OPTION C - Staying positive in a world that is stuck between false hope & gratuitous despair

OPTION C

ISSUE 1

STAYING POSITIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS STUCK BETWEEN FALSE HOPE & GRATUITOUS DESPAIR.

A ZINE BY NATHANIEL STEVENS

STAYING POSITIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS STUCK BETWEEN FALSE HOPE & GRATUITOUS DESPAIR.

OPTION C ISSUE 1

Welcome folks T

his short zine exists as a response to reading Rebecca Solnit’s book ‘Hope in the Dark’. A book that is about examples of the times that it worked, the victories, the positive change in our global society, but most of all it is a book that helps you find HOPE. It’s easy to say that 2020 has not exactly been anyone’s year (so far), having started the year in New Zealand, then travelling South East Asia, I thought this year was going to be a good one, the year we came home, better humans, ready to embrace our friends and family and move forward. But this was not the year in store. I am immeasurably thankful that the ones I love and cherish have been safe and extremely lucky to have somewhere to live and get back on our feet.

Instead we have spent the last 6 months or so looking at the world through the window, online and on TV, and thanks to the news

feeds and all those Facebook shares, we have had constant reminders of how fucked things are. From Brexit, to the global pandemic, to the death of George Floyd and other potent examples of police brutality and racism in the U.S. (but not exclusively just a U.S. issue), to the desperate attempts of refugees trying to reach safer shores, to the recession, to the wasting of public money on undelivered PPE, to the elitist algorithm for school grades, the list unfortunately goes on and there has been plenty of despair to go around.

That is not to say that people have not stepped up, the NHS and key workers have been super heroes that have given literally everything despite not being properly funded (less claps, more cash please), the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Banksy sponsored rescue boat the Louise Michel in the Med amongst other acts of kindness both big and small across the UK and the world.

However, despite these positive acts, there is so much negativity spilling out, I see it on every comment section (I really need to stop looking on the Mail and Express websites) and Facebook feed battles, that paints this new struggle not just against the establishment but against the people, I feel like it’s not just an ‘us versus them’ situation but ‘us verses us’.

I felt like I was firmly routed in what Solnit called the ‘Gratuitous Despair’ camp. Where the left wing voices were just telling me how shit everything was, and the right wing voices were saying such vile things that it deepened the despair, and any hope offered by the government was well and truly false. I found myself constantly asking “what can I do?” followed by “how can I change the minds of racist, ill educated, British exceptionalism toting, always contradictory assholes?” And I just kept coming up blank.

I used to protest a lot in my late teens and early twenties, anything from animal testing at Huntingdon Life Sciences, to arms manufacturing against Brighton’s EDO MBM, to Climate Camp, Free Palestine, Anti War, Anti Capitalism and everything in between, protesting was my way of feeling connected, feeling hopeful, but over the last 10 years I have totally lost my connection with the ‘fight’, the fires of hope have gone out and been replaced with conversations of despair.

But since reading Solnit’s book it has sparked my longing to be active again, to be an advocate, to be HOPEFUL. To find new tactics, new protests, new ways of reaching people. The fight never faded away, I had almost unknowingly given up, but I’m ready and willing again.

You with me?

This Zine is about examples that give me hope and the despair I use to fuel it.

“If these are the values of our society then I want to be an outlaw in that society�

BLACK LIVES MATTER. Period

W

hen I first saw the news of the statue falling in Bristol I wished I could have been there as part of the protest.

Being house bound and wanting to be part of the momentum of this movement, I thought about what I could possibly do as a positive act that was wider reaching than my own education or personal development. So I developed this print along with a few other designs and launched my first shop where all profits go to Black Lives Matter. So on the week anniversary of the toppling of the statue, I launched the site and the prints, and this is the accompanying statement:

“This print is my way of showing solidarity for the removal of Edward Colston's statue. After years of campaigning for it to be taken down or having more information on the statue that detailed his part in the slave trade; nothing was done. Now, finally, the monument that celebrated a man who directly profited from the enslavement and suffering of others is gone.

Racism in the UK is here and it is a problem, one that will take the effort of everybody to stamp out. Since the movement, so many things have come to light that should have been addressed sooner, not just a lack of education or empathy for other people in our community, but the intolerance of so many people in the UK who would rather find fault in this movement then question their own moral and ethical stand point or try to understand why this movement even needs to exist in the first place.

