Assume Capability
alternatively, "existential moments fuelled by caffeine and a conversation about 'the way the world is'”
My brain has a hard time processing pessimism. Or status quo-ism. Or “this is the world we live in and how it’s always been and nothing we do can change it” -ism.
The reason my brain (and I) have issues with this is because I don’t think about the time we live in as the only thing that matters. I am not like many a politician in a four year election cycle only focused on what I can either wreck or build in those years. I have children who are going to live longer than me and potentially have children of their own. I think about the world that they are going to be living in. I think about this ALL THE TIME. And it hurts my brain when I realize that this is not how everyone thinks.
I refuse to have such a narrow view of the world and the human race. I will NOT absolve the current generations from at least trying to evolve as a species and society. But I also understand the pessimism and existential dread that so many feel when they look around and see —GESTURES WILDLY AROUND AT ALL OF IT— and the state we (the royal ‘we’ of humankind) find ourselves in right now.
Sometimes I think many of us forget that most historical social movements happened over decades (and sometimes even longer) and none of them happened without significant efforts and sacrifices by the folks involved. What we have now, our freedoms and enshrined human rights, came at a cost and because of someone in the past. And the people who want to keep things as they are or “Make Things _blah_ Again”, or “Take Back _insert wherever here_” go to great lengths to make us believe that there is absolutely NOTHING we can do to make progressive and evolved changes to our society.
THEY ARE WRONG!
(Get ready for some nerdy sociology stuff below, because I went all in and read a bunch of research papers to help me and my brain.)
In any social movement, the assumption is that members of the public have to become an active and involved force for social change and we can’t rely on government, industry, or science to protect public health or nurture the environment. (1) Social movements traditionally presume that they can create awareness of certain issues that will benefit the general population as a whole; that is, even though only a portion of the population may be members of the movement, their goal is still the betterment of the public good, extending beyond members. (2) This sounds a lot like community care to me, and what should be our ultimate goal for all of society.
Keep in mind that social movements can be progressive, seeking to implement perceived positive change (the BDS movement for Palestine, climate actions to protect the environment), or reactionary, seeking to prevent change or prevent another movement (MAGA-January 6th Insurrection at Capitol Hill or the Covid Convoy Cabal at Parliament Hill and groups like TBA in Alberta).
I don’t want to bore you with all the details of all the social movements of the past, but I will let you know, of the four major ones in the last couple of centuries (Anti-Slavery, Temperance (prohibition), Civil Rights, and Family Planning), all four used some level of boycotts and consumer resistance, non-violent protest, and mass media dissemination to get their messages across and effect changes to society.
What is the point of all this social movement talk you ask? Well, what I am trying to say in way too many words, is that every single thing you do, big or small, to move society forward adds up and is cumulative with all the things the people around you are doing. The metaphorical pebble you drop in the ocean, whether that is the #ceasefirenow post you share on SM, the Progressive Pride flag you fly in your front yard, the donation you make to a grassroots organization, or refusing to get your daily venti-half-fat-double-pump-caramel-machiato, ripples outward until there is a tidal wave of movement and eventual change. We just need to be prepared to sustain this pebble-dropping exercise, because this is a V E R Y L O N G game we are playing.
Okay, that’s probably enough soap-boxing for now. Just don’t give up. Please. Our generations (Boomer, X, Millennial) will not be the ones to see the progress I beleive will happen, but Z, Alpha and the rest of the alphabet to come deserve to know that we tried. We have to leave a better legacy than one of a scorched earth and the loss of our very humanity.
On to some other lighter things that have brought me joy and less existentialism this past week or so…
I wrote a piece for Xtra Magazine about the work my friends at Action Potential Fitness are doing to make fitness more inclusive for trans and queer folks. It’s an important read and will hopefully make you think more about how so much of the world still rotates around binary thinking.
*As a related aside and a reminder to us all: do more than just TRY to get your friend’s pronouns right. Slow down your brain, ask for clarification if you don’t know, use more gender neutral terms for groups of people. STOP BEING THE GRADE SCHOOL PRONOUN GRAMMAR POLICE—language evolves, and so can humans! If someone was mispronouncing your name EVERY time they talked to you, you would get pissed too right? This is a simple fix that can make a big difference for the Trans and gender-diverse people in your life.
I know we all watched Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just KEN” performance at the Oscars, but you simply MUST read this frame-by-frame “Craft Essay” from
. It will make you want to go watch it a dozen more times.If you love music and are a product of the nineties, then this week is a sad one as Rob Harvilla bids us a fond farewell in his “Closing Time” episode of 60 Songs that Explain the 90s. As usual, I laughed, I cried, I immediately wanted to go listen to every song he talked about and I am not even finished the episode yet—I don’t want to say goodbye (even though he says it’s just a ‘goodbye for now’).
Maybe it’s one of those things were you don’t really appreciate something until it’s about to be taken away from you, but in listening to this last episode it really dawned on me just how much of a skilled storyteller and master metaphorist (Is that a thing? Did I make up a word? ) Rob truly is. I will miss the musical journeys he has taken me on and look forward to whatever he does next.
To all my people who are 45-50+ and looking for some makeup products that are made for people who have seen some shit AND don’t make us look like cakey monsters, check out Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road Miracle Balm and the WTF (what the foundation). I have the miracle balm in two shades and all I use these days is the WTF, some balm on my cheeks, my fave mascara (TOKBeauty), and a lip gloss. And no, this isn’t a sponsored ad for any of these brands or products, just my personal recommendations. One caveat - the JR Miracle Balm doesn’t really absorb into your skin and leaves a dewy, somewhat oily feeling on your cheeks - so if you are on the oily side of things, this one may not be for you, and I would recommend the Trinny London Lip2Cheek instead.
One last thing. In the past couple of weeks, two of my favourite sustainable fashion brands have closed up shop. And while, Yay!, I was able to get some of the last of their stock on sale, I really wish it hadn’t come to this for these companies (and yes, both were women-led). I know it’s hard out there and everyone is feeling the squeeze, but if you can, please support the brands and small businesses you love. Do that with your purchases, with sharing your favourites and recommending them to friends and family, with liking and sharing their posts on SM or the discount codes you get to share with your friends. Leave them reviews on Google and their websites.
Part of this being a better human thing and leaving the world a better place is going to be in large part be due to us being more conscious consumers. This too is a long game and it’s a good idea to think about the longevity of your fashion choices as well. I mean, there is a reason we all love the vintage things we find that are still amazing 20-30 years later! Let’s invest in new sustainable pieces for ourselves, so that these Gen Alpha kids can bring it all back in style in 25 years!Oh, and this.
Love you all,
N~
Thanks for the hope!!