Remember, Remember
reflections on the 5th of November
seedgiver scatters reflections on life, community, resistance, and liberation. You’re invited to join seedgiver in reciprocity as a paid subscriber or by sharing a one-time gift.
Dear Beloved,
Since I was a teenager, I’ve tried (and often failed, to be honest) to watch V for Vendetta on November 5th. This old would-be tradition fell to the wayside these last 8 years as the story - set in the mid to late 2020s - eerily resembles our waking reality: rising Christofascism, a pandemic, rampant propaganda, hate-fueled political parties, heightened state violence, government-mandated curfews, terrorist attacks on schools, and the persistent dehumanization of immigrants, queer and trans people, and people of any faith but Christian.
While I still enjoy this movie occasionally, its lessons sit like bitter pits in my stomach. I find hope in the resistance, the direct action, and the powerful lines taken directly from Alan Moore’s original work. However, out of all the characters, it is not the dramatic titular V or his protégée Evey who bring me back time and again. No, rather I’m drawn in by the same character that transformed V and Evey: Valerie.
Valerie was one of the first and few lesbian characters I saw growing up. She was beautiful and loving, her voice a gentle murmur amidst horrors when Evey found her letter. Her letter detailed her life story - a story that resonated with me as a sapphic person: I, too, was the teenager who never grew of the “phase.” I also know the long, painful stretches of silence from parents. I’ve held the hands of friends during coming outs, two pulses synced in suspended moments. Now I am grown and like Valerie, I know the sweet freedom of living unapologetically with someone I love.
Queerness has connected with me with beloved community. I’m lucky to have something like love as a common ground with every queer person in the world. For that, my queerness was my favorite part of myself. Before falling in love, though, it was a quiet thing - a private, intimate part of my being.
Then I met her.
“…I remember how different became dangerous. I still don't understand it, why they hate us so much. They took Ruth while she was out buying food. I've never cried so hard in my life. It wasn't long till they came for me. It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years, I had roses, and apologized to no one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An Inch, it is small and it is fragile, but it is the only thing the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you. I love you. With all my heart, I love you.”
- Valerie, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
I am a human being who intimately loves another human being. My heart beats in another body’s chest, carried with her wherever she goes. Loving her has taught me fear - the intimate, bone-chilling fear of losing someone. I’ve worried for chosen family and friends before, yes, but this fear seized a hold of me. However, swimming against wave after wave of crisis, I am not anxious as I once was. I am still afraid, but I’m learning to remove myself from fear’s freeze and take action.
For my love has evolved into a militant love.
V for Vendetta was based on the failed Gunpowder Plot (1605 CE) in a newly Protestant England. Given Mary Tudor’s tendency to burn Protestants at the stake, English Catholicism wasn’t popular, and anti-Catholic sentiment drove England’s remaining Catholics underground. Systemic oppression followed, including mandated attendance of Anglican services, fines, and execution.
A small group of radical English Catholics organized a drastic direct action to address the systemic oppression of Catholics: regicide. They conspired to blow up the House of Lords - killing King James I, his heir, and members of Parliament. The most memorable member, Guy Fawkes, was the one assigned to light to fuse. He and his co-conspirators hoped the following panic would culminate in a Catholic uprising. Phase two of their plan: kidnap a 9-year-old Princess Elizabeth and install her as titular queen with a Catholic regent.
Given that this was 17th-century England with a short supply of bomb dogs, the plot would have succeeded if not for an anonymous letter. Since then, the Gunpowder Plot has been celebrated annually on November 5th. Festivities include bonfires, fireworks, and - since Alan Moore’s 1980s comic - wearing the trademark Guy Fawkes mask.
This election day, I think about the Gunpowder Plot and the people who orchestrated it. I think about how the plot’s failure was seen as a testament to God’s will. It was this self-declared “divine favor” that emboldened English conquests. More than that, I think about how the Catholic insurgents were yes, fighting against their oppression but they did not want actual societal change. They did not fight for liberation; they plotted for political power and influence.
Whether King James I or Princess Elizabeth, someone would sit on a throne, and a monarchy as a system of power will always oppress. Church of England or Roman Catholic Church, England would have still gone on to become the Britain Empire and colonize a quarter of the Earth.
