As democracy comes screeching to a halt tomorrow afternoon—or Monday, maybe, since that’s when the Trump administration says it will start working—we’re left with feelings of hopelessness and not much else. Instead of watching cat videos online all day, watch former Congressman Steve Israel share some thoughts on how to be an effective, benevolent pest to your elected representatives.
You might remember Israel from a Last Week Tonight With John Oliver segment last year:
There’s an overwhelming amount of information floating around the internet right now about how to call your congressional reps, and it’s an issue this writer in particular has become a bit of a nag about (I’ve started calling my reps nearly every morning while I make coffee; I’ve also compiled a lot of the advice in this Storify). Israel says that all that is well and good, but nothing is more effective than actually showing up at events hosted by your reps and asking them questions. If we want to save democracy, we’re going to actually have to work for it:
And if you’re wondering what this has to do with culture, pop or otherwise, consider that the incoming administration has announced plans to cut the National Endowment For The Arts and National Endowment For The Humanities, which together fund nearly $350 million in arts-related programming.
[via A.V. Club contributor Caroline Siede/Boing Boing]