pre-election norms. And the conversations I have with other new activist are becoming increasingly …unenergetic.
We’re not even six months in and I’m tired.
Via Voa news
I’m overwhelmed by the sheer volume of policy disasters this administration continues to pump out. I watch the news, and the normalization of the absurd appears to be working. The more I pay attention to the problems we’re facing as a nation, the less certain I become that viable solutions are even possible.
You post something to Facebook, and people “like” it or even comment if you’re lucky. You post something to YouTube, and people troll it, it’s what they do. Good, bad, and mostly ugly, you get a signal that people have received your message. But what about signing Kamala’s latest petition with just your first name? Or issuing public comment through some arcane web form to the Army Corp of Engineers? Or reciting your well-crafted speech on the issue of the day for the ears of your Representatives’ junior staffer? Right now, I can’t tell whether or not any of my calls, emails, blog posts, videos or committee meetings are making a damn bit of difference. It feels like shouting into the wind. Should I just save my breath?
You gotta wonder if this flaw in our political system’s user interface is by design.
A map depicting government bureaucracy from Asterix and Obelix
The antidote? Google “Resistance Fatigue” and you will get express written permission to lay off the horn, to take a “me day,” to lick your wounds over a Netflix binge. Well, I’ve tested those suggestions with ice cream and sprinkles. My review: they just lead to tight jeans and despair.
So I remind myself that engaged citizenship isn’t only about changing things. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can get in there and change things. Having an informed opinion and giving voice to my unique perspective isn’t a one-time performance. It’s my new daily practice, my yoga. I’m training for the marathon by attempting to run it.
Of course I’m tired. I’m building muscle.
Resistance training…get it?
So let’s buck up and get ourselves through this slump. If you are feeling burnt out, take a baby step and text RESIST to 50409. This is Resistbot, a free service that will help you blast messages to your reps over text. You don’t even have to leave the couch!
Or if you are feeling a little more energetic, subscribe to Daily Action for a quick phone call assignment every day, which can be completed while waiting for coffee – multitasker approved! For highly accurate, detailed and tailored actions for California’s District 1, check out CA D1 Daily or follow them on Facebook.
When you are really ready to resist, join an Indivisible group in your area and bring in your ideas about how you can make a difference in your community.
For Bay Area specific #Resistance action, sign up to get text alerts of protests and action on:
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