We saw our own version of the Gunpowder Plot on January 6th when far-right extremists organized and attempted a coup. Democrat supporters cheered the coup’s failure, proclaiming that our “democracy” was saved, and Biden’s administration carried on. Now here we are at the end of Biden’s term with a Democrat presidential candidate none of us voted for in a primary, thousands massacred with our tax dollars while our communities are left to drown. The Democrat Party and their lobbyists even chose to risk losing key congressional seats, spending millions on the primaries, to remove actual progressives from Congress. Federal to local, our elected officials continue to ignore the people and further fascist operations that target our most vulnerable and marginalized. Voting will not magically transform the United States into a life-affirming government nor will its twin parties ever answer to the people.
Whether Trump or Harris, someone will become Commander-in-Chief of a plutarchy, and this plutarchy will always be an oppressive force. Republican or Democrat, the United States will remain a violent imperial body. This empire was built on stolen land by stolen people, and it sits on the graves of millions.
I write this not to discourage voting, Beloved. I write this to say that voting is but a single tool against a multifaceted system and one that is available sparingly.
I write this in hopes that a US citizen reads this and in their own time, hopefully soon, they wake up and realize that we are in an abusive relationship with our government. I write this for the realists in danger of becoming cynics who do nothing. I write this for the wide-eyed and hopeful desperately clinging to hollow campaign promises. I write this for the working bodies in rural spaces, living week to week, and warn them that the GOP will choose empire over them. I write this for those comfortable, who feel safe in their blue metropolitan neighborhoods and try to warn them that the Democrats will choose empire over them. I write this for those who still think replacing one politician with another will save them, who believe that someone who looks like them could possibly have their best interests at heart.
I write this while Harris laughs at and ignores pro-Palestinian supporters at her rallies. I write this while Trump mocks people like you and me and everyone we love at his rallies. I write this while their running mates dine with wealthy donors, assuring them that nothing will change when they are in power.
I write this essay to say that I do not believe in systems. I believe in people. Change will not come from voting every year, let alone once every four years. We will not see the change we need from today’s election but must co-create it every day.
A Few Rules for Predicting the Future by Octavia E. Butler
“SO DO YOU REALLY believe that in the future we’re going to have the kind of trouble you write about in your books?” a student asked me as I was signing books after a talk. The young man was referring to the troubles I’d described in Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, novels that take place in a near future of increasing drug addiction and illiteracy, marked by the popularity of prisons and the unpopularity of public schools, the vast and growing gap between the rich and everyone else, and the whole nasty family of problems brought on by global warming.
“I didn’t make up the problems,” I pointed out. “All I did was look around at the problems we’re neglecting now and give them about 30 years to grow into full-fledged disasters.”
“Okay,” the young man challenged. “So what’s the answer?”
“There isn’t one,” I told him.
“No answer? You mean we’re just doomed?” He smiled as though he thought this might be a joke.
“No,” I said. “I mean there’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers–at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”
Seeds for Change
Read “Myth and Power: An NDN Mom’s Perspective” by Terese Marie
Sprout Distro has dozens of cost-free zines on direct action here. As corporate and political censorship tightens around our digital communications, it is imperative to begin stocking up on physical print copies.
Learn about becoming pen pals with people who are incarcerated and connect with Letters for Liberation
Read “If capitalism is a disease, we are the Earth’s immune system” by
Listen to this episode of How to Survive the End of the World concerning voting strategy and looking forward to deeper, expansive strategies for change.
Read “Election Day Salve” by Alfred Walking Bull
Read about actionable steps at “The Power of Protest: Choosing Liberation Beyond the Ballot” by Desireé B Stephens and pay close attention to Step #10 - Decolonize Your Relationships
It’s a grim day for obvious reasons, but I have good news: our new Palestinian neighbors in Seattle exceeded their original fundraising goal! Thanks to 188 beloveds, we have raised $20,129 to help our neighbors settle into this cold, gloomy city.
The organizer shared this update:
“Thank you all for helping us hit the $20,000 goal! When I initially set this up I had no idea what would be a realistic goal to set--especially in a situation where so much money is needed. The outpouring of generosity has been incredible to see. I've decided to set a higher goal as the family continues to be in need of financial support to get their relatives to safety. Thank you!!!”
To evacuate their family to safety, our neighbors need our support. The new goal is $30,000 which - thanks again to those 188 community members - we’re already 67% of the way to this goal.
Rather than waiting with held breath for whatever the election brings today, I urge you, Beloved, to take action, for direct action is the antidote for fear. Share your hard-earned income with fellow human beings through mutual aid instead of politicians’ malicious campaigns or the nonprofit industrial complex.
Donate today to evacuate Palestinian kin to safety and reunite with their relatives. If you cannot donate, please share the campaign with your pods and spread the word on social media. It only takes a few of us to make a difference.
How are you showing up for our community today? What are you doing to prepare for tomorrow?
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