A Note On Solidarity
It's the only way we win
Solidarity wins. That is the sign-off, the slogan, the one-liner that bookends my articles.
It's a reminder of the strength of unity and cooperation that is our one true superpower as a species, and it is the vehicle that has carried us throughout history to where we stand today.
As we face the next few years, solidarity is more important than ever.
There has never been a time in history where a single individual has changed the world on their own. One might be an inspiration, a spark that lights the wildfire of progress, but without the support and backing of a wider movement, there is nothing one person can do.
This is why the concept of collective action is so vital. It’s the reason workers’ unions matter. It’s the reason we protest in groups, why we network, and why we share information with each other.
It’s the reason humans have always banded together in communities throughout history. We form groups and organizations based on shared values and beliefs because there is no strength to be found in solitude.
Think about the LGBTQ+ community: this term represents a wide umbrella. It covers all genders, sexualities and romantic alignments.
Why? Because there are not enough people who identify with each group to push back. Consolidating our disparate voices into one, fighting for all of our rights at once, is how we forced the world to listen.
When Pride was first held after the Stonewall riots, it was agreed that everyone discriminated against for gender or sexuality would stand together, shoulder to shoulder, because it made us stronger.
It’s like the NATO alliance. You come after one of us, you’re picking a fight with all of us.
The moment we broke apart and started fighting with each other about who ‘counts’ as being part of the community, we lost our stamina. United we stood, divided we fell.
The momentum faltered, the charge slowed, and we broke upon the shields of the establishment like rain instead of the tidal wave we should have been.
Now, they’re picking us off one by one. Transgender people are the first targets. You have to be delusional to think they’re going to be the last. And even if they were, I’m not cool with standing to one side and letting it happen.
Are you?
Division breaks the shield wall apart, and that makes us more vulnerable. Robert Baratheon had it right; one army united under one purpose is always going to be more effective than multiple groups that argue amongst themselves.
I won’t be apologizing for hitting you with a Game of Thrones reference. I’m a nerd, sue me.
If we’re going to resist the steady march of fascism and hold our own against the atrocities that lay ahead, we need to stop fighting amongst ourselves and remember what’s truly important.
This is not to say that the responsibility falls on marginalized people to accept mistreatment for the sake of the cause. Fuck that.
It isn’t on people of colour to turn the other cheek in the face of racism, women don’t need to shut up and know our place, transgender people don’t need to smile through the pain when they’re targeted and singled out.
The responsibility falls on the shoulders of those who choose to target our differences rather than focusing on the things that unite us. Because no matter what our gender or sex is, no matter what we look like or where we were born, we all have one very important thing in common.
We’re human beings who desire liberty, justice, and a fair fucking shake.
We’re the Average Joes. We’re the ones that the powers-that-be are looking down on with disgust and contempt, like mud under their boots.
We are the working class, and we have the right to a good life. We have the right to dignity, respect, and justice. We won’t get that if we can’t put together a united front.
As we look forward to the next few years, remember that, and look for ways to look after the people around you.
Look for ways to build friendships, network, and collaborate. Look for ways to build strength in numbers and create systems of mutual aid. Look for ways to spread the word, resist and present a united front.
Look for ways to remind the world of our most important superpower as a species.
Authoritarian governments always try to drive wedges, isolate people and make them distrust their neighbours. They do that because they know damn well that there are a lot more of us than there are of them.
We outnumber the bastards in charge, and they damn well know it. They’re terrified of what we could accomplish if we all stood up at once.
We can make those fears a reality.
Solidarity wins.
Amen, sister! There are more of us than there are of them. That's our power.
Despite the one MP who seems to want to do nothing but kiss Donald's arse, the rest of the Canadians need to tell their respective MP's to stand up to Trump and the U.S. for their own good. It will hurt in the short term but, divesting trade away from the U.S. and into other markets will only help in the long run. My advice to all of the other countries around the world that Trump sees as adversarial, give Trump the finger and find more lucrative and safer trade partners. There are quite a few that will extend the hand, so to speak, if asked. More and more countries are stepping back from doing business with the U.S. out of fear. This will only become worse as Trump becomes more belligerent.