It's not about silencing our history, it's about acknowledging our past and how that represents us in our present and future. That statue no longer represents Bristol. I'm glad it's gone. I'm thankful for these conversations and I hope people understand the massively positive symbol that it's removal represents.

Love Bristol, hate racism.�

The print was my way of trying to make a difference, it is only a small gesture (I have raised about £130 so far) and some music venues have requested A3 versions of the artwork which I have done in exchange for donations to Black South West Network. I hope that in the future I can use design as my tool to be a bigger advocate for the movement and for the education and hopeful irradication of racism everywhere.

On a side note, the shit show that came from the media in terms of people’s outrage at the defacing of statues served as nothing but a distraction from what the movement was trying to accomplish, scrutinising and demonising individual acts rather than addressing the wider issue. And once again the government’s tokenistic approach to something that deserves real attention is to do another report into systemic racism, however this has been done before, many times most notably The Lammy Review published in 2017, and the majority of the recommendations have not been put into place.

This movement only exists because it has to, and it is up to us to use whatever tools we have (including time) to really start pushing for real change. Racism is a tough nut to crack, it isn’t a physical opponent like campaigning for better public services, it is a prejudice that some people don’t even know they have. Finding something tangible and hopefully achievable is a good start and this was mine. I am certainly far from finished with my involvement with the movement, and will be thinking of more ways that I can engage with the local community to be an advocate and an ANTI-racist.

Black Lives Matter Prints available from www.nathfiction.bigcartel.com All profits go to Black Lives Matter

“They will regard us as people who rearranged the china when the house was on fire.�

What are you really trying to say?

O

k so here is a little bit from the despair end of the positive movements. After Black Lives Matter became an organisation and a slogan that the nation was firmly familiar with, it was met by many responding with the slogan “ALL LIVES MATTER”.

On the face of it, yeah, all lives do matter, the slogan isn’t exactly wrong, BUT it has been adopted and used by many that refuse to acknowledge racial disparity, white privilege and basically the entire point of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It serves as another distraction and diversionary tactic to essentially not put the work in for real change. It is another reactionary statement by those that feel threatened or perhaps left out, but that isn’t the point. The Black Lives Matter movement exists to highlight racial injustice and systemic racism against Black people. It is not in any way saying that Black lives matter more, just that we as a society need to focus on Black lives right now as people are severely affected by racism every day.

Some people may be naïve to what “All Lives Matter” is really saying, however some people are definitely not. They are using this slogan as a way of trying to seem non racist and by

doing so, are ignoring those that need help, they are not engaging in real debate about racial equality, but are burying their heads in the sand and essentially saying, “racism doesn’t affect me directly as I am a white person, I have never been racially abused in my community because I am white, I don’t see racism happening everyday, White lives matter.”

Many White people saw the BLM movement as an attack on whiteness, that an organisation that was founded for the equality of Black people was trying to do so at the detriment of White people, which it certainly is not and shows a real arrogance and superiority complex to think that a movement for Black people is actually all about White people. Being defensive is a pretty common reaction when you feel threatened or that you’ve done something wrong, but what was super irritating was the lack of wanting to learn more or be better, all of which has justifiable grounds to be called out as straight up racism.

Finally there have been some that say “All Lives Matter” and then don’t want to help refugees fleeing poverty and war, telling them to “go back to where they came from” or “we’re full”. Another example of how hollow the “All Lives Matter” slogan really is

SAY WHAT YOU REALLY MEAN

STOP USING "ALL LIVE MATTER" AS A WAY TO NOT ENGAGE IN REAL DEBATE ABOUT RACE EQUALITY.

“If you embody what you aspire to, you have already succeeded.”

Change comes from down under.

W

an idea, in my first lesson I was getting to know the 30 or so kids and the teacher informed me that this class had students from 11 different nationalities.)

And thank fuck that I did.

Not only did my time at the school

The first thing that struck me was their singing of the national anthem, a thing that for me in the UK is just about crappy patriotism, bullshit religion and an out of date monarchy, it never made me feel proud, it made me feel squeamish, however the students and staff would sing it at the end of every assembly (which I guess is better than a Hymn which is what I had to sing) but what was so amazing is that they sang the anthem, first in English, then in indigenous Gadigal, then English and finally reprieved the last line in Gadigal. It was something that I could only watch (as I didn’t know the words or the language) in awe. Something that instils

completely re-energise my love of education and the importance of varied approaches to vulnerable and at risk young people, it also gave me a first hand chance to see how this school taught Australian history and culture

patriotism like a national anthem but giving full recognition to its indigenous people. It’s also worth noting that at the start of every assembly or public address, they give thanks and recognition to the traditional custodians

to it’s students and it’s approach to the sheer diversity of it’s staff and students (to give you

of the land.

hile living in Sydney, I was wanting to move away from my previous jobs involving education, I had been working with young people for over a decade and wanted a break from teaching. However, due to my lack of experience in pretty much anything else, the only job I could find was working as a Learning Support Officer in a mainstream primary school, once again, working with the ‘naughty’ kids.

