One Word To Meet the Moment
A Mantra, if You Will
Hello, Friend.
Today I have one word for us. A mantra, if you will. A simple, single syllable, utterly ordinary word that meets this moment with the level of defiance it requires. We must become and remain ungovernable. We cannot start rationalizing the autocratic creep as long as it isn’t personal. It is all personal. Any acceptance is acquiescence and any acquiescence leads us to the slippery slope that sends us sliding off of the cliff into the dark abyss.
But wait, Madge, you’ve already used A LOT of words here, maybe not your regular allotment, but A LOT of words that are most definitely more than one word.
You are correct in that assessment. I am using a lot of words in the tantalizing lead up to the one word that I think we need most at this moment. This summer, that word was joy. Unbridled joy, that we must try to recall to sustain us in these less than joyful moments. The joy that pissed these mothershutyourmouthers off so much they have spent the past four weeks attempting to suck every last drop of joy from the entire world. However, they cannot have my joy. They may get my anger and my sadness, on occasion, but they will never, never, never, never, never, never take my joy.
“Despair is the tool of the autocrat.”
Nicole Wallace
Joy will always be in reserve, sometimes less apparent than others, but lingering in pockets and pouches and nooks and crannies to sustain us. Joy is like that, you know. Speaking of joy, sending lots of love to Joy Ann Reid, who was done dirty this week, and who I am certain will rise to this occasion. Welcome to the unfettered world of independent media! I can’t wait to see what you do next!
But I digress, as usual.
I have a word for us. One word. One syllable. Two letters. A word one might serve up in a spoon or fling with a fork or perch on the tip of a middle finger defiantly reaching towards the sky. A word that refuses to bend or break or retreat.
That’s it, that’s the word.
No.
Just say no, to all of it.
No to fascism. No to Mad Kings. No to Project 2025. No to authoritarianism. No to fear. No to lies. No to hypocrisy. No to the coup. No to supporting Russia over Ukraine. No to letting these half-assed, half-baked, half-witted wannabe autocrats steal the future.
No.
No.
No.
Oh. Hell. No.
I’ve decided that my retort to their disgusting Nazi salutes is a big old middle finger, or maybe two, waving around in a wild dance insisting that it’s just a finger and what’s the big deal and why are they so offended by a finger and in tandem to this middle finger flippery is a resounding, resolute chorus of NO.
As long as these Self-Serving Oligarchs, Dark Enlightenment Obsessed Technocrats, Christo-Fascist Faux Jesus Freaks, and garden variety Russian funded grifters continue squatting in D.C., my response to everything they do and say will be no.
Simple. Effective. Surprisingly satisfying.
Give it spin and see how it feels.
If you dig this scene, consider subscribing so you don’t miss a post!
Can’t swing a paid sub, no worries! How about buying the hostess a cup of coffee?
NO, NO, NO and a double finger too!! They need to go, the cheeto and the worm just need to go!!
Perfect! I laughed, I cried, I screamed NO! You are such a talented writer Margot.