Beyond Government And Resistance

For those of you new here, this is a staple of the show: every so often we (I) gear up and write a series on some of the bigger things going on, because I can't fit them into a 1,200-word letter. This week and probably for a few after we're going to be talking about some of the obvious stuff. I have wondered about how to go after having this talk–and if I should, given that I have a wife and dogs and friends. But I'm a white man. If anyone can get away with saying these things, it's me.

The reason I started writing this newsletter was because I wanted to help folks prepare for more than just disasters–I saw on the horizon the imminent rise of fascism and the tide of climate change (not that I was nearly alone in this forecast, or even in time for the "fore" part of that word). The foundation of this letter, then, is now effectively irrelevant, because the time to prepare for things is before they happen. If that time hadn't already passed, it certainly has now.

There is a little hyperbole here, in that we are not descended yet into full-blown fascism (as of this writing– genuinely might not be the case in a week). But preparation for a tornado when it's next door is a bit too late, and I would posit that the same is true here. I'll elaborate: forgetting for the moment the immediate moves toward fascism that Trump's administration is making, I am not confident that, four years from now, we will be inaugurating a democratically-elected president. I am, by contrast, completely confident that should we somehow do so, that president will not be someone with our best interests at heart, and the tilt of this country toward authoritarianism and oligarchy will not be stopped because of a D beside that candidate's name. If you read between the lines here, you might get the idea that I'm of the opinion our elections already don't matter–and you'd be right. Which is emblematic of the problem. In a country where the elections don't matter, it can't really be said to be a democracy. I believe that.

Regarding climate change, the danger is clear and present. Ask the survivors of Hurricane Helene, or the people who fled neighborhoods in Los Angeles these past few weeks. Climate change is here, and it can no longer be said that we are preparing for disasters that are yet to come. The work that we do now is work to fight against the losses that have already been incurred, and to try to prevent what further losses we can. We're no longer in the preparation phase, as emergency management nerds would say–we're entering "response." If that doesn't sound quite right for what we're doing as a nation, or as a species, well–you're not wrong.

I want to be clear here that this isn't just another one of my "shit's really real" posts. I'm not just saying what I always say. I'm not saying you should stop voting in the big elections because they're a waste of your time. I'm not saying to stop following the functions and campaigns of politicians. I'm not saying we need to do this to conserve our energy for other fights. I'm saying that we have got to shift our paradigm entirely. I'm saying that we need to stop entertaining the very idea of the United States government. Following every word and gesture of those within it is not just a waste of time–it should be beneath us. The day is fast approaching when this government will not provide anything for you, no matter who you are. And the day is soon to follow when it will cease being indifferent to you, but become openly hostile. Following the work of this body–even its dismantling from the inside–is irrelevant to us. It hasn't saved us, and it won't save us. Expect the worst, resist all.

Going Past Preparedness

Admitting that we are past the preparedness phase does not mean we're past saving, or that it's too late to do anything we've talked about previously. There is obviously still time enough to stock up on water, to learn how to stitch a wound. But we have to accept that we no longer have the time to just do those things, to only gather resources and knowledge–we no longer have time to wait, put simply. To keep with the emergency management metaphor, as we enter the response phase we have now come to a point of action. The resources we have, the knowledge we've gained, should now be put to use.

What comes first in the response phase is taking stock and establishing command (it's an imperfect metaphor, okay?). You should think of this early part of the phase as triage. Who is hurt, who is at risk, who is soon to be at risk? This is where you focus your attention. Our job is to identify these people, get them to safety, and shelter them away from danger.

This isn't so remote a comparison as it may seem. Consider who is currently in the Venn diagram of danger (fascism (fascism and climate change) climate change): primarily immigrants, the houseless, and Trans people, at the moment. Activists across the country are already shouting from the rooftops how you can help these people–by noncompliance, principally, but also simple solidarity. What I have seen locally since January is an outpouring, in leftist spaces, of visible passive aid–signage, zines, harm reduction supplies, left out in the open for public access. Wherever you work or are, see if that's a possibility for you. Put out guides to resisting ICE, put out supplies, show yourself to be a safe space. That might be a frightening act for you–but I promise the people you're trying to help are in a tougher situation.

This, of course, is just a start. There is a lot more we can do as we enter the response phase of the fight, and we'll talk about that. For now, think and act concretely toward helping the most vulnerable people in your community. It doesn't have to be some huge thing, but it has to be something.

The Takeaway

What I want you to understand today is that if we're going to make it, it's by recognizing the mess we're in and accepting that our tactics have to change. I don't begrudge anyone wanting to keep their head down as all this worsens, but if you want to take action, the time is now.

Over the next few weeks we'll talk about some simple and not-so-simple ways we can respond to the problems facing us. Some of them are not all that different from the usual fare here–you do still need to be stocking up on beans and water. But we are gonna talk about some more proactive techniques, as befitting the change in our predicament.

Something that can't wait until next week–something that's honestly too late already–is that as much as I loathe the capitalist nightmare we're in, I have to encourage you to do your capitalism now, while the money you have means as much as it does. Trump's tariffs are taking effect and the cost of all sorts of things are going to skyrocket, and those prices aren't going to drop again–likely ever.