To Be of Use, Be a ‘Piercy Person’
This has been a frenzied week for reporters, as a series of disasters has unfolded across the US. And while I’ve been stuck “looking down,” I’ve been watching more than my share of the stories.
In politics, a gubernatorial candidate was discovered writing of his desire to be a Nazi and own slaves; a mayor was indicted for corruption; a congressman slandered an entire nation of people.
Up and down the east coast of the US a hurricane spawned tornados and flash floods, toppling trees and washing away cars. As I write this (7 pm, 9/27), there are projections of $15-$25 billion in damages. Some 4.5 million people in ten states have lost power; 45 people have died, with many more unaccounted for).
Covering and following disasters is addictive, important, and exhausting.
For a lot of journalists, that’s made for a weirdly exciting week on the job.
I know. That used to be me.
As a reporter I was never more energized than when I was the person who discovered the scandal, unearthed the slave ring, yelled questions at the accused murderer, described the epidemic, or flew into the war zone. I fought to be the person sent into the projected path of the hurricane, and I was actually disappointed if the storm turned and I missed the worst of it.
I told myself I was providing a public service, and I probably was. But over time I realized spending every day looking for the worst was a lousy way to live. And I stopped.
Don’t get me wrong; I admire the reporters who discover the corruption, warn us about the storm and show us what happened. We need a group of people ready to shine a light on the destruction and corruption; who wake up everyday looking for what is wrong with the world.
Blessed are the muckrakers. But even more blessed are the rebuilders.
We all know bad news “sells,” and that we are more likely to watch bad news than good. Plenty of studies show that a negativity bias is somehow baked into our DNA. But that just means we need to work harder to “catch” more people doing good.
· We need more people covering the Mennonites who show up in the wake of every disaster (and who will be at disaster sites again post-Hurricane Helene); setting up temporary tents; getting to work rebuilding. And we need more people willing to do what Mennonites do.
· We need more stories about the painful, slow, unsexy work government does to get families back on their feet. And we need more people doing that work, over and over again, because it is their job and because they choose to make it their job.
· We need more reporting on the new policies that might prevent future corruption scandals. And we need more people excited about developing those policies.
It’s a virtuous cycle. If we ‘catch’ more people doing good and tell others about them, more people will understand how to do good. And more people will do good. We might call it “radical positivism.”
Realistically, over the next few weeks, with a national election and hurricane season, we are going to be drowning in reporting about all that has gone wrong with our places and our people and our policies.
But in the midst of the muck, let’s all try to find something positive to hold onto too, and to find something we can do to make it better.
I used to keep a poem by Marge Piercy by my desk at work, as an inspiration. It’s called “To Be of Use.” Here’s part of it:
“The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.”
We need more Piercy people.
-Leslie
Notes:
NC Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson online commentary story: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/19/politics/kfile-mark-robinson-black-nazi-pro-slavery-porn-forum/index.html?utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20240926&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&lctg=66c4fcd2bd3bd16ce40b655e&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
New York City Mayor Eric Adams bribery indictment: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/u.s._v._adams_indictment_1.pdf?utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20240926&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&lctg=66c4fcd2bd3bd16ce40b655e&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins’ comments on Haitians: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/clay-higgins-haitian-immigrants-racist-post
“To Be of Use” by Marge Piercy, originally published 1973: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57673/to-be-of-use