A Modest Proposal
#49
In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal. He was an Anglo-Irish satirist, Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, author of Gulliver’s Travels, and a defender of Irish economic interests against British colonial policies and practices.
The full title of the pamphlet, written as if by a detached economist, proposes that the Irish poor sell their children as food to the rich to alleviate economic hardship. The full title is A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burden to their Parents or Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Public.
This week at the anti-Trump vigil at the Grand Lake Theater, C.E. Small came with a sign he made from a converted T-shirt with the text “If we eat just one Billionaire, the rest will fall in line.” Swift’s A Modest Proposal is as appropriate for social satire today as it was almost 300 years ago.
Music and Dance Protests
Singing Resistance: Brian Eno, the musician and composer, described some of what he called “civilizational benefits” of singing. He told NPR “…When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That’s one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.” You can read about the value of music for the resistance, and here lots of singing, particularly in Minneapolis at SINGING RESISTANCE
Woody Guthrie: Several people sent in this expanded version of the Woody Guthrie song: FASCISTS BOUND TO LOSE
First Amendment Dance Troop: On President’s Day, the First Amendment Troop made up of 22 dancers from three currently running Broadway shows, staged “ResistDance” — a tribute and act of dissent. The cast of 22 represents the 22 days between the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The performance at the Lincoln Memorial was followed by a guerrilla performance in front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that was shut down immediately. You can watch the exhilarating performance at RESISTANCE DANCE
NDLON: National Day Laborer Organizing Network presents the singing of Omar Leon of Los Jornaleros del Norte: He wrote, “We immigrants are used to hard times — we know what to do. We get together and get stronger. We put aside our fear and turn our rage into resistance. And when times get really tough, we sing, dance, and laugh. It's our song about the troubles we all know about. It's a hard-hitting song for hard-hit people. It’s great for dancing and singing along, while also expressing a strong and unapologetic stance about ICE.”
This month, Los Jornaleros del Norte is launching the English-language version of La Cumbia de la Migra. You can listen to the ENGLISH VERSION and the original SPANISH VERSION.
Tactics R Us
Tactics R Us’ is a list of 58 innovative, playful, funny, zany, non-violent tactics that are being used to resist Trump’s drive toward dictatorship. They keep the tactics light and mocking. You can see the list of these actions, and where they have been carried out, at 58 NON-VIOLENT ACTS
May Day Strong
May Day: Civil resistance is a main force, perhaps the main force, that will stop Trump’s drive toward fascism. A major, nationwide civil resistance is being organized for Friday, May 1, 2026 (May Day), under the banner of the “May Day Strong” coalition. Organizers are calling for "No Work, No School, No Shopping," encouraging a general strike or widespread withdrawal of labor to disrupt "business as usual". You can pledge to participate in the May Day actions at MAY DAY STRONG
No Kings: Join the third NO KINGS demonstration on Saturday, March 28th. You can find one near you at: NO KINGS. Remember to bring a friend who hasn’t demonstrated before.
Signs of Hope
The following four signs from demonstrations in Arkansas were sent in by Bonnie Chollet.
Signs from the Grand Lake Vigil on a rainy Tuesday in Oakland. 32 people came out to demonstrate, several with new signs.
Thanks to Risa Jaroslow for editing and to Andy Bilson for telling me about Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Thanks to Heather Booth, Bonnie Chollet, Jon Knowles, Susan Langford and Risa Jaroslow for information. All photographs are by David Tobis unless otherwise indicated.