Steal my writing

(I want you to)

I’ve been wanting to talk to you about why I write. A lot of political and cultural writing today, particularly but not only in mainstream corporate publications, is a grand venture in preaching to the choir. Some large chunk of these pieces theoretically meant to help people think about current events are in fact telling people what to think about current events. There are also countless people, especially at smaller publications and in newsletters, providing more nuanced analysis, teaching, and hopefully allowing people to see a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the world. But, by and large, dominant political discourse is for the choir. Partisans rile up their base, affirm for their audience that their liberal or conservative or moderate worldview is the correct way to understand things, and tell people how the latest catastrophe can be used to the advantage of their party.

Often the writing I’m describing is cathartic, serving to soothe the audience by affirming their anger or anguish or outlook. I won’t act for a moment like I’m not a lefty partisan. I say that overtly and repeatedly in this newsletter. But I also attempt to organize in my community and city, and I want this newsletter to be in many ways more a reflection of that than of some non-existent perfect politics. Because another approach that is often taken on social media, and in writing, is the laying out of the “right” approach or the “right” opinion. What ensues from developing the perfect take, or being entirely correct about the political issues of our time, is mostly left unsaid.

This is not intended as some sweeping critique of everyone who writes about politics. I try to cite and promote countless wonderful writers across the left. But corporate media and social media have both taken their toll on journalism and on the incentive structures of writers. And, in this newsletter, I am conscious of trying to do something different. Today I want to spell out a specific goal or two for you that I’ve held in my mind but which may not be entirely obvious.

Photo by Kayle Kaupanger on Unsplash

Firstly, I want you to steal my words. Or, at the least, I hope you feel comfortable taking my words and arguments and using them in some way. In my little think pieces responding to current events it may seem, at times, as though my goal is just to have the “correct take” or to respond to world affairs with the most accurate analysis. And I certainly don’t want to be inaccurate; as you know I hope to zoom out and provide context that helps you place what is happening within a broader look at world systems and politics. But that’s not my main goal. What I aspire to, among other things, is to help you develop talking points, answers to questions, and even phrases that you can in turn use with the people in your life.

My repeated insistence that millions of people are pissed off, eager for change, and desperate to know what they can do about the trajectory of this world is not just some semi-optimistic glimmer in this turbulent time. Polls show that people are dissatisfied with the state of the nation and the world, dissatisfied with both parties, and increasingly open to something new when it comes to the political. They also show overwhelming support for policies that are generally considered left-leaning in this country. But, so often, people don’t know what to do about their qualms, don’t know where to turn.

So this newsletter is, on the one hand, an effort to help and encourage you to plug into organizing at work, in your building, or in your neighborhood, and I certainly hope I’ve been able to help a bit in that regard. But there’s a bigger opportunity here, an opportunity for you to be a force multiplier. I’m not a math and science guy, so I’m not sure if I’m using that right, but my hope is that you are able to take some fraction of what I write and be a vector for good with it. My hope is that you steal certain lines, arguments, and phrases, and run with them.

Much political change results from shifts in economic production, changes brought about by forces larger than you and me. But as times change, organized people ready and able to take advantage of these shifts and ride the tidal waves generated by the tectonic plates of time are the ones who make history. The oft-quoted line, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it's the only thing that ever has” might be slightly oversimplified, but the gist is meaningful. The inverse is even clearer, which is that disorganized and uncommitted groups of people do not change the world. And one key, a vital tool for getting folks into organizing in a sustained and effective way, is the one-on-one conversation. Union organizers utilize it as often as possible, as do community organizers.

In an era of social media the art of the one-on-one has been set aside by some. For mass protests, and too often for smaller events, people rely on social media platforms to turn out a whole bunch of people, and for a time the fact that these folks weren’t necessarily going to plug into any sustained work was neglected. But the boomerang is coming back; a growing number of people understand deeply that we need long-term, powerful, committed organizations built up of engaged members if we want to change this world. And building that membership takes countless conversations: to recruit, to educate, to train, to build and maintain relationships.

So if you’re having those recruiting conversations, if you’re trying to change minds, if you’re reaching out to someone who is frustrated by politics but doesn’t know where to turn, I hope you find occasion to steal my writing. It may be a co-worker, a friend, a relative, or someone at the bar. Whatever the case, I hope that, once in a while, something I’ve written or something it sets in motion can pierce a veil of apathy, disengagement, or misdirected anger. Of course each person and each conversation will be unique, but if a word I write sparks a thought in you, a way to connect with someone, to reach them, to in turn jump-start their curiosity, that is reward enough.

In a lifetime you develop an array of skills, and somehow I have found that phrasing the complex simply, phrasing the political in words of common sense, to be one of my talents. I don’t know where it came from, and I don’t know where it’s going, but I hope this little ramble about why I write helps you see this newsletter as resource, one that you actively engage with rather than just reading material to absorb and put down. I hope you’ll consider supporting this work and granting me more time to write for you, time to write words you can steal and run with. Every paying subscriber goes an amazingly long way towards that end, and I hope that in improving this newsletter, with your help, I’m able to in turn help you, whether by introducing you to thinkers, tools, ideas, framings, movements, arguments, books, or simply turns of phrase.

Thank you for reading, as always. And, more than anything, I hope you’re able to go forth and reach people and build. Solidarity! - JP