'Join, or Die' by Benjamin Franklin
For us on the left, I think few of us would deny that things look pretty terrible right now. If this were a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, we’d be in the middle of the movie, the second act, right after the heroes have been handed a grim defeat. We’ve got the resulting soul-searching and we’ve got the anger. We’ve got the depression and the bitter recriminations. But because this is real life and not a movie, what we don’t have is any guarantee that things are going to work out ok and we are going to be triumphant in the end.
The image above is a pretty famous political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin. You’ve probably seen it before. It’s got an interesting history, starting with being published in Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754 as an appeal to the American colonies to more strongly connect with the Kingdom of Great Britain in order to survive and win the French and Indian War. As so often happens in art, once it was out in the public it escaped the artist’s control. Just a short twelve years later, give or take, the cartoon was re-purposed by others, to the objection of Franklin, to inspire the colonists to oppose the British which was the very kingdom that was intended to be a partner in the previous unity. Also around that time, it transformed further, with some changing the words of the cartoon from ‘Join, or Die’ to ‘Unite, or Die’.
The cartoon wasn’t a threat. It was a statement of fact. Either the colonies needed to get it together, or they were done.
I think we face a struggle of similar severity right now. I think our Republic, these United States, we’re facing an existential crisis. The same is true for the left. For me, to my credit or to my shame and probably a little of both, I’ve become completely convinced of this when I see the President-elect of the United States dare to appoint a white supremacist to his inner circle and to have all signs point to that action being normalized. Yes, I think it really is that bad.
If you’re still in the stages of anger, shock, depression or whatever emotions you are feeling after the results of the election on Nov. 8th, I don’t intend this message to be for you. But if you are staring into what you think is a yawning abyss and wondering what you should do, if you’re starting to feel a fire in your belly that says you’re ready to fight, I’m going to ask you to join me in making a commitment. It’s not going to be an easy one to keep. We’re going to make mistakes and I expect I may fail to keep it once or twice in the future. I’ll get to that commitment in a minute.
First, I want you to read my comment history if you are so inclined. If not, let me summarize it in brutal terms. I didn’t identify as a Democrat. While I considered myself something of an ally and a liberal, I still mocked the Democrats, railed against the Democrats, threw my hands up in disgust at the Democrats. Hell, I did it as recent as the very day I’m writing this diary on this very site. You faithful Democrats want to be angry at me? I’ve earned it. PoC, women, LGBT, and any other marginalized person who have born the brunt of pain and suffering because of my philosophical wankery who want to yell at for my ignorance and naivety and the pain I’ve ignored? Go ahead. I pretty much have it coming.
As much as that well-deserved smackdown is going to hurt, I don’t think America has anymore time for me, and people like me, to worry about our feelings and wallow in the pain those stinging words are going to bring. It’s time to act.
But what can we do? That takes us back to the commitment I mentioned earlier. It comes in a couple parts so let’s go through them.
- I’m joining the Democratic Party — Don’t get me wrong, I still think there are things very wrong with the party, but if we’re in that existential crisis I mentioned, it’s the one we got. It’s got infrastructure, it’s got money, it’s got tradition. And one thing our side does not have anymore is time to make those things. To paraphrase that jackhole Donald Rumsfeld, I’ve got to go with the party I’ve got, not the one I wish I had.
- I will not criticize my allies in public — I really dislike Chuck Schumer. I REALLY dislike the monied interests and corporations. I really dislike people I perceive as sellouts to the Republicans. But like I said, we’re out of time and this is an existential crisis. I don’t have the luxury of railing against them any longer. Some of them, including me, are going to do things in the future that we think are stupid or hurtful to our cause. Well, here’s something the Republicans have given us through their constant lies and deception. Our actions really can’t hurt us any longer. Whatever they are going to accuse us of, they are going to make that accusation, whether it’s true or whether they have to gin it up in whatever cesspools they use to spread lies and misinformation. And the press? The press is going to play the equivalency game about it anyway. Claiming our innocence isn’t going to be worth the air we push through our lungs to vibrate our vocal chords. So, I’m done with it. Yes, I’m committed to non-violence. I’m committed to effective action. But I don’t have any time available to defend the perceived or real bad actions of my allies in public. If I’m pressed on it, the best you are going to get from me is silence or ‘no comment’. There will be things I disagree with vehemently. If I’m in a position to influence those ‘bad actors’, please believe we are going to have some very pointed, knockdown, drag-out fights behind closed doors. But, no longer in public. We need all hands on deck. We need the peacemakers, the brokers, the angry verbal bomb throwers. We need them all. And we need them united and trusting one another.
- I will back any and every action of my allies — Back in Oct. 2013, a bunch of Tea Party truckers were going to get some 10,000 truckers together to drive to Washington, DC and shutdown the nation’s capitol. The results, as you may recall, were laughable. I know I mocked them. Well, the joke’s on me. On Jan. 20th we are going to have President Trump. We Democrats are going to take actions that are going to seem frivolous and ineffectual. We are going to do things that are going to fail spectacularly. Again, we don’t have any time and this is an existential crisis. We’re going to have to do all the things. Yes, some of them will fail. If you see a real success unfolding, throw extra effort into it. Get input from people you trust to identify them. But stop being afraid to fail. When your allies appeal directly to you and you have the energy to contribute, put that judgment aside. Contribute to the best of your ability, regardless of whether you think it’s worthless or stupid. Just do it. I’ve already contributed money and made phone calls. I intend to do much more. I’m in this for the long haul.
We need solidarity. We need our allies to know we’re with them and our enemies to know we’re a force to be reckoned with and they can’t carve us up and deal with us as small segments at their leisure. The result of the popular vote proves we’ve got the numbers and there is also a large pool of people on the sidelines that we might be able to bring to us. Our actions to demonstrate our unity will strengthen us all and force our enemies to react to us for a change.
I’m making this commitment. Hold me to it. It’s going to get ugly and I’m going to waver. I’m going to need your encouragement and I’m going to need your private rebukes. If you can, I’d ask you to make that commitment with me.
Unite, or Die. Conservatives may think they own this phrase. You might see them claim it, selling it alongside their Gadsden flags and other colonial paraphernalia. But tough. They don’t own it. I need it and I’m taking it, just as it was taken from Benjamin Franklin during the time of the Stamp Act Congress and the phrase for the cartoon changed in places like New York and Pennsylvania. Those three words are not a threat. It’s the action we need and the consequence we face if we don’t take that action. And while we only have control over ourselves and whether we unite as Democrats, the consequence isn’t just for us as Democrats, but I think for the United States as we know it and the egalitarian, diverse, and just society we want it to be.
