(Editor’s note: Carla Bastos is aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey on a multi-year cruise around the world. This post on political activism is part of a series.)
There’s a certain surreal quality to life aboard a residential cruise ship. On one hand, it feels completely separate from society as we knew it. But at the same time, the residents aboard Villa Vie Odyssey, now totaling roughly 250, are mostly Americans, so it’s also like being back in the U.S.A.– which I left more than three years ago to retire in Italy.
As I’ve written here in the past, my reasons for leaving the States were largely due to the socio-political climate. And, when I decided to leave Tuscany to experience one year circumnavigating the globe aboard the Odyssey, my plan was always to return to Italy at the end of that year, for the same reasons. Today those decisions are more certain than ever, but there is also a burden to continue in the activism and involvement that were always important to me.
Sadly, many with that same burden are wondering if it even matters anymore.
Americans living abroad may have already been feeling frustrated at no longer being a part of picket lines, sit-ins and other meaningful involvement. But some have now bought into the Democrats’ seeming descent into defeatism.
Why not activism?
While a few of us on board were recently lamenting U.S. politics and the future of our country, the same questions kept surfacing. What can we do? And will it make a difference? Some had been able to vote remotely in the last presidential election, but many hadn’t due to various complications and delays. And that helplessness and frustration had only worsened since the inauguration.
Now that we’ve been at sea for several months, most residents have established routines. Yes, we’re experiencing many amazing countries, tours and excursions, but there are also fitness and dance classes, lectures, book club meetings, movies, card games, pickleball, our golf simulator, and just plain work for those who still do it, aboard the ship.
In other words, whatever lifestyles we enjoyed at home, we still enjoy here. So, why not activism? Why not political engagement, just to feel like we’re doing something, making a difference, just like we would at home? Because this is our home now, and not just a vacation cruise, likeminded residents can reserve spaces for all sorts of group meetings and gatherings. (We held two separate watch parties on election night, and all went smoothly.)
It would be easy to tune out in an environment like ours, even with the largely American population and the inevitable chatter. Even expats in other countries can choose to stop their ears and don blinders.
But at the end of the day, American politics is world politics, and the news is inescapable.
‘Don’t get pulled into the chaos’
The devastating effects of the latest Trump presidency are already being felt and reported far and wide. And this president’s rush to get retribution against his perceived “enemies,” coupled with his iron grip on the American justice system, make it imperative that we not look the other way.
In a recent post by the New York Times editorial board titled “Now Is Not The Time To Tune Out,” Americans are encouraged (no, implored) to stay aware and engaged: “Don’t get distracted. Don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t get paralyzed and pulled into the chaos that President Trump and his allies are purposely creating with the volume and speed of executive orders; the effort to dismantle the federal government; the performative attacks on immigrants, transgender people and the very concept of diversity itself; the demands that other countries accept Americans as their new overlords; and the
dizzying sense that the White House could do or say anything at any moment.”
So, back to the original question: What can we do?
Here aboard the Odyssey, we’re exploring several options, including starting a phone bank and letter-writing campaign. Americans are always reminded of our civic duty to vote, but once we’ve elected (or failed to elect) our chosen candidates, we’re equally duty-bound to monitor their activities and keep our
voices heard – just as they are duty-bound to deliver on their promises.
Phoning and writing to legislators both in our own party and the opposing one, is not only our duty but our right. We mustn’t forget this, and we mustn’t let them forget. Of course there are the sycophants in Congress whose votes are only to appease Trump. But, there are also those whose reelection will hinge on hearing their constituents’ voices and responding.
The juvenile, ugly and never-ending vitriol on social media accomplishes nothing. It does not effect change. And yet, it seems to be the order of the day. Is this because too many Americans feel it’s their only outlet, and there really is nothing they can do to change the country’s current hell-in-a-handbasket trajectory?
Before we choose to wash our hands of the whole mess and just bury our heads in the sand, let’s explore what can be done. As the New York Times reminded us, “Our collective voices can make a difference to stop this coup and their abuses of power … For goodness’ sake, don’t tune out.”
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See more about Donald Trump here in Dispatches’ archives.
Carla Bastos is a former journalist and newspaper editor. An American expat in Italy for several years, she now makes her home traveling the world aboard Villa Vie Odyssey.
