Per the home page, this site is a response to the many times people have told me that they hate what is happening, are fearful of what Trump et al. are doing, but they don’t know what to do about it. “Do something — anything — good!” is a correct answer, but too vague to be helpful.
A better answer is to find specific kinds of good and useful things to do that fit your interests, capabilities, time constraints. When we engage in doing specific acts of service, we feel less helpless and less hopeless; for one thing, we often meet like-minded people and thus feel less alone in our efforts to combat fascism; for another, our efforts really do make a difference in creating community and cohesive networks that are key to effectively resisting an authoritarian regime. And as an added bonus, you leave the category of passive bystander behind and become an Upstander instead, which is an amazingly important thing to do.
If you haven’t had the chance to watch “Professor Poutine’s” video, I strongly recommend doing so. Here it is:
If you still don’t have time or aren’t in a place to watch it, here’s the gist:
In 1930s Germany, only about 5% of the people were collaborators with or perpetrators of the horrors of the Nazi regime. On the other side of the equation, only about 5% of the people were “upstanders” or rescuers (active resistants). That left about 90% of the German population in the category of “bystanders” — people who ignored what was going on, who did not do anything as their neighbors disappeared, went about their business as stores they themselves had frequented were vandalized, as the doctors who cared for them suddenly were no longer allowed to practice medicine, and so on. They remained neutral in the face of evil and ultimately were engulfed by the horrors of war and full-on destruction.
If only a small additional percentage of people had chosen not to sit passively by, it may have been possible to have mitigated at least some of the horrors that the Nazis perpetrated. (In our day, experts say that it takes around 3.5% of the population to rise up and stand against evil for authoritarian regimes to get stopped in their tracks.)
Going from bystander to rescuer is often a stretch too far for most people, but moving from bystander to upstander simply requires a person to take a positive action (and then continue doing it), no matter how small or private, that strengthens community ties and builds networks. Creating those ties and networks before emergencies arise is important! (Minneapolis/St Paul and Minnesota generally, have shown the way.)
Not everyone can publicly march or hold signs or otherwise openly oppose what those in power are working to achieve, but we can all do something. Further, we need to do what we can RIGHT NOW to make sure we won’t end up living in the chaos and cruelty of an authoritarian state. Once such a state is established, especially in this age of AI, it will take years, decades even, to dislodge. Dictators don’t leave peacefully, and the damage they do (as we can see from what is happening even now) is extremely costly in every respect.
Please choose to be an upstander. We need you! America needs you. The home page provides ideas and links to groups and associations that can provide even more ideas and support. If you are already by definition an upstander — someone who does good in your neighborhood or community — thank you! Please use your “new identity” as an upstander to help other people find their courage to mindfully work toward keeping our country free and safe.
