Member-only story
Democracy is like having an old car you have to keep running…
March 2021 30 minute podcast HERE.
Excerpted and revised from the transcript:
Vicki: What can go right when we do protect our democracy, when we participate to ensure government works for us?
Starhawk: There have been many times in my life where I’ve called myself an anarchist, not because I don’t want structure or governance, but out of a vision of smaller self-organizing communities based on mutual aid and personal responsibility.
I believe we very much need structure and effective government actually working to help the 99% of people. I’m hopeful we can have more of this in 2021. I see so many things going right. I have never seen people so politically engaged as they’ve been this past year; more involved in political process, in working for candidates, in helping to fund candidates, in making calls and sending texts. One of my neighbors had a group called The Merry Texters. Collectively, they sent out a million texts in the lead up to the November elections.
We’re remembering how democracy is like having an old, creaky car. It’s got a working engine — if you maintain it, you know? You can’t just let it run without paying attention to it. You have to check the oil, you have to grease the wheels, you have to get the right kind of gas…
