You Gotta Give'Em Hope
Hope will never be silent
I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it life is not worth living. And you…and you…and you…you gotta give’em hope.
In 1978, I was a kid who didn’t pay much attention to the usual awfulness of the nightly news. But when I heard about the assassination of a San Francisco city official—shot to death in his office in broad daylight—it stuck in my mind because of the man’s odd name: Harvey Milk.
But I admit it wasn’t till I saw the movie Milk that I got interested in this amazing person. (If your activism mojo is running on empty, watch this movie to help refill your tank.) Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person elected to public office. He knew well that his chances of assassination were high. He knew there were people who wanted him dead. He accepted the risk that, as he put it himself, “a bullet [would] enter my brain.” But still he could repeat these words: You gotta give’em hope.
Hope. It’s the strongest weapon we have. If we keep hoping that the rule of law will prevail, that democracy will survive, then we keep working to defend it. Without hope, we sink into apathy.
And make no mistake, apathy is the enemy. It will sink us just as surely as Trump and his minions will. It did in 2016. Polls show that more than half of Americans weren’t paying attention to Trump’s recent trial. Weren’t paying attention. Some just don’t care. But a lot of people—potential voters—have given up hope. “What does it matter?” they shrug. “He’ll get off, he always does. Money talks. Trump will be held accountable when pigs fly.”
Of all the very enjoyable cartoons and memes about his trial and conviction, this was my favorite:
A huge percentage of voters aren’t paying attention. They just have a vague idea that Biden is senile (he isn’t) and Trump is not to be taken seriously. So it’s up to us, the few who are paying attention, to wake them up, and spread hope.
In my opinion, one person doing a good job of that is a commentator named Jay Kuo. He’s an interesting guy, an Asian gay lawyer who also produces Broadway shows. Being a lawyer (he used to work for Kamala Harris) he has a good grasp of the complex legal issues that constantly swirl around Trump’s efforts to undermine our democracy: the trials and appeals and motions, fake electors, and all the rest of the incomprehensible mess. His substack The Status Kuo “provides accessible political and legal analysis with a dose of humor.”
I first discovered Kuo when I was biting my nails in fear after the election of 2020 when fake electors and weird schemes kept popping up, case after case in the courts. Kuo explained the legal niceties and helped to soothe my fears. He gave me hope.
Every weekend he also does a hilarious listing of the funniest social media stuff and cartoons out there, which I have to say I really enjoy. Anyway, I recommend The Status Kuo, which also features useful actions his readers can take—places to donate wisely and effectively, candidates to back, issues to help get onto the public’s radar.
Those of you who are kind enough to read this substack from time to time are not the ones I need to convince. You guys know all this stuff already. I’m preaching to the choir. But it’s the 80/20 rule—20 per cent of the population (the ones who, like us, are paying attention) are the ones who create change that affects the other 80 per cent. We’re the ones who talk about the coming election, post on social media, write the editor, call our representatives, staff the tables, and register the voters. We talk up, and we make the difference. “Hope will never be silent,” said Harvey Milk.
And in November, look out! The air will be filled with pigs.
photo: Jordan Harrison
Dear Friends,
Are you more than a little worried about the election of 2024 and wondering what to do about it? I hope you’ll continue to check out The Optimistic Activist.
Every Tuesday I post some ideas for doing something. How to get out the vote, spread the word, and support progressive candidates. Ideas for simple but effective activism. As easy, as practical, as do-able as I can make them.
Together, I think, we could really make a difference.
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.”
--Noam Chomsky