A first step could be to fully appreciate the urgency. Even though I've explained that this dynamic isn't new, it's still not exactly same as 1995. The societal downward spiral is much worse now and that could mean the backlash will also be much worse. You can get started appreciating this urgency by simply rediscovering the subversive pleasure of thinking for yourself.
Reactivate your natural, instinctual bullshit detector so when someone tells you we live in a big melting pot, the land of the free/home of the brave, you'll say bullshit. When they rant about immigrants taking our jobs and not paying taxes, you can say bullshit. They tell you marriage can only be between man and woman? You say bullshit. It's acceptable that women are paid 77 cents for every dollar a man makes? Bullshit. They're okay with racial profiling and the racist war on drugs and racist death penalty. We can all say bullshit. They wish to condone the use of words like b*tch, f*ggot, and n-word, and feel free to use "illegal" as a noun? You scream: bullshit.
This system cannot be reformed. It must be dismantled and there's no time like now. This is our moment so let's make it count.
Of course, we must stand up to Tea Party ignorance and bigotry but creating solidarity with their "targets" (the poor, the immigrants, all those oppressed due to sexual preference, gender, or ethnicity, etc.) is far more important. It's not easy to free our minds from propaganda, stand up to those seeking scapegoats, and fight for the future. But I guarantee you this: it's worth it. This is our chance to create both community and a legacy.
Howard Zinn once said: "To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
As you seek out your own marvelous victories remember to trust your bullshit detector so no matter what you hear coming out of Washington, you'll know the truth remains:
Action is always better than hope.
Mickey Z. is probably the only person on the planet to have appeared in both a karate flick with Billy "Tae Bo" Blanks and a political book with Howard Zinn. He is the author of 9 books--most recently Self Defense for Radicals and his second novel, Dear Vito; he is a regular writer for Planet Green and can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.
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