"Everybody's Right to Beautiful, Radiant Things"

[nevanna]

At the risk of sounding like a Grumpy Old Internet Lady, essays in the form of tweets or (more often now) Bluesky posts are a low-key but ongoing source of annoyance for me. However, last week, I came across one such series of posts that I suspect I will want or need to revisit in the foreseeable future when the Social Justice Brainweasels are particularly vicious. Lawyer Sheryl Weikal shared some thoughts on doing things that make us happy When Bad Things Are Happening In The World (Which Is Always), and I have transcribed them below.

I'm seeing an increasing number of people say it's inappropriate to express joy or do joyful things because of the ongoing genocides.

I respectfully disagree, for a few reasons.

First, people are not trauma, and reducing people to their trauma isn't solidarity. Palestinians, Black people, Brown people, trans people, disabled people, Immigrants...they're all PEOPLE. They love life and do awesome and fun things with it.

They all deserve to be seen as whole people who have loves and fears and joys and ambitions and artistry and favorite books and favorite movies and favorite songs. We don't express solidarity by equating people with their pain.

Second, not experiencing or expressing joy is a fantastic way to burn yourself out. Take it from someone with a really, really stressful job: you cannot survive any kind of activism long term without some means of joy and catharsis, and that's not shameful. It's life.

Eschewing joy and publicly presenting only solemnity may feel right in the moment, but it's unsustainable. You'll break down. Trust me, I know.

And third, what is it that we are doing this work for? For me, it's Emma Goldman's statement that "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody's right to beautiful, radiant things." That's why I do this work, because I want joy for everyone.

I want every single person to have all the joy they can possibly cram into one lifetime. I want every Palestinian, every trans person, every racialized person, every person everywhere to be bursting with joy every minute of their lives.

Now obviously this is not a reason to cross picket lines or ignore boycotts or the like. Don't do those things. But it IS a recognition that liberation isn't a poverty cult and the better future we want is a joyful one.

And you - yes you - deserve to experience as much joy as you ethically can whilst you fight to make it a reality.

I'm pretty sure that "as much joy as you ethically can" looks different to different people, and trying to force one's own rules or limitations on others is rarely helpful to anybody. But I found Weikal's general message very helpful, and I hope that you do, too.