A summer survival guide for the Trump era

Robert Reich's summer survival guide on how to relax during the era of Trump.

Published August 5, 2017 12:59PM (EDT)

 (AP/Shutterstock/Salon)
(AP/Shutterstock/Salon)

This originally appeared on Robert Reich's blog.

1.  Take a day off from the news, one day a week.

2.  Don’t get into an argument with a Trump supporter,especially if it’s a member of your family. Remember, there are more independents and non-voters than Trump Republicans. And the 2018 midterm election will be won on the basis of turnout.

3.  Pay no attention to Trump’s tweets. They’re becoming increasingly bizarre and irrelevant.

4.  Watch an old movie of biting political satire, like “Wag the Dog.”

5.  But don’t watch “Doctor Strangelove.

6.  Join an Indivisible group near you and take action with them, attending a congressional town meeting and organizing others to contact your members of congress. It’s having an effect. Plus, it’s therapeutic.

7.  Drink lots of water and get plenty of exercise. Helps with the anger.

8.  Read good books of fiction, like Harry Potter. Don’t read George Orwell’s “1984” or Sinclair Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here” or Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.”

9.  Go to a county fair with your kids, and watch the pigs.

10. Have a cookout with your neighbors and see what resources you yourselves can offer to your community. Start a tool collective or teach a class in a library or out of someone’s house. Tangible change can come from your hands, not only your votes. Remember, resistance works best when people come together and work together.

Have a great summer!


By Robert Reich

Robert B. Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written 15 books, including the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and"Beyond Outrage," and, his most recent, "The Common Good." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." He's also co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism."

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