The election of Trump/Musk Vance was two months ago. I was so dismayed and disgusted that I turned off all news and social media and stopped reading anything related to politics. I remembered the utter toxicity of Trump’s first term, and I was determined to simply live my life and get through the next four years, ignoring the inevitable chaos and craziness of another Trump presidency.
Tuning out only lasted a week. I subscribe to the belief that each and every one of us has to be alert, pay attention, and DO something, anything, to defend and protect our democracy. That sounds so dramatic, doesn’t it? It still feels quite inconceivable that so much is at risk and at stake in the next four years. But it is true.
There is no longer even the slightest hope that Trump won’t be as awful as our worst fears. Whatever guardrails existed before are gone. He has the Supreme Court in his pocket, and they have given him immunity, which allows him to do whatever he wants. His nominees for cabinet posts would be considered ludicrous if they were not so frightening. His tweets (or whatever they are called now) are filled with revenge, insults, and insane ideas like making Canada a state and taking Greenland from Denmark. Billionaires, media corporations, and a plethora of Republican politicians are kissing the ring and “obeying in advance” as they make their pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago. The only good news lately is that the weird relationship Trump has entered into with Elon Musk is wreaking havoc in MAGA-land, and upsetting Steve Bannon.
If it is this bad when he has not yet been inaugurated, how much worse will it be a few months from now? This time next year? Four years from now? As I tuned back in, I stopped watching CNN and MSNBC and reading the Washington Post and the New York Times. Instead, I found a whole new media world on Substack and Bluesky where there are independent, thoughtful, and important conversations going on all day, every day. Heather Cox Richardson, Timothy Snyder, Jay Kuo, Robert Reich, Marc Elias, Dan Rather, Steven Beschloss, Seth Abramson, Joyce Vance, and The Bulwark are just a few of my sources for news on Substack and Bluesky.
And now I am jumping into the fray and joining the conversation with The Backbone Report. This newsletter is about courage vs. cowardice, resistance vs. capitulation, defiance vs. obedience, and having a backbone vs. being spineless. The goal of this newsletter is to celebrate and thank the courageous and to expose the cowards—not to shame or harass them—but to enCourage them to do better and be better. The next few years truly will be about those who are courageous and those who are not.
Many years ago, I had the privilege of spending two years of my life immersed in the study of forgiveness, the topic of my dissertation. I am framing the next four years as not the nightmare I dreaded but as an opportunity to study courage. Courage is similar to forgiveness in that it is so difficult to define, but we know it when we see it (and when we don’t). And courage, like forgiveness, raises so many questions. Why are some people courageous but others are not? Can courage be learned, and if so, how do we teach it? How do we encourage people to be courageous instead of submissive in the face of tyranny? I will consider these questions and more in The Backbone Report.
In C.S. Lewis's novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series, the character Lucy hears a voice whisper, "Courage, dear heart." This occurred while she was on a perilous journey through the Dark Island, the land of nightmares. We all need this encouragement and reassurance as we enter into this new year and the onslaught of Trump 2.0.
Courage, dear hearts.
Wonderful launch, Heather! I follow most of the people you mentioned. I would add that I'm also adding apps for BBC and CBC for outside more balanced news.
I also read the Bulwark, Joyce Vance, and Heather cox Richardson. I just added the Backbone (love the title..antidote to the spineless). I loved the reads and really think the suggestions for action that anyone can take at the summary are helpful. We will all need a backbone. I am familiar with your excellent and poignant work with Forgiveness and look forward to what you do with Courage, both as topic, and with the spine to speak up.