Rebellions Are Built on Hope
Art is a powerful form of resistance. From the Hunger Games to Barbie to Wicked, authors and movie makers serve up metaphors and ideas meant to open our eyes to oppression and corruption around us in our world. They give us stories reminding us not that oppression exists, but that we can overcome it. In the Star Wars universe, Andor is teaching us how to (and sometimes how not to) resist.
Andor is a Star Wars prequel series following Cassian Andor (yes, that’s a Wookiepedia link…yes, that’s a credible source), one of the heroes of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as he moves from disengaged citizen just trying to get by to a rebel spy and leader in the resistance against the Empire. It’s gritty, it’s thoughtful, it’s suspenseful, and it brings the characters of my GenX childhood forward into the three-dimensional political world I live in.
I won’t spoil anything here. As a fan, I can’t go into such detail that it would ruin the show for others. I’ll only say that it’s narrative for adult audience gives us some important themes about resisting oppression we can use in real life. The rebel character Nemik in the practical, warm hat even recorded a manifesto that is eerily on point for the United States in 2025.
Resistance takes time and strategy
The rebellion was already well under way for five years when Luke Skywalker arrived in time to blow up the Death Star. It took another four years to get to see the fall of the Empire in the Return of the Jedi. When I look around at the activists I know, there’s one organization that stands out to me with an eye for the long game. The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led movement for climate justice, made plans for a Harris presidency AND a Trump presidency.
Even now, when there are so many political fires to fight, they continue to strategize years into the future because they know the climate crisis cannot be solved in one presidency.
Strategy includes using hard data and experimentation instead of gut-feeling for which tactics are effective in getting the results you want. Even if you’re not a national Super PAC, you can still try creative new actions with an open mind to learn how to draw more people into action with you. Track what works well and jettison actions with high effort and low payoff.
Leaders come from unlikely places
It’s not always people like Senator Bail Organa’s daughter, Princess Leia, who become resistance leaders. Our protagonist Cassian Andor is a thief. In real life, sometimes it’s a camera store owner (Harvey Milk), a waitress/bartender (Alexandria Ocasio Cortez), or a comedian (Volodymyr Zelenskyy).
That means that YOU can be a leader, too, even if it’s just in your local community. You may be a trusted person who has access to certain groups (moms of young kids, people at your house of worship, high school students) that traditional organizations can’t reach. You might be the leader they are looking for!
Rebellions are built on hope
If we can’t envision where we want to be, we’ll never get there. If we allow despair to convince us there is no point, we’ll stop taking chances and never win. We’ll just sink down in our couches or only do the comfortable bare minimum to help. Dare to hope. Find the next uncomfortable thing to do.
Think about how you can help for the upcoming protests on June 14. Can you make a sign and get out in the streets? Can you bring others with you? Can you write letters to the editor? Can you make phone calls to Congress?
Like Nemik says, “Try.”
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COMING SOON: My next book “Advocacy Made Easy: The Handbook for Turning Civic Frustration into Powerful Action” will launch summer 2025! Subscribe to my newsletter at www.changyit.com for updates.
