10 Easy Things You Can Do To Resist Trump's Agenda Even When You're Feeling Dispirited

OR ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE FEELING DISPIRITED

Let’s jump right into it, because, as Bernie Sanders said in a recent video posted to his Instagram and TikTok, “We don’t have time to moan and groan.” So even if that’s all we, that includes me, feel like doing, I agree with Bernie on this point. Now is a time for action, not self-soothing inaction— although some self-soothing can be good and necessary, too. However, as a yoga teacher once said to our class while we were obediently crouched over in comforting child’s pose, “Take a breath but don’t get lost in the child’s world.” I’ve never comfortably crouched for more than a couple beats ever since. On the third hand (which, incidentally, actually is a phrase even if it’s one I’ve never used before and am sort of misusing here) I know many people like me are feeling similarly torn between a desire to act and a desire to burrow, so I dedicate this post to us. The thirdhanders. The moaners and doers.

Here are ten simple things we can do to resist Trump’s agenda— even if only between that necessary time spent in the fetal position:

1. CALL YOUR REPS: When you see legislation you don’t like, call the Capitol switchboard at 202) 224-3121. In fact, memorize that number. You know you used to be able to! And studies show it’s good to flex that brain muscle from time to time!

   If, like me, you live in a red state* or a state with supposedly Democratic senators who aren’t really all that Democratic *cough Fetterman is a traitor cough* and you’re having difficulty reaching your reps in D.C. you can also call their more local office lines. A quick Google search should connect you to those numbers. For example, the capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg, so I googled Fetterman and Harrisburg and easily found this office number: (570) 820-4088.

   If you’re nervous to berate elected officials, know that it is highly unlikely you will get through to any individual, and you’ll most likely leave a message. Mandy Patinkin, the great Inigo Montoya himself, has kindly offered a script for what to say: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die… Just kidding. Here’s what he did share, “My name is [your own] and I’m calling from [zip code]. I’m furious that Elon Musk, an unelected Ketamine user with no government experience, has taken over the Treasury Department system. He’s also given a bunch of college kids access to our most sensitive financial infromation. This is an illegal takeover of the federal government, and it’s got to be stopped.” Okay, that’s a lot. Keep reading for a slightly less combustible script.

2. DOWNLOAD HELPER APPS: If a revenge speech from the great Mandy Patinkin feels a little over the top for you, download the app 5calls.org or check out the website here. Not only does 5 Calls make calling and emailing your elected reps that much easier, it also offers a plethora of scripts for you to use while leaving your various messages. Incidentally, another good app to download, if you’re concerned about the enviornment in the midst of all this, is Climate Action Now. There you can also find actionable items to check off your to-do list.

3. FOLLOW THE NEWS IN A JOYFUL WAY: Follow creators like myself who genuinely ENJOY politics and to whom politics (like soccer does for Danni Rojas) gives life. While I do also get tired from time to time, overall—and this is not surprising considering my upbringing— politics is literally mother’s milk and father’s love to me. My father was a Soixante-huitard, or a May ‘68er in English, who had to flee France as a political refugee before he met and married my American mother, a radical feminist hippie in a San Francisco commune. Like that’s for real. From the youngest age, I grew up talking Pol Pot and the Killing Fields of Cambodia, liberation sex in the streets of Paris— “We only had to worry about ze crab, not ze AIDS”, and other incredibly inappropriate topics for a 5-year-old, but the point is: NOT talking about politics has always been harder for me than talking about it. Other creators and bloggers who I suspect share my predilection, albeit for their own varied reasons, include: Johnny DePalmas, Luvvie, Taryn Delanie (a creator and a beauty queen actually, but such a hilarious, beautifully well-spoken person, too) Robert Reich, Bill McKibben, and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to name a few. (Please add to this list of joyous politicos in the comments.) If you can find joy, or at least humor, and empowerment through knowing what’s going on, the horror of what’s going on won’t drain you as thoroughly.

4. REST BUT DON’T STOP: When it does drain you, take that aforementioned crouch and breath. Take care of yourself. Maybe make one phone call a day anyway but then go back to doing your revitalizing and relaxing until you feel better.

5. SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to at least one reputable news source like the Philly Inquirer, the New York Times, the Guardian, or the Financial Times. If you’re unsure, you can check how reputable a news source is by going to this educational website meant for children: https://newslit.org/educators/resources/is-it-legit/

6. DON’T NORMALIZE TRUMP’S AGENDA: Recently, Travis Kelce, in what was possibly a major media-trained foot-in-mouth moment called President Trump’s imminent presence at the Super Bowl “an honor”. The internet, including myself, reacted… poorly. Even if we give Mr. Kelce the benefit of the doubt, what he did isn’t merely a snafu— it’s complicity. It’s normalizing the abhorrent racism that Trump’s presidency represents. In Trump’s first days, he abolished DEI programs and installed white supremacists like Stephen Miller in high office and while Steve Bannon resigned as Trump’s chief of staff during his first term, his Breitbart “News” is now regularly linked on the Whitehouse’s Website. These words on the subject from Rep. Jerry Nadler were written during Trump’s first term but still ring truer than ever: “While respecting the results of the election and the Office of the President, we cannot allow for the normalization of the hatred and bigotry that Trump used to stir fear and resentment, or of his behavior that is completely unbefitting the office he is about to occupy, like his sexually predatory actions or his cozying up to world leaders who reject our democratic from of government. We must never lend these things or his expressed contempt for democratic principles any legitimacy. Whether or not he himself feels these hateful things almost doesn’t matter, as he exploited them to come to power, and, in doing so empowered the most wicked tendencies in American society.” Basically, what I’m saying is, do your patriotic duty and root for the Birds this Sunday!

7. READ ON TYRANNY BY TIMOTHY SNYDER: You may or may not have seen this book floating around everywhichwhere on social media recently but even if you have and found the title intimidating, did you know it’s an extremely quick, short, easy, and rich read? Go get a copy and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and dive in! (Please purchase a copy here. Your purchase goes to supporting small bookstores— another small act of resistance.) The first lesson of Snyder’s treatise is maybe the most powerful one, so I’ll share it here: “DO NOT OBEY IN ADVANCE. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. A citizen who acts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”

8. PROTEST: If you have the time or means or energy to peacefully protest, look into joining one. There are apps and sites like this one that can help you find local protests or follow the stories of local activist groups. For example, last spring I was involved with Save the Meadows, an attempt by locals in South Philly to save the FDR Park from ruinous overdevelopment— grass being replaced with astroturf, mature old trees being cut down to make way for that astroturf. It was heartbreakingly awful, but I did learned about many protests there through following Save the Meadows on Instagram and also met several local activists who I’m still in touch with now about other issues.

9. POST OR PRINT PALM CARDS: Pick your level. As Alexanderia Ocasio-Cortez recently said, “Move in the faith that we’re going to win… If you’re exhausted, the one thing I want you to do: just Google your rights. If you have no energy at all, just do that. If you have some energy, and you’re itching to mobilize and you’re in a community like mine, pick up some palm cards or print out some stuff on your own and take it to a local bodega and say, ‘Hey, can I post this up.’** That’s level two. If you want to do even more, there are community organizations that you can engage in. We need to be little grains of sand in the large gears of this machine. Please do not fall for the illusion or the lie that any action is too small.”

   

10. BREATHE AND GET A COSTCO MEMBERSHIP: Most of all consider this: take all of Trump’s executive orders and wild ideas he’s been floating around these first few weeks of his term with a tiny grain of salt. Don’t underestimate what even a fool is capable of, but keep in mind he’s not as impressive as he’s trying to appear to be. Nor does he have a mandate. He, and most Republicans in the House and Senate, won on extremely razor-thin margins.

    For one example of how we can unmask the wizard, did you know most of those villainous orders of his were written using extremely weak legal language— as in he knows they have little legal backing and the point of all those flourishing signatures of his in his first days was the showmanship? He’s testing the waters and trying to shock, awe, and impress us with those flourishes of specious power. He hasn’t really done much… yet. I wouldn’t underestimate him, but I would keep in mind, we shouldn’t fear him and his threats so much that we fear to act, either. And, with that in mind, there’s one last easy action you can take: go get a COSTCO membership. Despite threats from the Trump administration, COSTCO is continuing to support DEI efforts. At least for now. Maybe even let them know why you’ve joined and how much you appreciate what they’re doing here at 1-800-774-2678. And, if one isn’t near you, keep in mind COSTCO delivers!

What are some suggestions you would add to this list? Please share, comment, and restack this note.

*AOC had suggestions on a recent Instagram live for what people in red states vs. blue states should try to accomplish with their calls, but I couldn’t find it for this piece. Does anyone have those suggestions handy?

**Palm Cards are small cards with your rights printed on them should you be stopped by ICE. An example from AOC and VoteSaveAmerica is pictured above.