Everything Is Politics Now

Robin Hood, Abundance, and How to Get Stuff Done

Since the beginning of my public writing— not only Good Character but its previous iterations, such as The Joyful Creative and Words from the Sowul— I’ve wanted to avoid writing about politics. Even after the 2024 election, I expressed my disappointment in the country’s division without judgement toward people who voted differently from myself. But, as evidenced by my last two posts, I can’t stay away from it any longer: Everything is politics right now.

Here are just a few of the past five years’ political policies, set in place by both parties, that have directly affected— both positively and negatively— my family of four:

1. The tariffs and resulting stock market plunges, which hit my family’s retirement and college savings accounts

2. The Child Tax credit, which allowed me to keep paying our daycare provider throughout lockdown

3. The Student Loan Forgiveness plan for public school employees, without which we’d still be paying off student loans

4. The price of eggs and other groceries, which changed my daily breakfast from eggs to oatmeal

5. The elevation of RFK and the anti-vax movement, which exposes my children to more disease

6. The inability to pass common-sense gun control laws, resulting in regularly scheduled lockdown drills (and exposure to terrifying thoughts) for every one of my family members from the second grader up to the high school teacher

7. The inability to legislate effectively over TikTok and other social media platforms, to which millions of my children’s generation are addicted, creating an atmosphere that suppresses free play and creative exploration

And that list excludes things that don’t affect us directly but weigh heavily on our consciences and mental health, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and our inability to combat climate change.

All of this is to say: political actions have directly changed our lives for better and worse. We are in the system, and we are being acted upon by the system.

Photo by Gioele Fazzeri on Unsplash

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the Disney version of Robin Hood. (Legitimately, that little red fox was my first crush, and I know for a fact I’m not the only one.)

Robin Hood took wealth and power from the top 0.00001% (Prince John) and redistributed it to the 99.9999% (the Nottingham townspeople). This made perfect sense to every member of my generation. (I’d love to see a study linking childhood fans of this movie who grew into adults that voted for Bernie.)

Back then, we loved that story because we knew, inherently, that it was right. One person shouldn’t have all the power. One person shouldn’t be able to control everyone else. It’s only fair— and morally right— for that power to be distributed to everyone.

So what the hell happened to America? How did we end up with a Prince John instead of a Robin Hood?

As Jason Kander says, I believe that most of us want the same things: for our families to be safe, happy, healthy, and together. The differences between us come down to how we prioritize those things and what we believe will fix our problems.

Look, I’m a Democrat and have been one since I first gave politics my attention back in college. But I have no problems pointing out the flaws in the Democratic approach.

I hate lack of empathy in Republican policies, but I also hate the shaming and the policing of the Democratic party, because it means we stopped listening to people’s concerns the second they brought up a taboo topic.

I hate Republican policies that defund science and give money back to wealthy people, but Democratic policies take too long and have too many strings attached even if their hearts are in the right place.

I’m inherently hopeful that people from both sides can work together, and pragmatic about the fact that sometimes we have to break rules to get stuff done. I only see those qualities in a few politicians today, such as Josh Shapiro.

I don’t think third parties work, but I do think that most of us are in a third space. And for me, that space is community-minded, locally-focused, creative, and powered by a vision of future abundance for all.

In the end, I’m just an ordinary citizen. I’m a mom, a teacher, a writer. I’m not planning to run for office, ever. But I believe we all have a role in the conversation and an obligation to speak up. So that’s where my next few posts will be focused: not on politics, per se, but not not about politics. I’m thinking about not just Good Character, but Good Citizenship, and what that means for me and ordinary, working people like me.

What do you think it means to be a good citizen, and what does that have in common with good character?

Some Good Actions, If You’re Able

If you feel comfortable calling your representatives and telling them what you think, please please do. If you feel comfortable reaching out to fellow voters in tight, local elections, I’ve been writing postcards for Postcards for Voters and it’s really satisfying (and great to fit in a busy schedule). They give you a script with options and as many or few addresses as you can handle— all you need to provide are postcards (I recommend these from Amazon) and postcard stamps.

If you want to plan your attendance at a No Kings rally on June 14th (Flag Day/Trump’s birthday), that will send an amazing message.

I’d love to start a summer book club where we discuss big-idea books, such as Ezra Klein’s ABUNDANCE or Nancy Reddy’s THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH. Would anyone be interested in a chat-based conversation, one chapter at a time, throughout the summer?

If so, what book would you recommend?

Message me or leave a comment with “Book club interest” in the text!

Stuff You Might Like To Know

In a Flash is open for the theme of RESISTANCE until June 15! Tell us about a time you resisted authority, or your own power was questioned. Tell us about how you react when an outer force triggers your inner resistance. Tell us about loud vs. quiet resistance, or personal vs. political resistance. Give us a story, big or small!

Submit your true stories, under 500 words, according to the Submission Guidelines. I can’t wait to read your work!

Upcoming calls:

July 1-15: HOPE

August 1-15: COMMUNITY

I’m in a glorious reading period right now, reveling in well-written women’s and romantic fiction to help combat the difficult news. I’m simultaneously reading Emily Henry’s GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE; Carley Fortune’s ONE GOLDEN SUMMER; and listening to Lily Chu’s THE COMEBACK. Such a pleasure!

Hey, everyone: if you made it to the end, thank you. You’re one of the good ones, and I’d love to hear what you think. Keep hoping. Keep caring. Keep trying.