My answer: That we will no longer use our collective, public sphere to solve problems and allocate our vast resources in service of the full society, at the human level.
My fear: This division, hatred, fear, ignorance, suspicion, and credulity is only beginning and will continue to grow.
Worst case: The planet burns us into a horrible existence.
Best case: Music that actually goes to 11.
2016: lots of people in my networks voting for Hillary Clinton.
2018: lots of people in my networks calling, canvassing, donating, writing, driving, attending, and voting for Democrats. So yeah, things are different.
This matters greatly. It’s about engagement, participation, democracy. If you were someone who showed up and put your body on the line, then you are the solution. When added together, when you and your friend and your neighbor and so on all get involved, things get better.
Even in defeat, and there were some hard ones to take, we win. Even if the vote tallies were not in our favor, the message being sent is that apathy is on the way out. We are ready to take on the dark forces at work in our society and no matter the outcome, we will not quit. Remember, the powers that be want us to be quiet, to not pay attention, and to get out of their way. We say no thanks to that horseshit.
This is our great march forward toward progress. And it has only begun. See you out there.
On average, I am furiously outraged at the news 6–72 times a day. I am tired of the corruption and incompetence. I have had it with all the lies and deceit. And I can’t take anymore the idea that all our collective futures are getting ruined because the people in charge of our government are enacting some truly horrible policies with ramifications that will be with us for decades.
Despite all of that, and even setting aside the racism, sexism, and overall hateful bigotry of the current administration, there’s really only one reason that should compel someone to vote for the other political party. And that reason is this:
Checks and mothafuckin’ Balances, people!
Without checks and balances, power is abused. Without checks and balances, the worst is possible. Without checks and balances, our institutions cannot fulfill their promise of liberty and justice for all of us. I think this is one of the simplest ideas in all of the world. If you want large entities like government to work, you cannot have unchecked power. It leads to disaster.
So with that, if for no other reason, to restore checks and balances to our political ecosystem, VOTE DEMOCRAT!
I’ve hosted events, attended fundraisers, knocked doors, made phone calls, wrote notes, dropped off lit, and made many donations. I have a host of yard signs covering my yard. I’ve offered up my design skills in the making of posters and such to help candidates raise money and/or highlight important issues at stake in these upcoming elections. And I’ve been posting every day on a host of social media accounts about the importance of voting. And you know what? None of it is enough.
But hopefully, with all the contributions of everyone else, it adds up to be enough. Adding together the forces of anyone who cares about our democracy in the most important midterm election of our lifetimes, maybe that does the job. Alone, all my efforts were a drop in the bucket, but together, those efforts get multiplied. Because that’s how you do it. You do what you can do, how you do, and you make your mark. And so does another person, and another, and another. Living out this small ‘d’ democracy the best way we can.
We can help. We can make a difference. So let’s get out there! For an hour, for two. Toss in a few bucks. Maybe twenty. And if you voted early, then get to work on election day. Canvass, make calls, hold signs, make more calls, or drive voters. And then get ready to toast your favorite candidates who put their bodies on the line for our democracy. They did so for the good of the nation and the hope of our future.
Onward democracy!
Less than a week away people! Time to get after it. Time to get out there and mother fucking vote! Early vote, regular vote, whatever is your thing, just make it happen. It matters. Big time. There are no substitutes. The most important thing you can do is vote. From there, everything else follows. But first, you gotta vote. #GOTMFV like a mofo.
Here we have a man. A man who has been given all the advantages in the world, including huge amounts of wealth, through cheating and fraud. He did not earn this wealth. He was privileged to it, because he is white and his father was very rich. This man now sits atop a government of suspicion and division. An ineffective government to be sure, but one so ineffective it’s reverberating disaster in many areas of our public life that will be with us for decades. And this man, so weak in his leadership, so steeped in his racism and bigotry, he cannot lead by example. No great speeches, no unity, no examples of appealing to our better nature. No, instead, he chooses to attack the most vulnerable, the most powerless, those without a voice, without a home, without a country. I give you the new American boogeyman: the refugee.
Careful which side you pick in all this, you’ll be judged for it.
I’m asking for a design profession less focused on commerce. Less about higher billable hours and maximized profits. Creativity spent in the mission of moving goods and services is limited. It’s constrained by monetary structures that may or not have the best interest of creative work in mind. Where’s the heart? Where’s the community? Where’s the human?
Can we create a design community built on a human foundation rather than a capital one?
