Why Aren't You Angry?

This week is half term, so we're spending most of the week at a dance festival, rather than our usual Home Ed routine.  On the days in between, I'm allowing the girls "a break" from their work, but trying to get them interested in other things. [Inverted commas, because up until recently we have been Unschooling.  A year ago we introduced a little structure/formality to their work, and more recently the girls now do some maths, from a textbook, and some reading every day, mainly so DD1 doesn't feel totally overwhelmed if she does go to school in September.]

So, on Monday, I asked the girls to sit on the sofa, with a pen and paper, and I would try to make them angry.  Not bad angry - emotional, upset, defensive, rage, meltdown, uncontrolled - but good angry - realising there's a problem and feeling the need to do something to want to change it.  I wanted them to write down anything that they thought was unfair, anything that made them feel something.  DD1 wrote down a good paragraph, whereas DD2 chose to draw her thoughts instead.


I started talking about simple, topical things, and ended up delving deeper into the subject:
The fact that when I was a young adult, I had the freedom to live or work where I liked around Europe, but my children won't have the same opportunities (ie Brexit).
That the people who will be affected by this the most (young people) cannot vote until they are 18yo.
That many people were losing their jobs as employers closed factories in the UK, preferring cheaper options abroad.
That poverty is a real concern in the UK.
That homeless people can be arrested or fined.
That the NHS is slowly becoming privatised.
That food bank use is on the rise.
That Neonazism and Fascism are becoming more mainstream.
That Zero Hour Contracts exist.
That feminism is still needed.
That climate change is still debated.
That animals are still becoming extinct because of humans.
Donald Trump (need I say more....).

I then asked if there was anything they could do about it?  I was a bit disappointed to hear the response "no".  Despite not using schools, I feel a bit guilty that my children have grown up thinking that they have no power.  I tried to explain that there are a few things that you can do, but by this point, DD1 was leaving good angry and becoming bad angry: she said she refuses to march because that's stupid, before running upstairs.   This last comment was aimed at me, because I went to London to protest to Save the NHS last year, and I will be heading there again in March to protest for a People's Vote, regarding Brexit.

By now, we had be discussing for over an hour and a half, and tbf that is quite intense to be thinking on these things for anyone, let alone two children, so we stopped there.  I did use the voucher I got for Christmas to buy some books, which arrived yesterday:

Girls Resist! A guide to Activism, Leadership and Starting a Revolution by KaeLyn Rich I skim-read this book yesterday, and it has lots of useful information in it, once you know you want to get involved in activism.  I would say it is a bit old for DD1 (11yo) yet, but that's mainly because she is not interested in politics at all.  It goes into a fair bit of depth for a book aimed at children, but that is not a bad thing at all.

Yes You Can! Your guide to becoming an Activist by Drake and Love I skim-read this book yesterday too, and this is the one I would like DD1 to read first.  It is a thinner book, with short bits from history (DD1 much prefers non-fiction to fiction, and loves history), plus selected activities you can do to make a campaign.

Politics for Beginners by Louie Stowell I flipped through this book, but will look to read it shortly.  I bought this book with DD2 (8) in mind, as there are loads of pictures and cartoons explaining key concepts, but actually, I think not only will DD1 learn from this book, but I will too!

The older I get, the more interested I am in politics, because it affects EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.  I used to be quite ignorant, and thought that it made no difference, that I could not make a difference, and I was only a passive bystander as life and politics was done to me.  It was naturism that first got me interested, specifically naturist rights, because many people are quite ignorant about what the law says about nudity.  Then, as I delved into home education, the erosion of parental rights is a key concern.  Not least that currently, the government is trying to scapegoat home educators for their own services' failings.  And yes, as I read, and think about the list I discussed with my girls (which is by no means exhaustive, as we went down some rabbit holes, with twists and turns) I find myself thinking "Why aren't you angry? Why is the general public so content with the status quo? Why are they so lazy/ignorant to not want to do anything about it?".

There is so much of this world that is wrong, or could be improved, that I would not expect everyone to be constantly up in arms about everything.  That would be more than a full time job's worth, and would not be very good for your blood pressure.  But there are lots of little things that everyone could do. Vote, every chance you get.  Signing a petition, is one small act, but with thousands of signatories, it can influence government. Going on a march and making your voice heard - especially if it's on a weekend, rather than having to take a day off work.  Refuse to buy from companies you consider unethical.  Or writing letters to companies (if about a product) or TV ombudsman (if about a program) to get your point across.  One letter may not make a difference (it may, so don't let that stop you!), but imagine if a TV producer was to receive hundreds of complaints about a specific issue; they will have to start to take notice!
And simply talk about politics more, in general conversation.  It's not something to be shied away from.  Be polite, yes, but by broaching topics naturally, can help those undecided to make a decision, and those who disagree with you may rethink their opinion.  (Equally, they may not rethink their position, but at least you'll be more informed as to why they think those things.)

Please let me know which book this was photographed from, so I can credit the author.