Laura Jedeed ’19 on How To Take Action in Horrifying Times
On March 17, to a wide-ranging selection of the Reed community, Laura Jedeed ’19 gave a talk entitled “What Is To Be Done? How To Take Action in Horrifying Times.” It was a part of the Politics and Policy Lecture Series (and the only one slated for this semester). Jedeed has had experience working in journalism and activism in Portland, Minneapolis, and New York, and wrote her undergraduate thesis at Reed on the inner workings of a white supremacist group. The talk was given (and recorded) in Vollum Lecture Hall. It was requested that all devices be put away and turned off, so I will not use explicit quotations in this article. Instead, I highly recommend listening to the transcript (a perfect laundry folding soundtrack!), as Jedeed is an impressively eloquent speaker and a much-needed voice to hear for those who despair at the state of the world.
The premise of the talk was simple: fascism is here. Let’s not beat around the bush, and get straight to the response. What do we do about it?
Jedeed cleared the water by dispelling what she calls the “American Superhero Mythology.” While recognizing that superheroes are paragons of courage, bravery, and the fight for good, she believes there are a number of tropes which invade the cultural consciousness and prevent people from action.
These falsehoods are:
You have to be special to save the world.
If you are not special, you are a victim who needs to be saved.
The world can be saved by exclusively an individual (or small group of people).
Evil will be fought and triumphed over violently.
This conflict will have a clean resolution.
Jedeed believes that these misconceptions often cause people to feel useless in the face of the problems the world faces, or wallow in the inaction of others, or believe that anything which does not offer immediate solutions is inherently inadequate. So, instead of trying to use the Superhero Model for the defeat of fascism, Jedeed turns to the metaphor of building a house.
We begin by building the foundation. This foundation will not immediately protect against the wind and the rain, but you can’t build a sturdy house without it. Then, you can build the framework, the structure to support the protective parts of the house. Finally, you add the walls and roof, which actually create a solid home.
This metaphor connects to four key points Jedeed identifies in how to defeat fascism. First, simply Be Ok. You cannot help your neighbor if you cannot help yourself; you will not help anybody by rotting away in a puddle of misery or anger. Feeling terrible about the state of the world all the time will lead to apathy and burnout; you need to give yourself (and others) the space to Be Ok in the face of it all.
In order to help this be achieved, complete Step 2: get connected. Start intentionally connecting with people through shared interests, hobbies, locations, anything. Game nights, craft nights, book groups, potlucks, sports, music, clubs, whatever gets you to come into regular, friendly contact with the people around you. To be clear, we’re not onto activism yet. This is purely the construction of the community foundation that the house will later rest upon. Jedeed was insistent that fascism is born and bred in miasmas of isolation and disillusionment. In her eyes, community both prevents its creation and is the best foundation on which to build on and counter its spread.
These networks are where Step 3 begins to take place: getting involved in activism. This could mean going to protests, joining explicitly activist groups, or it could be as simple as more intentionally honing the skills learned in Step 2 towards good causes. Jedeed made particular note of how we often don’t realize the skills we have, and how they are vital to the success of grassroots movements. Are you a good cook? Host a weekly soup night! Graphic designer? Make some posters! Like to talk to people? Go canvas! Like to stay in your room? Become a dispatcher for an ICE Watch. Are you silly? Go do silly things that make the world a more beautiful place!
Step 4 (if my recollection is correct) is to bring people out of whatever dark spaces are leading them to a reality blurred by ideology. This is not always applicable, but it is an important part of the process if possible. One-on-one conversation is best for this, with people who you’ve made connections with in Step 1. Even if it doesn’t seem like it’s doing anything immediately, Jedeed noted from personal experience that small, positive conversations really do add up over time.
In the final part of the talk, Jedeed offered two hopeful notes. First, the world is a forest fire right now. Our institutions are burning, and it seems like nothing will be spared. However, some pinecones can only grow after the blank slate left by destruction. Perhaps the reason why the US seems to have fallen into fire so quickly is that many of the institutions meant to protect us were dry rot and fallen foliage already. Jedeed admitted that the far right will try very hard to define the world that the post-forest fire desert will grow into, and there is no guarantee of success for whatever vision of the world you or we hold. However, the possibility is there for a truly newer world, perhaps now more than ever.
Secondly, Jedeed noted that this brand of evil thrives on being powerful—like a cascading inevitability. Good, on the other hand, is mundane, quiet, and almost by definition, does not brag of its own existence. Jedeed asks us to remember this when we engage with the good and the bad in our lives.
After the talk was given, there was also a lively Q&A with more eloquent thoughts on humor, the role of students, generational gaps in protests, and titillating local politics. Look for the recorded version on Reed’s website for these worthwhile additions to the conversation (hopefully it will have been posted by date of publication).