This is my example of hope for a better understanding and acceptance of indigenous Australians, the traditional custodians of the land, in this case the Gadigal people.

The next thing that I was in awe of is how they taught their history. Many older Aussies consider their history to start with the ‘discovery’ by Captain Cook, but these kids

It was so stark in the way that it was worded and taught that a young student who was also from the UK told me that he felt bad for being British and felt all the bad things that

were taught that it was not a ‘discovery’ but an invasion. While sat watching the class, students would air quote the word ‘discovered’ when talking about Captain Cook, then when the worksheets were given out and I was helping some students with some comprehension work, the narrative on them always included interactions with the indigenous Australians, how they were thought of and how they were treated in a way that rehumanises the Aboriginal people that history had taken from them (quite literally, they were classed as ‘Flora and Fauna’ for a shockingly long time). The students were taught what the impact of this invasion was on the people and also that Australian history didn’t start there.

had happened were because of “us”, I reassured him that he was not responsible, and that the best thing he can do is learn what happened so he can help make sure it never happens again. I don't know if this is how history is taught in all schools across Australia, unfortunately I very much doubt it but it’s amazing that this school is trying really hard to make the Aboriginal story visible, with it’s syllabus, students and indigenous teaching staff and support staff.

This story seems vastly different to my Aussie friends who even 20 years ago were never taught anything about the histories and cultures of a pre invaded Australia

“The land has law and culture.

We welcome tourists here.

Closing the climb is not Something to feel upset about but a cause for celebration.

Let’s come together; let’s close it together.”

— Former Chairman of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management

Sammy Wilson

Rock on, off rock.

A

nother important and solid victory for the indigenous Australians and the people of Anangu was the closure of the climb to the top of the sacred rock, Uluru (formally Ayres Rock).

In October 2019, 36 years after the land had been handed back to the people of the red desert, the climb to the top of Uluru has now been banned. This is a very special and sacred place for the Aboriginal people and has been for the best part of 80 thousand years. When we visited Uluru in early 2019, there were signs everywhere asking people not to climb and explaining the significance of the rock and what it represents to the Aboriginal people, however everyday that we were there we could see hundreds of people, including small children, eager to get going and climb to the top of this 348 meter monolith via a single metal chain.

toilets so there is often human waste that they have to clean. Irrespective of the mess they are reluctant to climb because they deem it to be so disrespectful, so for them the mess was just insult to injury.

Needless to say, we enjoyed the views from the bottom and got to hear some folk tales that can only be told at certain places around the rock. It was an amazing place, and for someone that would never consider themselves ‘spiritual’, I must admit that Uluru felt like somewhere with spirit and power.

Despite these positive directions, racism against the indigenous people of Australia is more apparent than any systemic and cultural racism that I have ever seen. On our drive to Uluru we met some older white Australians that were adamant that Uluru should still be called by it's colonial name of Ayers Rock and that calling it Uluru was wrong, they then went on to say some pretty horrendous things

We spoke to some of the indigenous rangers about the climb who said that they have to climb to the top for maintenance every now and then. They have to climb because there is nothing on top and people that climb aren’t

that don’t warrant repeating. Unfortunately, these are not isolated opinions either and are pretty common amongst older Australians.

aware of this, there are no bins so there is often rubbish everywhere and there are no

actions happening in Australia and get involved

Check out www.getup.com.au for positive

“Governments like the grim view for a similar reason: It justifies their existence as repressive, controlling, hostile forces, rather than collaborators with brave and powerful citizenries.�

Because, yeah If you want a source of ultimate despair, look no further than The Conservative Party.

