It’s easy to stop paying attention to what’s happening in Washington DC. It’s wearisome (and sometimes depressing) to continuously read about all the chaos this administration is causing, all the people they’re hurting. Trump has “flooded the zone” – a football term meaning he’s initiated multiple actions at one time in order to confuse and overwhelm the opposition (us). It takes a toll.
Another day and it’s another almost unbelievable story of illegal, unconstitutional impropriety; we say “almost” because after 100 days of this administration we’re not surprised by anything this President and his lackeys say or do.
Outrage Fatigue
The term “outrage fatigue” refers a specific form of learned helplessness, according to Psychology Today. “When people are subjected to terrible things over which they have no control, they give up trying ….”. However, the cure for outrage fatigue is doing SOMETHING. As it turns out, even a small action taken against the source of that outrage can make a difference in one’s wellbeing.
Again, that’s why we’re here, to DO something. Besides helping democracy, it will help your emotional outlook. But there two other things to understand.
Maintain Some Perspective
Understand this is a long fight against the threat that Trump represents for our democracy, and that we do have time to wage a successful resistance. Robert Reich, a professor at UC Berkeley, as well as cabinet secretary for Clinton who served in four administrations, has witnessed autocracies take root in Hungary and Turkey and reported on them as a journalist. Based on this experience, he has written about how to survive the Trump administration and prevail. In his words “Don’t Panic – Autocracy Take Time”.
“President Trump’s return to power is unnerving but America will not turn into a dictatorship overnight – or in four years. It’s important to remember that [the US’s] decentralized system of governance — the network of state and local governments — offers enormous resilience. Federal judges serve lifetime appointments, states and governors have specific powers separate from those granted federally, there are local legislatures, and the media has the First Amendment as a shield, reinforced by over a century of legal precedents.”
This advice was echoed by other authors as well according to several sources that offered lists of things each person could do to protect democracy. Below are some common points from those lists.
- Maintain hope
- Stay Engaged
- Regularly contact elected officials
- Identify and use quality information sources
- Spread the truth
- Support quality media
- Support organizations that are protecting our rights, our planet and our lives
The final item that can provide some relief from the deluge of bad news is – wait for it…. good news. The following websites provide places to find it.
Seek Out Some Good News
Another source of relief can be some good news. We all know that bad news sells newspapers (or generates internet clicks) and there’s no shortage of bad news – especially with the knuckleheads that work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But there are still some excellent websites that serve up good news, everyday. Below is a list a bunch that the folks at B4D have been tapping every day since November 5, 2024.
Good News Network: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org
Positive News: https://www.positive.news
Reasons to be Cheerful: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/
Optimist Daily: https://www.optimistdaily.com
Upworthy: https://www.upworthy.com
Daily Good: https://www.dailygood.org
Only Good News Daily: https://www.onlygoodnewsdaily.com
Sunny Skyz: https://www.sunnyskyz.com
Goodnet: https://www.goodnet.org