You don’t have to ruin Thanksgiving just by talking politics, do it by gently educating Uncle Fred through evidence-based conversation. In every election cycle, some will be thrilled, some will think their party could have done better, and many others will just be heartbroken. Depends what was at stake on the way to the polls. The hard part is when passionate advocates need to pick up the pieces in the face of defeat.
Florida for example in these midterms, was disappointing for many who had the environment in the forefront of their agenda. While there were some wins with offshore drilling, the threat of Florida’s toxic red tide, climate change, and sea level rise still looms overhead (among other issues). Cleaning up the environment should have been an easy vote in many a Floridian’s eye since it is so closely tied to the state’s economic dependency on tourism, commercial fishing, and real estate.
So what should you do if elections didn’t go as you wanted? How do you keep momentum going?
1. Now is not the time to take a break.
Yes take a day, or week, or however long you need for a mental detox but now is not the time to stop. Focus on the wins and use the loses as fuel to organize for the future. Do not give up.
2. Make your issues known.
Write, photograph, film, and publish. Many people don’t consider environmental issues when they vote simply because they do not know enough about them. Use this is an opportunity. After the Deep Water Horizon catastrophe the fishing industry initially took a big hit but people across the country still bought Gulf seafood. They didn’t know where it came from, the condition of the marine ecosystem, the associated human health risks. Many Americans vote the same way they eat: uninformed.
Bring your issues to life and put it all over social media. Submit them to a local paper. Take some compelling photos and I’ll publish them here on SEVENSEAS Media.
3. Recruit others.
Create and hang a poster at your workplace. Start an environmental club at a local school or university (high school and college students can become SEVENSEAS Ocean Ambassadors). Take a young one on a road trip to see first-hand what the effects of habitat destruction are. Teach them what needs to be done.
4. Support grass-roots solutions
If no one is taking care of the big picture then do your part pick up the small pieces. Clean-up trash on weekends. Call representatives on your lunch break. Donate and volunteer at organizations already working towards your goals.
5. Gear-up for the next election.
Grab a clipboard and run for office or support someone who already is. If you don’t, who else will? Get everyone you know registered to vote for the next election. It might be time to start knocking on doors. It might seem like thankless work for now, but it can literally change the world.
6. Ruin Thanksgiving.
You don’t have to say candidate Y should have won or person Z is Lord Voldemort. Use simple facts governing issues that concern everyone and let Uncle Fred offer the solution. For example, back to Great State of Florida, any resident knows about the toxic red tide poisoning rivers and beaches. I think we can all agree:
(Intensive agriculture) + (Lack of regulations) = (Pesticide runoff) + (Nutrient runoff) = (Toxic red tide) = (Florida waterways full of dead animals) = (Threat to public health) + (Threat to tourism) + (Threat to commercial fishing) + (Threat to real estate) + (Humans should be better than this) Protip: Bookmark photos and articles from sources Uncle Fred does not consider fake news.
So don’t say “Voldemort sucks.” Just educate someone else one issue at a time and eventually, when those issues start to add up, there might be a change of heart.
I know pressing issues are more complex than my example and educating others in this political climate is easier said than done… but Thanksgiving is ruined anyway, isn’t it? Let’s give it a try.
Here at SEVENSEAS Media, I’ll be banging my head against the wall right along with you. Happy holidays and happy swimming (unless you’re near contaminated waters of the Sunshine State)!
Giacomo Abrusci,
Executive Director, SEVENSEAS Media
