Authoritarian leaders want citizens to feel fearful, distrustful, socially isolated, and helpless. This helps them maintain social control, so fighting against those feelings is a potent act of resistance. Here are some tactics for fending off despair.
Find a like-minded group that offers social support. The Hanover Democratic Committee and its Democratic Women’s Coffee and Drinking Liberally satellites have long functioned as social support networks for members. Consider joining or becoming more active as a way to prepare to function during the chaos that is likely to come.
This article from Vox encourages us to not react to the unknown, but to stay in the present and to focus on what we can change. Trying to resist every crazy thing that happens in the next four years will likely lead to burn-out. Take time to rest and restore, but try not to disengage completely.
This publication, Take Action Now, offers bi-monthly targeted actions that readers can take to influence current events on the national, state, and local level. During the first Trump administration such actions were successful in abating the worst of the Muslim ban, family separation, and in preserving Obamacare. These successes underscore the fact that we, especially when we work together, are not helpless. Pay attention to TAN’s actions and participate when you can.
Read, or reread, the Indivisible Guide. It offers strategies and tactics for making a difference in the wake of Trump 2.0.
