Everyday Rebellions

I walk a lot for exercise, as I'm sure many of you do. Occasionally I encounter offensive stickers, posted there and there. 

It happened again this week, outside of a café. I talked to owner—them behind plexiglass, both of us wearing masks—and said these particular bumper stickers would not easily come off. I was going to have to come back to cover them up. 

The shop owner replied, “Yeah! Cover them up with something pretty!”

So the next day, stickers shoved into my hoodie pockets, I took another walk and did. 

I crouched down and unpeeled my stickers carefully, putting the backs into my pocket as I went. One at a time—peel, place, smooth—I covered up the offensive stickers with images from local artists. With messages of hope and cheeky rebellion. A beehive. A Robin Hood wolf. Justice, balancing scales. An elk, with words of solidarity.

I did this in full daylight, crouched on a city sidewalk in a commercial district, with people walking by. Some paused to look at me, a strange sight I'm sure: a middle-aged person in black hoodie and jeans, crouched on a sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon, affixing stickers onto bike racks and a free newspaper box. 

I didn't care.

Why? Because, while technically “illegal,” these are the sorts of every day rebellions that I think are good for our society. As I continued on my walk, I snapped a photo of another sticker, that read “Make Good Trouble.”

The “good trouble” John Lewis talked about includes these ordinary acts of every day rebellion, I think, along with more serious acts that require a little more bravery: The whistle blowing. The risking arrest. The interruption of large harm.

I’ve done some of that myself, and support others who do so to the best of my ability. But today, I’m talking about the smaller stuff. I’m talking about pushing the envelope. Doing the unexpected. Shaking up the status quo.

I'm talking about the child who contradicts their teacher about a point of history on a Zoom call. I'm talking about the parent, struggling to do their work in the same room who hears this, and backs up their child.

I'm talking about the tired transit worker eating her breakfast on the train despite that not being allowed. Because it was the only time she had to eat. 

I'm talking about pushing back against the sexist joke. I’m talking about asking a stranger to please pull up their mask properly even though confronting strangers is considered rude. I’m talking about the sticker slaps all over my town. The banner drops over freeways. I’m talking about saying “no” when the expected answer is “yes.” I’m talking about saying “yes” when everyone around us thinks we should say “no.”

I’m talking about breaking through our comfort zones to access something real.

 These acts of everyday rebellion bring us firmly back to life. They are acts that say “these rules don't make any sense to me, so I will not obey them.” 

Good trouble, both large and small, is necessary for us to build something better together. Everyday rebellion adds color to the world. It makes art in the streets and music on the subway. It adds a little more kindness to the world. Sometimes we must confront larger, more intimidatingly violent forces, by banding together with our friends. But other times? It's just about the small acts that present themselves to us day in and day out. 

So how about you? What are you pushing yourself towards these days? What are your ordinary acts of rebellion? What good trouble are you getting yourself into for the sake of us all?

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