Episode 390 of RevolutionZ asks would you rather speak to 2,000 people who already agree with you or 2,000 people who might vote for Trump? That choice sounds like a simple preference, but I argue it exposes something deeper: an entire theory of change. If we think a better world is unattainable, it’s rational to aim for narrow wins, entertain friendly audiences, and avoid the hard work of persuasion and unity. If we think systemic change is possible, then we have to communicate to grow our numbers, de-atomize our efforts, and build real solidarity across differences.
From there, I consider an engine of political paralysis: cynicism. I’m not interested in writing it off as laziness or moral weakness. More often than not, it is neither. Often it’s a rational judgment based on different premises than mine and I hope also yours. It believes either (a) better institutions can’t even exist, or (b) better institutions might exist but can’t be won. Extrapolate from those beliefs and you get resignation. Each kind of doubt requires a different response from someone like me, and both demand more than slogans. We collectively need credible compelling shared vision and credible compelling shared strategy that can link urgent immediate fights like stopping authoritarian drift and curbing ecological collapse to a longer trajectory of organizing. How do we most effectively convey that?
But what happens if we turn this observation on me, you, and Revolution Z? After almost 400 hundred episodes, what’s actually working and what’s just repetition or literally unheard? That question connects to the media environment we’re trapped in, where lies, scams, and algorithmic incentives push communicators toward clickbait and cheap degradation. If we reject that route to communication, what do we emphasize instead? If we don't want to abet a "failure to communicate," if we don't want to contribute to a "communication breakdown," then to organize, how do we communicate?
To close the episode I offer some song lyrics and their approach to communication from John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Carcie Blanton, Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen, as one way to tell the truth without becoming part of the noise.
But when talking or writing, not songs but prose, what might work better than familiar well trod paths? Do you have ideas about that?
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