“Gonzo Notes” is Kit’s newsletter of political analysis and direct action tips.
Donald Trump is going to be president.
That’s fucking ugly, so I want you to just sit with it for a minute.
I know some people are working for a different outcome. I will rarely tell anyone not to act, and this includes my comrades petitioning the electoral college to reject Trump, or supporting efforts to recount the vote.
Still, fundamentally, our democracy isn’t built for this. The electoral college was never meant to serve the people, and it never will.
Tilt at all the windmills you want; many times, it’s worth it anyway. But we have to prepare for four ugly, terrifying, and bleak years.
Let’s talk about the slogan, “Love Trumps Hate,” which appears in the photo at the top.
I don’t love Trump’s hate, or the hateful fascists that are empowered by his election. I don’t think I can sit down with white nationalists, have an empowering conversation full of mutual understanding, and then hug it out.
The type of love that can trump hate is a fierce love. It’s holding my family, friends, and comrades close, no matter what. This isn’t a gentle, Hands Across America kind of love. It’s a protective love. It’s an angry, don’t-you-dare-fuck-with-me-or-mine love.
By all means, build bridges. We need solidarity to make it through dark times. But when someone denies your right to exist, or your right to thrive, there’s only one answer: fists up, fight back.
Don’t suppress that anger, but channel it into action. Get together with your friends, and the people you trust, and turn the anger into a plan to begin building a better world — a world that serves the people and planet, not the rich and powerful.
Stay passionate, and be loud when it matters. Don’t let anyone tell you to calm down.
It’s time for everyone to get a little gonzo.
Look around you and assess what the bullshit is wherever you are. I don’t know you, I don’t know anything about you, but I’d be willing to bet that wherever you are, there’s some absolute bullshit going on somewhere around you. So the first step is to notice that, think about it, analyze it, feel it, get mad about it. Then think about what it would take to totally change it or destroy it. –CLARA, CRIMETHINC EX-WORKERS COLLECTIVE
Gonzo action tips
As part of “Gonzo Notes,” I want to offer some ideas for actions you can take to make a better world.
I’d initially planned to focus on the struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, but then I heard this quote from episode 52 of “The Ex-Worker,” the Crimethinc podcast.
It might be that you still want to fight the pipeline, which, after all, will cross over 1,000 miles and risks the clean drinking water of millions. Or, maybe, you’ll target the fossil fuels industry and its sponsors in some other way, closer to home.
You don’t need to travel to Standing Rock to take action. It’s possible you don’t even need to leave your own neighborhood.
Once you’ve identified the bullshit that stinks the most, figure out how to bring it down. There’s probably already people doing the work, if you look, so try to reach out to them if you can. If not, build your own networks or act alone.
Even small, low-risk actions, like putting up posters and holding teach-ins today, can set the stage for much larger change tomorrow.
Gonzo Notes 01: Life Under President Trump by Kit O’Connell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://kitoconnell.com/2016/12/01/gonzo-notes-life-trump/.
