If you take a look at the Major Fixations main page, you’ll notice that there are two new sections.
One Piece at a Time
In the significantly simpler time long before last week, I started a separate Substack. Truthfully, I didn’t know how to create sections, and I was too excited to start writing. I am still very new to the sphere of “content creation,” but it was fun getting to write about my favorite show.
It wasn’t going viral by any means, but I was getting consistent readers, and I learned a lot. Forcing myself to write a new episode everyday, I began to better develop my voice. So, why change anything? It wasn’t just the new discovery of this overlooked “sections” technology .
When I first started writing about One Piece, I wasn’t only motivated by my love for the show. I mean, I did want to convince more people to give the pirate epic a chance, but the real reason was the message behind One Piece. At it’s core, it is a show about exploration, standing up against tyranny, and relying on kindness and empathy. Learning that some people don’t even consider it to be a political show was shocking to me, and motivated me to clearly lay out why One Piece can be read as a call to action.
Then last week happened.
The Liberation Book Club
In 2016, I was caught off guard. I really hadn’t taken the time to consider what it would mean if Trump were to become president. This time, I had no doubts. Sure enough, sticking to conservative policies did not galvanize support, and we are now looking at another four years of Trump. I stayed awake until the early hours of the morning on election night because even though things were unfolding as I had expected, it felt like I couldn’t go to sleep unless I knew, one way or another, what we would be in for come January. I slept for about an hour, and then I woke up angry.
I grew angrier seeing political pundits claiming that Harris lost because of a specific group that didn’t vote for her, or because of her gender, her race, or most infuriating, that her policies were too progressive. Let’s be clear, no voting group deserves the blame for an election’s outcome. The blame lies with the candidates and the party. It would be nice if the Democratic party actually attempted to run a campaign that would speak to the masses, instead of relying on Americans to choose them over fascism.
I won’t pretend that Harris’s identity as a woman of color had no bearing on her loss, but to blame it all on America being racist and/or sexist, is overly simplified and harmful. It’s true that a woman of color cannot win running the same campaign as Joe Biden. Not sure why anyone thought that Harris should rely on suburban voters, but clearly it did not work. To put it all on Harris’s identity alone misses the point that her message did not work across the board, and it creates unnecessary barriers for women and people of color moving forward.
Still, it feels like all of the coverage I’m seeing falls into two categories. Either a complete distraction from everything happening, or bold predictions for the hell we are in for. I’ve rewritten this paragraph so many times, because I feel myself being pulled into one camp or the other. When I try to sound hopeful, I think it sounds sedative. When I try to sound the alarm for action, it feels like I am only mongering fear.
So, how do we keep fighting without losing hope? It feels like we are trying to put out a fire with an eyedropper. The odds seem insurmountable, so why bother trying? Yet, to give up, is to become a passive participant in the destruction.
I wish that I could give a comprehensive plan here. I wish that I had a checklist of things we all can do to prevent needless suffering under a fascist government, but I don’t. However, I have two core beliefs that I will hold fast to no matter what.
Every person deserves the right to exist, and anyone saying otherwise is the real threat.
The only way to move forward is for enough people to do what they can.
That last point is why I am starting this page. While this is by no means all I am going to do moving forward, I want to use the talents I have to work on the positive side of progress. I want to engage with books, movies, music, and other media to try and answer this question. I want to explore moments in history that can perhaps educate myself on how to better move forward. I am creating this Substack to provide an outlet that reminds all of us to keep our chins up, and our eyes clear.
Love this. What’s the first read??
YES