Where are you gonna spend your hoots?
Last night I dreamt I was in the audience of a talk Rev. Dr. Barber was giving on MLK’s triune of systemic evils. To review, those evils are:
racism
poverty / extreme materialism, and
militarism / the war economy.
In my dream, Rev. Dr. Barber spoke of how these systems divide and oppress people.
(REMEMBER POSIWID: THE PURPOSE OF A SYSTEM IS WHAT A SYSTEM DOES.)
In my dream, Rev. Dr. Barber also added (4) ecological destruction and the (5) “distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism” into the mix.
Rev. Dr. Barber emphasized that these systems are interlocked. Meaning: you can’t dismantle one without dismantling them all. He talked of building a moral fusion movement to dismantle these evils — and to build something better.
Then he pointed at me, putting me very much on the spot, and asked:
“So. You.”
My eyes widened.
“Yes, you.” He was still pointing. “Where are you going to spend your hoots?”
I woke up with a start. I felt convicted … and puzzled. What in the hoot is a hoot?
It took me awhile.
Then: AHA. I got it:
Ah. Yes. Woodsy Owl.
El bujo of “Toot your hooter on pollution, now!”
Most of us know what a hooter is. (Also known as a cooter. And hopefully you know how to toot toot your hooter cooter.)
But a hoot is something different.
A hoot is what you give.
A hoot is your energy, directed.
A hoot is what you focus on.
A hoot is based in your values.
A hoot is speaking up (or wearing a whistle, like Woodsy Owl).
A hoot is DOING SOMETHING, and doing it TOGETHER.
Look, in the U.S., we’re all living in the hellscape of late-stage capitalism.
Houses on my block are selling at $400 per square foot.
Twenty years ago, we bought our house at $100 per square foot.
Our income has increased over the years but it sure as shit hasn’t quadrupled in 20 years. Has yours?
The point of this digression is: just surviving is hard enough. These are times of unprecedented corporate, developer, and billionaire greed. The earth is on fire. There are genocides - the murdering huge numbers of human souls - happening right now in Palestine, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan.
So — no shame if you are in survival mode.
And yet.
What does survival mode mean?
What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?
Nothing changes unless we force it to change.
Together.
Spoiler alarm: It’s not policy wonks in Washington who change things.
Spoiler alarm: It’s not voting for the lesser of two evils that changes things.
I am sick almost to death of being told “this vote is the most important vote of your lifetime!” and “vote blue no matter who” and “THIS time, this is the vote to ward off fascism!” Well I voted for Biden as the lesser of two evils in 2020 and I haven’t seen him make one systemic step to ward off fascism — not one.
And in the meantime Biden is fully funding and supporting a genocide which the Israeli military absolutely could not continue without the U.S. funding it.
Biden could stop the genocide TODAY with a couple of phone calls. One man could stop a genocide. And we’re supposed to hold our noses and vote for him in November?
Let me turn to James Baldwin.
Because, as you know, when I feel this close to losing my mind, I read James Baldwin.
He has this to say:
“Most of us have arrived at a point where we still believe and insist on and act on the principle … that our choice is the lesser of two evils.
And this is no longer true.
Gonorrhea is not preferable to syphilis.
The time has come, it seems to me, to recognize that the framework in which we operate weighs on us too heavily to be borne and is about to kill us.
It is time to ask very hard questions and to take very rude positions.
And no matter at what price.
-James Baldwin, “The Artist’s Struggle for Integrity”
I read that out loud last night and my son said, “YES! That is exactly what Gen Z is saying!” He had forgotten that James Baldwin died. Baldwin wrote that in 1963.
Don’t expect Gen Z to vote for Genocide Joe, and don’t you dare — DON’T YOU DARE — blame them when Trump wins.
These young people are doing what James Baldwin would tell them to do: reject the system and say a big “Fuck you” to the choices. Because why?
GONORRHEA IS NOT PREFERABLE TO SYPHILIS.
They can not morally vote for a man who bears personal responsibility for the murder and maiming of tens of thousands of innocent people.
Sometimes you have to take a stand. No matter the price.
Because nothing will change unless we change it.
It’s working together, building power, building community, showing up in solidarity, and DEMANDING change that changes things.
You all know I love the Bayard Rusting quote about angelic troublemakers.
But the rest of the quote is this — and I’m going make a new painting of the full quote, and do remember that Rustin had a Quaker upbringing and was, like me, committed to nonviolence:
“We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.
Our power is in our ability to make things unworkable.
The only weapon we have is our bodies.
And we need to tuck them in places so wheels don’t turn.”
So it’s worth asking, and asking again, and always and forever asking:
Where are you going to spend your hoots?
Where are you going to put your body to stop the wheels turning?
How are you going to work - in community - to make things unworkable?
Now get to it. Off you go. Scoot.
I’ll see you on the streets.
Wishing you love, justice, and solidarity.
XOXO