Here are some things that the Tories have voted through or approved while we have been busy trying to navigate, stay safe, sane and healthy during this pandemic: ◆ Dismantled Public Health England (PHE) due to COVID-19 and replaced it with a new system headed by Dido Harding (disgraced ex Talk-Talk CEO), the new organisation will focus on infectious diseases but has not said how it will fulfil all of the other functions that PHE performed including drug and alcohol work and sexual health amongst others. It is also worth noting that the husband of Baroness Harding, John Penrose, is a Conservative MP who is part of a group that wished to scrap PHE and the NHS in favour for a privatised insurance system. ◆ Voted to Remove protections for the NHS from ‘outside interference’ meaning it could be affected in a UK - US trade deal, despite constantly spouting that the NHS was off the table for any trade deals. ◆ Advised the elderly and disabled to sign Do Not Resuscitate forms during the height of the pandemic, however these orders have now been imposed on many people in the UK, particularly the elderly, irrespective of previous health conditions.

◆ Given hundreds of millions of pounds to friends businesses in exchange for PPE that never arrived and spent £180 million on a single transaction that provided masks deemed unfit for purpose by the NHS. ◆ Originally voted against weekly Coronavirus testing for NHS staff and key workers. ◆ Appointed ousted ex Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot as the UK trade advisor, a man who campaigned against equal marriage rights for LGBT+ people in Australia, doesn’t believe in climate change and has been called out many times for sexist and mysogynistic comments. ◆ Have made significant changes to their own Brexit Withdrawal Agreement regarding trade, which if implemented will break international law and will make the UK liable for lawsuits by the EU. This agreement was originally signed off by parliament and the EU in January.

This is by no means an extensive list, there are plenty more examples of tory contempt for the British people and those around the world.

◆ Voted to lower food standards and remove

All politicians skate around truths or tell all out lies and do what they deem necessary to remain popular with their electorate.

However their voting records DO NOT LIE. Check how your local MP has voted and see

safeguards for British farmers in preparation for a UK- US trade deal.

if that represents the kind of community that you want to live in

“You may be told that legal decisions lead the changes, that judges and lawmakers lead the culture in those theatres called courtrooms, but they ratify change.

They are almost never where change begins, only where it ends up, for most changes travel from the edges to the centre.�

Love is love.

A

victory for LOVE! As of 24th May 2019, same sex marriage has become legal in TAIWAN, the FIRST country to make the legislative change in the whole of Asia!

An amazing moment for all the campaigners and those in the LGBTIQ+ community. Love prevails once again.

This is a significant move from Taiwan as all neighbouring countries do not recognise same sex marriage and many such as Malaysia and Singapore actively have laws against same sex relations. Despite the positive move there are still restrictions one year on from the law being passed. Same sex couples can not be married if one of the partners is from a country where same sex marriage is not legal, which essentially means anyone from the rest of Asia, it also doesn’t include rights to adopt, it only recognises step children.

This is still a move in a positive direction and shows that although things aren’t completely equal yet, in an area of the world that is quite conservative, in Taiwan at least, progress is being made. And perhaps their example will amplify the voices of those that are in countries on the edge of starting to recognise same sex relationships, such as Thailand which is considering bringing in Civil Partnerships, a step towards gay marriage. It is another nation to add to those that have made the change which speaks volumes globally.

Same sex marriage is now recognised in 30 countries with Northern Ireland and Costa Rica passing the law this year and Austria, Ecuador, parts of Mexico and Taiwan in 2019.

There are still countries that regard same sex relations as criminal, with Iran still enforcing the death penalty. Other countries such as Nigeria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Brunei still carry the death penalty but it is not enforced. Many of the countries that enforce laws against the LGBTIQ+ community are nations that have deep rooted religious connections which still influence law and decision making.

There is still plenty more campaigning that needs to be done to bring real change to other countries around the world, whether you identify as LGBTIQ+ or not, it is up to everyone to be an advocate for equal rights and not just be non-homophobic but ANTIhomophobic. These systemic changes take time to build momentum and the more we can help other countries shine a brighter light on these human rights, the more likely they will be seen by the governments and law makers.

Head to ALLOUT.ORG for updates on campaigns, petitions and donations to various global struggles where the basic human right as to chose to love whomever you want is being challenged by the state

1stIn ASIA

Recommendations [Things full of hope, information and straight up goodness]

Book: (Obviously)

‘Hope in the Dark’

by Rebecca Solnit Comic:

‘Low’

by Remender / Tocchini / McCAIG Podcast:

‘About Race’

by Reni Eddo-Lodge Music: Light Side:

‘Bearer of Bad News’

by Andy Shauf Dark Side:

‘Splinters from an EverChanging Face’

by END Movie:

The Peanut Butter Falcon

THANK YOU

@nathfiction_design www.nathfiction.bigcartel.com