We believe in direct action the way others believe in divine superheroes. The church talks an awful lot about compassion, but then they act as if they are the arbiters of a bitter, vengeful, patriarchal asshole. Picture Brett Kavanaugh screaming at his confirmation hearing, and you can imagine the God he prays to.
They get metaphorical boners fantasizing about the power they can exert over others, and they turn them into literal monuments, phallic middle fingers rising over the highway. All this money they spend on sentimental idolatry—on frivolous roadside attractions like statues and billboards—it’s frustrating, because it could make a real difference. They could feed the hungry, provide shelter for the houseless, help women have a larger say in their own family planning by reducing the economic inequalities that makes the choice of raising a child such a luxury in today’s caste system.
All this being plainly stated: We aren’t here today to change people’s minds. We give it our best shot—art has to have a message, so we are always looking for one worth the crimes we commit to engage in ours. We believe there is a deeper form of love that is a kinetic experience, not a thought experiment.
Debates are good for ratings. But they rarely lead to resolution, just more fundraising. Meanwhile, those who are facing this loss of access, of autonomy, they don’t need your prayers. They don’t need a retweet or a meme either. The laws are real, and so is civil disobedience.
Activism is action. There is a whole secondary network that needs to be built from the grassroots, and in secret. Who knew underground networks would be the only path to freedom all over again in this country? God bless America: Land of the Free Market, if not yet the free people…
But remember, America is also us. It’s not just what they do in boardrooms and in buildings held up by fancy roman columns. It’s what we do about it. We are looking for new venues and formats, but in the meantime, we’ve still got bolt cutters in the car…
Thou shall not wait for the powers that be to be less powerful. – INDECLINE 6:66
