It’s time to pick up a shovel and stop complaining about the impending death of democracy in America, according to Skye Perryman.
The president of Democracy Forward in Washington, D.C., is well known to BNG readers because she is frequently quoted in news articles. Democracy Forward stands at the front lines of holding the Trump administration accountable for its aggressive attacks on democratic processes.
The organization has filed hundreds of lawsuits against government efforts to create intrusive voter databases, conduct immigration raids in churches, establish a secret slush fund for the president and his allies and to reduce funding for homeless people, among many others.
Now Perryman has penned a bestselling book chock full of practical advice and encouragement for others to join the fight. Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy debuted as an instant national bestseller, appearing at No. 8 on the New York Times Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous list and No. 13 on the USA Today Best-selling Booklist.
“The whole book is about the need to shift our mindset and to focus on what we can do and the steps that we can take in this moment,” she said.
Those steps are laid out in seven actions beginning with “Stop Spiraling and Pick up a Shovel.” In other words, it’s time to face the reality that the nation is under siege and running away to Canada or anywhere else isn’t the answer.
What’s needed is a willingness to foster courage and community in the face of rising authoritarianism, she believes.
“This is our country, and we are not going anywhere. We must find a way out of the panic, demoralizing fear and negative spiraling,” Perryman writes. “We must, as my grandparents would have said, dig in. We must pick up a shovel and get to work.”
“We must find a way out of the panic, demoralizing fear and negative spiraling.”
Doing so requires finding joy, she added in an interview. “We know from human experience across the United States and across the world that joy is essential for helping the human spirit rejuvenate and revitalize itself so we can do the work of tending to ourselves, our families, our communities, our country and our world. And one of the things we know about autocratic and anti-democratic movements is that they seek to create such fear and chaos in order to deprive people of joy.”
She explains: “Joy is important to the work of opposing extremism, fighting for freedom and reimagining democracies. In terror-inducing circumstances, finding joy is an act of resistance. Just as building community is a statement of defiance against autocratic forces that seek to divide us, embracing joy stands in opposition to the fear that autocratic actors aim to impose.”
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times also explores the rise in election denialism and erosion of voting rights.
Suggested actions range from ensuring individuals’ and friends’ voter registrations are up to date to learning about state election laws, canvassing on important issues, escorting people to the polls or even becoming a local election volunteer.
“With an understanding of where we are, and the extent of the threat to our freedom, it’s time to get intentional … and pick up a shovel,” she writes. “We must shift from being spectators to being players. Less talk, more action. Less spiraling, more problem-solving.”
Skye Perryman
Another critical action is becoming more deliberate about personal media consumption to achieve what Perryman calls “information sobriety.”
“By this, I mean acknowledging how information affects us and being intentional about how we consume news and what we do with it,” she said. “If we are not well-informed, we are hindered in our ability to fully assess what is happening to our communities and our country and, ultimately, in our ability to take action. Being well informed and knowing the facts is an action we must take in this time; indeed, it is foundational to taking the other actions in this book.”
Perryman recommends taking a personal inventory of information consumption, determining its effects on outlook and mood and changing content and habits as needed to create a “well-balanced media diet.”
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times also urges its readers to learn more about their communities and to embrace local civic engagement as a crucial step in fighting for a democratic and free society.
“It is no mistake that the nation’s democratic backslide coincides with the culmination of decades of decline in civic participation and civic engagement,” Perryman writes. “In the political sphere, declining community bonds and increased isolation are tools that autocratic actors use to consolidate power and further undermine democracy.”
Becoming isolated leads to feeling unseen, which makes the “so-called strength of authoritarian rule” seem more appealing while the lure of collective power is diminished, she contends. “When combined with feelings of isolation, our collective anxiety fuels a sense of national hopelessness, which makes our fears regarding the decline in our democracy a self-fulfilling prophecy. We face a perfect storm of democratic decline, but one we can weather together with fortitude and a shared commitment to restoring our democracy, which begins right at our front door.”
Another practical step is practicing “tailgate accountability,” she says. That starts with going to the gym, church, neighborhood bars or other locations where people with conflicting beliefs typically gather. “Make a commitment to get out of your comfort zone and discover ways to get to know people who may have different commitments or beliefs than you, but who may have something in common with you (maybe they are a fan of the same sports team or enjoy the same gym you like).”
“Ordinary people in this nation have finally understood that the threat to democratic freedoms for all is real.”
While this may sound intimidating, there is a way to gently move the conversation forward, she says, by focusing on the person instead of on their politics: “When political issues do eventually arise, try to keep the conversation as a joint exploration for common ground as much as possible. Avoid generalizations and acknowledge the limitations of your perspective. Seek to have a conversation about issues or politics focused on understanding, not a cable-television style debate. Be sure to have the facts and bring them into the conversation, but don’t use facts to silence the other person.”
Courage, Perryman continues, “is the new currency” in combating autocracy-induced fear, and there are many examples to choose from these days.
“Since Trump’s second inauguration, ordinary people in this nation have finally understood that the threat to democratic freedoms for all is real. People are protesting in historic numbers, and many who do not consider themselves civically active are getting involved.”
It is imperative that courage sufficient to generate action is tapped into whenever called upon, whether in workplaces, ballot boxes, school board meetings or in the streets when federal agents descend on communities, Perryman explains, “or we risk losing it all.”
To help the process, people should define and clarify their values before launching into small, progressively courageous activities such as peaceful protests.
Then make a plan, the book suggests. “Courage is contagious. Build community so you don’t have to always go it alone. We’ve seen that autocrats aim to isolate and make us forget our common humanity.”
And then it comes back to joy as a key factor in opposing fear, building community and fostering courage, Perryman writes, adding that being joyful is an action in and of itself.
“Don’t let the odds deter you; throughout our nation’s history, other people have overcome dark times. At the same time, understand that rebuilding democracy requires reimagining systems and structures that can hold all of us,” she writes. “Be part of the generational work of demanding more and creating a nation that truly serves all of us and affirms everyone’s equal dignity.”