I was hoping to see something like this. The only way we will make things better is when each one of us stands up against bullies and we do what we know to be right. I have had relatives and managers who have used their charisma and power to try to get me to do things that were wrong, and it took a lot of energy to stand up to them. But going along with a bully (out of fear, out of concern for losing a job) is how Hitler rose to power, and how 45 is getting away with whatever he wants. It isn’t the “leaders” I blame – it is all the followers. The followers do what the leaders say without question. We all know that these are strange times, and we know things aren’t right. Complaining about it won’t fix it – and actually adds to the sense of helplessness and anxiety in your audience (your friends). What are you, as an individual, willing to do to throw a cog in the machine that threatens to stop us from being automatons? What concrete actions will you do to say “no” to bullies and “yes” to life?

For instance, there is a library policy that books that aren’t circulated in two years are culled from the stacks. They are sent to be sold, for pennies on the dollar. This is a huge waste of taxpayer’s money, and especially concerning when every year there was a budget crisis where employees weren’t sure they’d have a job. I protested this and was ignored. So I simply refused to do this task. The more of us who don’t participate in doing what we know to be wrong, the better.