Is There Any Good News?
Maybe not. But I have a piece published in Good Tape.
Earlier this year I wrote an article for Good Tape, a new-ish print publication about podcasts. I was completely, utterly thrilled to be included in their Fall 2024 Issue 2 because it’s a super cool publication—I’ve been a reader since Issue 1—and I love to see proof that print isn’t dead.
The issue’s theme is “Celebrity” and my article is about teaching a Community Education class and helping some of my students realize that they’ll probably not reach Rogan-level listenership.
There’s no other good news, is there? I’ve been mostly avoiding analysis about the election. And staying on top of the news by scanning newspaper headlines, then shoving the whole front page section into my recycling bin because I can’t bear to read about who will be in charge of the free world starting next year.
Despite my news analysis and social media fast, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to spend my time and energy when the new presidential term begins. I don’t have as much volunteer time as I used to, and I burned out on a lot of it, but I feel like I need to do something. I just don’t know what that something is, not yet. A reprise of the yard signs, marches, and Get Out the Vote efforts I participated in from 2017-2020 doesn’t appeal.
I read a New York Magazine article about political exhaustion and found a little bit of encouragement at the end of it, in terms of how to focus my resistance energy this time around. Sam Adler-Bell wrote:
What makes us hopeful instead of cynical? What makes us curious about the world and other people, instead of bored or contemptuous?
I also listened to an episode of my very favorite podcast, The Daily Zeitgeist, that featured the activist / writer / podcaster Margaret Killjoy, who shared some ideas and guidance about how to protest the MAGA policies that Trump has promised to deliver. I haven’t figured out a plan for myself yet, but the episode did make me feel less despondent than I felt before I started. And that’s something.
Readers: tell me, where are you going to focus your energy and efforts? What’s your plan for 2025?
My plan is to soak up every ounce of joy, even if it seems insignificant. To pay attention, to contact my reps, and to keep an eye out for my neighbors. We can break big things into smaller pieces.