Can’t Stop the Signal, Mal…
Why I'm Not Giving In To Despair
Okay, let's get this out of the way up front: when I say "giving in to despair" it may seem like I'm overreacting, but I'm not. Granted, a lot of things are subjective, and when I, a liberal Democrat, say that the sky is falling, you, someone who is not a liberal Democrat, may say that I am delusional. I know this is true.
So, let's talk about my qualifications: I have some. I got my undergrad degree with a major in political science: international relations, with an emphasis in the Middle East, and I got a history minor, emphasizing in American history. I later got an MBA. So, I'm not exactly Think Tank material, but at least I know how the government works, and I know how the economy works. I know politics and business.
But I also know entertainment, having published 15 novels over the last 23 years.
We are facing a crisis in the United States, one that is, if not unprecedented, is not-very-recently-precedented. (Because, remember, our country has gone through some seriously stupid things, including Depressions and Civil Wars and Assassinations, and All Sorts of Bad Things.) But right now is, undeniably, really bad. It is bad for everyone, but especially bad for the marginalized.
It has been one hell of a weekend.
But here's what's giving me a little hope right now: the entertainment industry. I am lumping a LOT of things into this industry: movies, music, art, theater, books, poetry--of course--but also YouTube and TikTok and The Internets. And that is what's giving me hope for the future.
Yesterday was interesting to be on social media because there were two major stories going on: the story of Elon Musk and his cronies hacking away at the classified information of the US Treasury, USAID, and more; but also the story of the Grammys--Grammys that were celebratory and moving. Say all you want about the over-the-top-ness of musicians, but when Lady Gaga said that "trans people are not invisible" that meant something.
And that's what gives me hope.
You can only ban so many books. You can tariff everything and tank the stock market and skyrocket prices, but America does one thing really well: pop culture. And while it might not be the most popular idea to take our influences from pop culture, it is incredibly important to know that not EVERYTHING is being throttled by draconian political measures.
When I say that pop culture and entertainment is going to keep us afloat, I'm not just talking about the flashy Lady Gagas advocating for trans rights, but also the John Greens who is fighting for decreases in maternal mortality and for tuberculosis medications. I'm talking about Kendrick shouting out Altadena and the community of Los Angelinos who came together to fight the fires.
For myself, do you know what was birthed from the country's tumult over the Iraq War and the Great Recession? The explosion of dystopian young adult literature (including my own). Dystopian lit is not just bubblegum escapism: The Hunger Games had big things to tell kids about growing up in a troubled world, as did the many books that followed in its wake.
I have no doubt that we're going to see similar things coming down the pipeline very soon. (Personally, my current book, which I wrote before the election ever happened, is about a future where corporations have replaced governments, and where the mandated religion sees profit as a virtue and poverty as a sin.)
Because the cat is out of the bag. The internet exists, and while I do worry that SO MUCH of the internet is controlled by a few oligarchs like Musk and Zuckerberg, in the words of Mr. Universe in Serenity, "Can't stop the signal, Mal. Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere."
The internet is the great leveler. It is no longer the gun that gives everyone an equal playing field--it's the fact that the government cannot throttle the signal. Culture will exist, and as long as culture can exist, then the Lady Gagas of the world will still advocate for trans rights, and the John Greens will still advocate for the decrease of maternal mortality.
Can't stop the signal, Mal.
